I was first introduced to Mid Kent Fisheries, and in particular Chilham Mill, one very cold and dismal December weekend about 4 years ago.

I went down there on the recommendation of my very good friend Kev Knight of Mainline Baits after we had heard so much about this fishery and how well it fished, especially during the winter.

Well, I banked one of about 16lbs and lost an absolute lump and I was hooked. I have fallen in love with the place since then and fish it at every possible chance.

Before I take you around the lake, let me give you some history about Chilham Mill and how it came to be. It is situated about 8 miles from Canterbury in Kent and very easy to get to from the A2 or M20. It was dug in 1954 for gravel for the M2 that was being made nearby, by a company called Hookers, quite appropriate really.

Mid Kent Fisheries

It was then purchased by Mid Kent Water in 1964 and used as a trial site for growing water plants. A few Catfish and Grass Carp were also introduced by the then Water Board later to become the N.R.A.and now the E.A. also as a trial, as the lake at that time was not fished. These fish have now achieved 42lb and 27lb respectively.

In 1991 Mid Kent Water brought Chris Logsdon to Chilham and asked him to develop the lake into a fishery, at that time there were no swims on the lake and very few Carp, stocks being mainly large Bream and Roach. Most of the lake at that time was very heavily weeded and covered in reeds.After a lot of very hard work by Chris and a few faithful and very hard working friends, the lake was cleared of most of the weed, and after several nettings, the stock was assessed and undesirables were removed.Over the next few years Carp were stocked as they became available and other lakes were opened under the Mid Kent Fisheries banner.

It became apparent to the parent company that fisheries was a viable proposition so when Chris asked to borrow a large amount of money in 1998 in order to drain the lake and remove vasts amounts of read encroachment they were happy to do so. Some 6acres of reeds and small islands were removed, new swims and paths made and 600 new trees planted.

The lake was then filled and restocked with some 500 new carp( ALL ENGLISH) bringing the stock up to in excess of 750 carp.The lake now covers 26 acres and has 34 swims every one of which has a feature to fish to, it has everything that you could want in a lake, several islands, and lots of gravel bars, plateaus and marginal cover.

The Fish

The stock is now estimated at between 750 to 900 carp including a conservative guess of 30-35 x 30’s and 500-600 x 20’s. There are a few singles but these are rarely caught, the rest being around the 15-19lbs mark. MKF have stocked 20 of these 30’s in the past 4-5 years and the lake record now stands at 38-0. The stock levels given here are the opinion of Chris, but personally I would put the number of 30’s a bit higher and I, like a lot of regulars that know the lake, believe that there is at least one 40. The big Common from Crown Netherall was stocked into here at 36+ some time ago and has not been caught for a while. Another possible 40.

The team at MKF has now grown due to their expertise in fishery management and consultation and this shows in the waters that they run in-house. There are a total of 15 carp lakes available on the ticket, all these have 30’s in them and now 3 have 40s, all are very well kept and strictly baliffed.

These range from small, weedy lakes to Conninbrook that holds the current British record at 61-12. On Chilham, the boys net the lake every year to take out Tench, Bream and silver fish so that the Carp can continue to grow and reach better weights, these fish are then restocked into their pleasure fishing lakes.

A Tour Round Chilham

Right, now I’ll take you around Chilham Mill and explain what you can expect from each swim or area in brief as space is limited here. I have included the permanent peg numbers in brackets in red next to the text to help new members find their way around.

Starting at the Mill end by the fishery offices and the car park, we walk down the riverbank and come to about 6 swims known as ‘the dug outs’(pegs 1-6). These are normally the last swims to go as they are not as big and comfortable as the others but I tend to fish these when just down for the night between work. The last one is a bigger swim and known as the ‘Double’(peg 5).

There is plenty of marginal cover and so you don’t need to be fishing any further than 40 yards out, 20 is enough in most places. Most swims have a bit of weed and if you want to fish the clear areas, these are easily found. The average depth here is about 4-5 foot and small pva bags with pellet and/or crumbled baits work very well with a small pop-up fished 1.5-2 inches up.

Bailiffs Island

Then we come to a small island known as ‘Bailiff’s Island’ and this has 2 swims on it: ‘Left hand Bailiffs’ (Peg 8) and ‘Right hand Bailiffs’ (Peg 9). From here you can see straight back down to the mill end and through the gap up towards ‘The Scaffolds’. There is an island dead in front of the 2 swims at about 60 yards but it is quite shallow when you go tight to it, especially to the left-hand side.

