EA rod licence
Needed for coarse fish and eels in England. Buy a 1-day, 8-day or 12-month licence before you fish.
Buy on GOV.UK →Permissions
Club & day-ticket links
An EA rod licence is always required. Between Allington Lock and Maidstone (on toward East Farleigh) the river is widely treated as free fishing. Club day tickets matter further upstream — Barming, Teston, Yalding and beyond — where Maidstone Victory Angling Society controls long beats.
Maidstone Victory Angling Society
Controls long freshwater beats upstream of Maidstone — Barming, Teston, Wateringbury, Yalding — plus lakes around town. Membership and guest tickets via the club.
- Not the Allington–Maidstone free stretch
- Day tickets must be bought in advance
- Carry your EA licence and receipt email
Medway day tickets
MVAS sells daylight-only day tickets for selected upstream Medway stretches. Not valid in the river close season.
Also sold in advance at Maidstone Angling, Sandling Road, Maidstone.
Close season & water guide
English rivers close to coarse fishing mid-March to mid-June. Always check bank signs and the club calendar — rights can change, and unused close-season tickets aren’t refunded.