SPORT 



of Thanet from the mainland. The present 

 mouth of the Stour is at Sandwich, and the 

 arm of the sea into which it flowed has 

 disappeared, having given way to breezy 

 marshes. Navigation is no longer possible 

 as far as Fordwich and Canterbury, but in 

 the olden days the largest craft came up 

 the Stour as far as these two historic towns. 

 No one would ever have dreamed that the 

 navigation, which in the first instance drove 

 the angler away, would ever so far disappear 

 as to allow him to regain possession of the 

 waters. The Stour at Fordwich is now quite 

 a shallow stream, but it holds a few good 

 trout, as well as a good number of coarse fish, 

 of which roach are the chief. 



Angling was held in high esteem in this 

 part of the county in ancient times, and 

 the fishing rights of towns and corpora- 

 tions were very jealously guarded. Izaak 

 Walton, speaking of the ' Fordidge ' trout, 

 says of them that they are ' accounted 

 the rarest of fish ; many of them near the 

 bigness of a salmon, but known by their 

 different colour.' It is hardly likely that 

 these fish were the ordinary river trout of 

 our own time, and the probability is that 

 they were sea-trout. At one time these 

 fish, whatever they were, when they came 

 up the river to Fordwich to spawn on the 

 gravelly shallows thereabouts, were much 

 sought after by the Mayor and Corporation, 

 who would seem to have had their separate 

 rights and privileges with regard to the 

 capture of the fish. But the corporation 

 appears invariably to have enjoyed the best 

 of the sport, and had recourse to a cunning 

 device to ensure a good bag. Every year 

 when the fish came up the river these gentle- 

 men caused the bed of the stream to be 

 staked out in the form of a V, so that the 

 ascending trout should all be driven inwards 

 towards its apex. At this point a gap was 

 left, and when the fish had become thoroughly 

 accustomed to the arrangement, a bag-net 

 was placed over the opening in such a manner 

 that the fish, though able to enter it, could 

 not get out again. 



The principal angling stations on the Stour 

 are Ashford, Wye, Chilham, Canterbury, 

 Fordwich, Sturry, Grove Ferry, and Sarre, 

 and the waters are preserved by a number 

 of societies and private anglers. In the 

 Canterbury district the Stour from Shalms- 

 ford to the cathedral town and from thence 

 to Sturry is preserved by the Stour Fishery 

 Association and the Lower Stour Fishery. 

 Hereabouts there is some very good fly-fish- 

 ing for trout, and tickets by the week or 

 month are issued to the public by the associa- 



tions. Trout are not allowed to be taken 

 in these waters except with the fly, and 

 all fish under 13 inches in length must be 

 returned to the river. At Wye there is 

 good roach and pike fishing in the winter, 

 but in summer time the weeds interfere 

 greatly with this class of sport. Roach also 

 afford good sport at Brook, which is situated 

 about two miles from Wye. The river at 

 Chilham is preserved by Colonel Hardy. 

 From Fordwich Bridge to Pluck's Gutter 

 fishing is obtainable by the public from Mr. 

 Thomas W. Gomm, who preserves this 

 stretch of water, and issues w-eekly and season 

 tickets. No roach under 9 inches in 

 length may be retained. June, July, August 

 and September are the best fishing months 

 in these w^aters, but roach and pike provide 

 good sport in the winter months. Blood 

 Point near Grove Ferry is a noted hole for 

 bream. 



At this part the river is tidal, and holds 

 roach, bream, pike and rudd, with here and 

 there a few dace. Trout are not very common, 

 and none under 16 inches in length are allowed 

 to be taken. During certain seasons of the 

 year considerable shoals of grey mullet and 

 some bass and sea-trout, together with an 

 occasional flounder, work up the river from 

 Sandwich, and cause a good deal of annoyance 

 to the roach angler, whose delicate tackle 

 is not infrequently broken when large bass 

 or mullet take his bait. The latter afford 

 very good sport for local anglers. For roach 

 the fishermen of the district rely chiefly on 

 bread-crust and boiled wheat, and the writer 

 has found ground bait and paste mixed to 

 be very killing. Holiday anglers staying at 

 Margate, Ramsgate, Deal and Heme Bay 

 frequent the Stour at Grove Ferry, which 

 is easily reached from any of those places. 

 The banks at this part of the river are 

 steep, and a landing-net with a long handle 

 is necessary. The stream runs swiftly here- 

 abouts at times, making the use of large well - 

 shotted floats a necessity. Ledger-tackle 

 instead of float-tackle is preferred by some 

 anglers in these tidal waters on account of 

 the strength of the currents. The river is 

 clearer above Grove Ferry, and lighter tackle 

 may be used for roach and bream. 



Among the few rivers of Kent which may 

 lay claim to being considered good waters 

 for trout the Darent is the most important, 

 although, of course, the upper waters of the 

 Stour are also well known as the favourite 

 home of the ' speckled beauty.' The Darent 

 is everywhere strictly preserved, and its 

 principal angling stations are Sevenoaks^ 

 Dunton Green, Eynsford, and Farningham 



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