The small cove to the right is worth one rod as this is slightly deeper and produces quite a few fish. The snag that used to hang out on the right side of the island has now been removed for fish safety reasons, but you can still get one along side the island here, another good area.

Further to the right of the island, and about 40 yards off it, at about 90 yards, is just over what is known as ‘swanny bar’. The third rod is aimed at the ‘Transformer’ swim and a deeper gully can be found there at about 50-55 yards, a good winter spot.

Swanny

The next swim is known as ‘Swanny’ (Peg 10) and is best fished at ranges of about 110 yards, either on the bar during the warmer months or just over it, especially during the winter. This bar is quite prominent between the two islands and usually holds quite a few fish all year round due to the silt areas that are spotted all around here. The next swim is known as ‘Pammys’( Peg 11) and is fished the same as the ‘Swanny’. The next one is ‘the Reeds’ (Peg 12) and here we are now along side the next couple of islands. There is a bay in the island and this is a good area as is the tip of the tree just around to the left of this bay. I fish the third rod level with the gap in the islands and about 25 yards out at the bottom of the slope.

The next few swims are rarely fished due to the limited water available in front of them but they still throw up a few surprises from time to time. The best of these swims is ‘One Tree Island’( Pegs 16 & 17 ) where there is a gap between 2 islands. When the fish are in front of ‘the scaffolds’. They come through this gap to get away from the pressure and a quiet approach from this side can sometimes catch them out. The margins here are great with tree-lined banks and deep water so keep your eyes on these spots, very over-looked and very productive at times.

Shooters Island

As we then go around the track to the left, we go out onto ‘Shooters Island’. The first swim(Peg 19 ) faces the islands and has some great margin spots down to the left, which are overlooked far too often. This is a great swim when a new wind is blowing straight into this bank and the area just off the first island is a very good starting point.

The next 3 swims face the back of ‘scaffolds’ and the bay (Pegs 21 & 22 ) From here you can fish over to the reeds and small bay where a lot of fish retreat to when it is busy. There is a bar about half way over and a bait placed at the far side of this, or on the top in the summer will produce takes.

The last swim on this bank can be one of those hit and miss ones (Peg 22 ) but I believe that there are always some resident fish due to the features and cover that they have. The trees on the ride hand side margin are always worth a try and at the right time of the year, some big catches come from here, the margins on the right hand side of this swim are some of the deepest parts of the lake, down to 8ft in places, with only the one swim at this end, plenty of water to cover and plenty of features for the fish to enjoy.

Scaffold

It’s quite a way around then to the next swim, ‘the Scaffolds’(Peg 23). or ‘Ant Island’ as some people know it. This really is one of my favourite swims as you have so much water that no one else can encroach upon. You have a bar about two thirds of the way over slightly to the left and aiming at the gap between the 2 islands.

You then have all the back of the big island and if no one is in the ‘new swim’ to your right, you have the gap and the bush to its right. Always a popular swim and it was in this one that I banked 18 Carp in 32 hours with 14 of these being over 20lbs.

It can be a difficult cast for some as its quite tight and there’s not much room for the back swing when casting, one of the longest cast’s on the venue to get over to the island.

The next swim, peg 24, is called the ‘New Swim’ and the one that has caused some comments. From here, your water is up to the tree on the right-hand side island before the channel between this and the main island. You also have the great margins to your left, another one of those overlooked spots.

The Transformer

Just the other side of the island that separates the Scaffolds water and the main body of the lake is another popular swim known as ‘the Transformer’(Peg 25 ). This again has a lot of water all to itself including the gap, the tree over hanging the tip of the island and the open water slightly to the right. This swim has produced many, many big hits and when the fish are in the open water area, this is always a good spot to be. Again, resident fish around the island ensure a take most of the time.

One Pole

Quite a big gap and then another favourite of mine; ‘One Pole’ (Peg26). From here you have the island just out to your right, the open water towards the back of Swanny’s bar and when its quite, the water between here and the Transformer has produced some very good fish, quite unexpectedly.

A nice big swim and always very popular with the regulars and has proved to be the best swim during the winter of 2003-04 with many 30lbs+ fish banked from here.

