1. Fishing Seasons
Game fishing:
- Migratory Trout and Salmon – 1stMay to 29thOctober.
- Brown Trout – 3rdApril to 31stOctober.
- Rainbow Trout - All year
Coarse fishing:
- Littlebourne, Minster, and Stonar Lakes, all year fishing.
- Pike – Lakes and River, 1stOctober to 14thMarch.
- Fordwich Lakes, 8pm 15thJune to 8pm 14thMarch.
- River, 16thJune to 14thMarch.
All dates are inclusive.
2. Limitations:
No fish are to be removed from or introduced to Association waters or moved between without the prior
consent of the
Committee. To do so is an offence and will result in loss of membership.
3. Waters.
-
Waters reserved for the exclusive use of the Fly Fishing Section: River Stour, White Mill Pool
to Fordwich
Bridge and Black Mill Pool to Fordwich Bridge. Subject also to Fly Section byelaws.
-
Members may fish the River from Fordwich car park to Plucks Gutter for Brown Trout from
3rd April
to 31st October with artificial fly only. All Trout must be returned.
-
The Trout Pool is stocked with Trout and fishing is by artificial fly only. Fishing is available
to all
members by purchasing in advance a permit, the price of such permit to be fixed by the
Committee. Byelaws
governing the water are available on request from Headquarters and issued with each permit.
Limitation – The number of trout that can be taken is shown on the ticket.
-
Waters available for coarse fishing: River Stour downstream from Fordwich Bridge, north bank
until Fordwich
Lake car park, then both banks to the site of the old Bailey bridge (see note in byelaw 3b
above). River
Stour, both banks, from the site of the Bailey bridge downstream to Plucks Gutter. Little Stour,
north bank
between Blue Bridge and Plucks Gutter. Fordwich Lake. Trenley Lake. Stour Lake. Stonar Lake.
Minster Lakes
(Jade and Brook Lakes). Littlebourne Lakes (Birch, Pump House, Grove Lake and Bramble Lakes) . Fishing in
Fordwich Lake
is restricted to local members only.
4. Visiting Groups and Clubs.
Visitor tickets are available to outside groups or clubs wishing to fish matches on the River Stour.
Such visitors
can only fish designated sections of water and cannot displace members fishing when they arrive.
Pre-booking only with deposit through Headquarters.
4a Guest Tickets.
Adult members can purchase up to 4 Guest Tickets per season, not more than 2 per day, at a cost of
£10 per adult and
£5 per junior under 12 years free. The member must purchase these 7 days in advance. Guests must
live outside the
local postal code area (CT1-CT21 incl. ME13 and TN25), fish next to the member who will be
responsible for the guest
conforming to the bye –laws. Guest tickets are not available for Fordwich Lake or the Fly
Section.
Guest tickets are available for the trout pool on payment of the additional fee.
5. Competitions are arranged at the discretion of the Committee.
6. Only specifically designed green angler’s bivvies may be used. No tents may be erected on
any of the
Fisheries. Bivvies must not encroach onto pathways or tracks.
7. No fires are allowed on any Fisheries. Anglers must not create excessive light or noise
whilst fishing
Association waters.
8. Carp Fishing:
-
All carp must be returned to the water as soon as possible after weighing and witnessing and may
only be
retained in a carp sack for these purposes for a maximum period of thirty minutes. No keepnets
are to be
used for carp in any circumstances.
-
Bent hook rigs are not permitted.
-
Anglers are not permitted to be absent from their peg/swim for more than 2 hours. Anglers found
to be away
from their swim for more than 2 hours will forfeit that swim at the discretion of the venue
bailiff.
-
If carp anglers share a double swim a maximum of 2 rods per angler will be permitted.
9. Care of Fish.
- Only knotless keep nets and knotless landing nets may be used for fishing on Association waters.
Keepnets must
be
a minimum of 3m in length and a minimum of 45cm x 35cm in cross section if rectangular, or a
minimum of 45cm in
diameter if circular. Only keepnets with “fish safe bottom” sections are acceptable.
- Unhooking mats must be visible on the bank ready to use, these mats must be specialist unhooking
mats of a
suitable size and must be used when any fish is held out of the water.
- Landing nets must be used to assist the landing of fish over 6”/150mm.
- (E) Any method of fishing that is likely to damage or endanger the fish is unacceptable.
(Warnings will be given
by
bailiffs who will advise on unacceptable tackle).
10. Retention of Fish:
- Fish, with the exception of those listed in 10b below may only be kept in keep nets for a
maximum of 12 hours
- Carp, Pike, Barbel and Grayling must not be retained in keep nets.
