East Coast/North Kent Seafishing

[porphyro]

Would I be completely mad to keep a boat at chatham partially for fishing? I know the North Kent coast can get pretty seaweedy in summer, but if I'm prepared to lose a few hooks and burn some diesel, how's the fishing overall? My charter experience is mostly on the south coast or off Ramsgate.

 

[Frayed Knot]

Hmmm. I don’t know whether there are many fish worth catching but I’m sure there will be some to find your (presumably baited) free-range hooks.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

All I can say is that quite a few people run fishing boats out of Titchmarsh Marina, at Walton-on-the-Naze. I've no idea what they catch! But the shoal, muddy water of the East Coast certainly provides fish - but perhaps not the species you're used to off Ramsgate.

 

[porphyro]

I've heard there's more smoothhound on the north shore?

 

[Malish]

there certainly used to be boats fishing in the Medway Estuary opposite Thames Port and out in the Thames itself

 

[turnstone]

Plenty of Bass, Thornback rays, smooth hounds, and Lesser spotted Dogfish occasionally Mackerel.

 

[porphyro]

Plenty of Bass, Thornback rays, smooth hounds, and Lesser spotted Dogfish occasionally Mackerel.

Nice. Some personal favourites in that list!

 

[GunfleetSand]

I’d check with locals at the Marina before keeping a boat there if just for fishing. Lots of interesting looking features around the Medway but it’s essentially a river so less of the bigger fish like tope/smoothounds. I would expect bass, rays, dogfish whiting would be the usual suspects. Maybe not all for eating but other species can be found with the right time and effort. Note there is a marine conservation area in the river, again locals should be your sounding board.

 

[justanothersailboat]

I'm not a fisherman but I know one in the area and see quite a lot about.

I think there's a bit of fishing in the Medway but more out off the north coast of Sheppey / outer Thames estuary. They seem to like their really early starts. Chatham is quite a bit further upriver and you have to deal with the lock, which I'm told adds up to being a bit restrictive - you're that bit further, in time terms, from the sea. My fishing friend reckons it's difficult (but not impossible) to balance being based closer to the estuary mouth vs still being able to get aboard early in a wide range of states of tide.

 

[Concerto]

Currently IIRC the north shore of the Medway between the Isle of Grain and Kingsnorth is a protected area from fishing to allow undisturbed breeding. Back in the 1960's my parents kept a boat in Queenborough and knew the last professional fisherman on the Thames as it was becoming a dead river due to pollution. He caught a variety of fish including cod and skate. The river is much cleaner now and feel the fish stocks have improved, but I am not a fisherman.

I used to berth in Chatham Marina and there are plenty of mullet and some flat fish in the basin. A few boat owners catch them, even though you are not supposed to fish in there. Mooring in Chatham Marina will certainly reduce the amount of weed on your hull as there is virtually no mud in the water, it is roughly 10 metres deep so stays cooler in the summer and there are two natural springs flowing into the basin which reduces the salanity of the water.

 

[Gargleblaster]

Yesterday there was a fisherman with two rods out on a pedal board opposite the Commodore's Hard. We had a chat but I forgot to ask him what he was fishing for or if he had been successful.