The next swim is quite a way down and the first of the swims as the lake starts to narrow towards the Mill end. The first one is known as ‘No Hope’( Peg 27 ) and although I have only fished it the once, it has everything in front of it that you could want. Tree lined margins, an island, bars and plateaus make this a swim with plenty of features to chose from and is always worth a look when the lake is busy as any moving fish have to come either through here or between the island and Bailiff’s island.

Snags

As we go along we come to a swim known as the ‘Snags’( 28 ) although all of the snags have now been removed. Hot spots are about 50-60 yards straight out at the bottom of the shelve, just of the island to your left and close in just to the left at about 30 yards. The margins are always worth keeping your eyes on and at the right time of the year, big catches are taken within 5 yards of the bank.

Brick Pit

Next one along is the ’Brick Pit’ or 'Brickyard' ( Peg 29 ) and this is normally fished at about 50 yards straight out, again at the bottom of the small shelve and if no one is in the dug out opposite, a long one over to the far margin is always worth a rod.

Reynolds Point

Just before the small bay is a swim that is known as ‘Reynolds Point’ or 'The Slope' ( Peg 30 ), a good swim all year round with plenty of features. Several small bars are slightly to the right of the swim and a bait in between these is always a good staring point. Just to the left of these, almost straight out from the swim is the small drop off again at about 50 yards. A very popular swim especially during the winter months.

‘The Swamp’

Approached from ‘Reynolds Point’ and the next one down is ‘The Swamp’( Peg 31 ). A very under estimated swim and well capable of good catches. There is a lovely little clear area just along the margin to the right just before the water goes into the small bay. It is about 3 foot here and nice and clean and always worth a try during the warmer months. The drop off is still running through this swim too and again seems to be a productive area. The far bank is still reachable from here and when possible, a rod almost over the far side can produce bonus fish.

the OK Corale

Just around the small bay is a swim known as ‘the OK Corale’( Peg 32 ). This swim sits straight in front of the large tree in the water on the far bank and this is better fished from here rather than the dug-outs either side of it. Again there is a small shelve at about 45 yards and the fish do come very close to the bank when moving in and out of the Mill end bay.

Linnies

Just along we come to peg number 33 Known as Linnies. This can be a very good peg if no one is in the very end peg, number 34 From here you get a good angle on the pads to the right and just short of the small island. The margin in front of the swim is always worth a rod and again, the feature is at about 35-40 yards. The fish do come very close in this swim and the margin to the right is a very good spot, about 3 feet here.

The very end peg is always a popular choice, as it just looks so good. Pads, reed lined margins and no one can bother you in this bay. There is a blue pipe that comes over the water edge to the right and a bait placed just of this by the trees has caught a lot of fish. The margin spot is just to the left where there is a small gravel area about 4 foot of the bank.

Well, there it is. A very brief walk around what I believe to be the most under estimated Carp fishery in the country. I have known weeks when ten to fifteen 30’s have been caught, several anglers catching 20-25 fish in 2-3 days and anglers banking 6 or 9 fish in one night. Hit this on form and you could be going home very tired indeed. Like any fishery, especially a quite shallow water, it can be very moody but with the right approach, several fish per outing is the normal. Not many people bat an eyelid when they hear about anglers banking 20 fish in a 2-3 day visit.

It does get busy during the warmer months, as it is such a good fishery at a price that is within reach of most people. This has a good side during the colder months as it still see’s a few anglers over the weekends as well as a few during the weekdays. This steady trickle of bait keeps the fish looking and feeding and again, multiple catches are well possible and again, get the conditions right and it fishes very well. Last winter, over 15 thirties were landed between the end of January and the end of February.

The Staff

Chris and the team at Chilham have worked very, very hard to get this venue to where it is today and they do not take kindly to litter or any abuse of the place or the members. Sensible rules in force that have the venue’s and members welfare at heart. I cannot speak highly enough of people like Chris, his assistant manager Keith, his wife Lin who runs all the membership and general admin and all of the team. These people are dedicated to what they do and Chris had the nerve to go out and build his dream. He’s certainly done that in Chilham but not happy with that, he has just completed a major project just down the road. Two existing waters have been dug into one, dug out a bit more, landscaped and stock with plenty of Carp to over 30lbs. One to watch out for over the next few years.

I could write pages about my experiences on this water but space has run out for now. Maybe one day I could tell you a bit more about the methods and tactics that have worked for me and some of my findings on this very productive venue that is going to be a very big name in carp fishing.

Until then, keep those lines tight.
Mick Perry.

See Arial View of Chilham