The Old Ballast Pit

Brief description of fishery:

The oldest of the Society’s stillwaters and still bearing it’s original name was dug around 1842 to provide material for the Tonbridge to Redhill railway embankment which runs alongside the lake. This was the main London to Dover line for nearly 30 years before the tunnels each side of Sevenoaks were dug.

This 4 acre lake was, back in the 1880’s , shared between the Angling Society and the Tonbridge Skating Club, as it frozen firm enough to skate on almost every year up to the early 1900’s. The Society finally managed to purchase the Pit outright in 2008. The ‘Pit’ has an average depth of four feet, the bottom is generally silt, although regular Siltex treatment is used. There are lilies which make the water look attractive. The water is popular with Carp anglers as there are a large number of doubles, twenties and a handful of fish over the 30lb mark. It also has a good head of other species, notably large Bream and Tench plus Crucians to over 3lb and 100lb bags of Bream have been reported. Quality Roach, Rudd, Perch, Pike and Eels have shown up in recent surveys and do get caught but the bigger fish generally come out on boilies.

All methods will catch and sprayed maggots will bring a host of silver fish into the swim. Groundbait feeder can produce large nets of Bream. Pole fishing for silver fish and Bream can become explosive if a Carp or large Tench picks up the hook bait.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

This is a ADULT MEMBERS only water. No under 16’s allowed.

NO DAY TICKETS.

Gate code is on your membership card and changed annually.

No bivvies to be used in the 3 disabled swims.

Parking in Haysden Country Park car park. (Parking charges apply).

The car park opening times are displayed at park entrance. You will need to purchase the minimum priced parking ticket and display your Society parking sheet alongside the ticket. This allows you to park for that day.

Two rods only to be used at any time.

A non-fishing spouse/partner guest pass is available and this is limited to car park gate times only.

PLEASE SEE THE CARP FISHING GUIDELINES ON OUR WEBSITE AND SIGNAGE AT ENTRANCE TO LAKE.