11. Pike Fishing Tackle
- Suitable tackle for pike Rod minimum 2lb test curve, line minimum15lbs BS, trace minimum 18”
length and minimum 20lb (traces should be inspected for damage). Treble hooks, barbless or
partially de-barbed maximum size 4.
- Suitable size landing net 35” across the arms (triangular), 30”diameter(circular), large and
small artery
forceps and wire cutters.
- Audio/visual bite detection capable of showing runs or drop back bites immediately the pike
picks up the bait or
otherwise stated.
- Live baits not more than 6” in length may be used, lip hooked using one treble hookonly. Live
bait must be
caught from the water in which they are to be used and must be returned at the end of the days
fishing, having
been
retained for no more than 12 hours.
- Night fishing for pike is not permitted on any Association Waters.
- A large weigh sling must be used when weighing pike.
12. General Conduct
- The Committee reserves the right to close sections of the river or lakes to members.
- It is the responsibility of members to see that there is no litter in the swim in which they are
fishing.
Members
found with litter in their swim are liable to have their membership withdrawn.
- Audio/visual equipment must not be played to the disturbance of others
-
(E) Membership cards must be available for inspection by Association Bailiffs at all times.
Association Bailiffs
reserve the right to inspect tackle and bait used and members must comply
with any such request.
- No swimming or boating is permitted on any Association fishery.
- All access gates must be closed and locked upon entry or exit at all times.
13. Vehicle Access.
- Vehicles must be left in designated car parks with stickers displayed. Members using Association
car parks and access roads do so at their own risk.
- Bicycles must not be ridden on any part of the Fordwich Lake complex.
- Vehicles must not exceed 5mph on access roads.
14. Access to the Lakes/River on the south bank at Fordwich is via Fordwich Lake car park
only.
15. All firearms, weapons or instruments used for discharging missiles with the exception of
bait throwers and
catapults are prohibited on all Association Waters unless authorised by the Committee. Boilie
launchers using
compression and bait boats are forbidden.
16. Fishery Restrictions:
- Fishing is allowed only at the numbered swims between the boats on the north bank at Grove Ferry
and adjacent to
“Riverscroft” on the south bank and only from 1st October to 14th March.
- Junior members must when night fishing be accompanied by a fully paid up adult member (a person over 18 years old).
The person supervising must be in the same or adjacent swim. Student members age 16 or
over may night fish on their own. The hours to determine night fishing are sunset to sunrise.
Juniors are restricted to the use of 2 rods.
- No Trout or Halibut derived baits of any type including soft and hard pellets may be used as
hook baits or for
loose feeding on any Association Lake. Ground bait is permitted at Littlebourne lakes to maximum
of 2kg per day
per angler Barbless or flattened barb hooks only to be used on Littlebourne and Minster Lakes. A
maximum ledger
weight of ½ oz is allowed on the Littlebourne and Minster Lakes. Anglers are restricted to a
maximum of 7 days
fishing in any 10 days on Stonar and Fordwich. Anglers are restricted to a maximum of 48 hours
fishing in any 72
hours on Littlebourne and Minster.
- For coarse fishing a maximum of 2 rods may be used providing they are both within arm’s reach of
the angler.
Unattended rods must be withdrawn from the water. A third rod is allowed for an additional
charge of 50% of the
full membership rate. A marker rod counts as one of the rods being used.
- Members may not occupy swims on Association Waters more than 5 hours before the start of the
season, with the
exception of members who have attended at least four working parties during The preceding close
season, who may
move into swims 12 hours before the commencement of the season.
- Boat moorings. Members must not fish from or over moored boats nor must they move boats nor
interfere with
mooring lines other than with their own boats.
- No rods or fishing tackle are to be taken on to the Fordwich Lakes or River for any reason
during the relevant
close seasons.
- Members are asked to record the details of their catch on a specimen slip (supplied), this will
help determine
the stock present in the lake and will allow the Committee to judge future stocking policy.
- Motor assisted barrows must be hand held, pulled or pushed only. No ride on devices are
permitted. Mobility
scooters may be used by disabled blue badge holders only.
- No soiling of any kind is permitted on Association waters. You must use the toilets Provided.
- Bio–security: All nets, mats and slings must be dipped in the chemical dip tanks provided for
the minimum time
stated. You will lose your membership if you do not adhere to this rule.
- Carp fishing is allowed on Stour and Trenley Lakes except that the North bank of Trenley Lake is reserved for course fishing.
- Obey all rules and bye-laws or you will forfeit your membership.