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NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2010
Dear Member
Once again, I hope you all had a good Christmas and on behalf of all the staff at Mid Kent Fisheries I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year and thank you for your support. I would also add that this Newsletter will be a repeat of previous years where it matters – I know there is at least one member out there who likes to check to see if it is the same as the previous year!!
MEMBERSHIP
Membership fees are due from the 1st April 2010, details are set out on the last page with your application form. We are once again offering you the chance to pay by cheque spread but please note that there will be a charge of £10 levied for every unpaid cheque. Anyone who issues cheques without sufficient funds and does not settle this and any extra charges will lose their membership and be pursued through the courts for full payment. It only takes a phone call to Lin if you are experiencing problems – everyone has them so just call rather than let things slide. All payments must be finished by end August so you can start paying off as soon as you get this letter and spread the cost further if this helps. A stamped self addressed envelope for the return of your documents is very much appreciated as it takes twice as long when envelopes have to be written out.
One again, despite increased costs we have kept the membership fees the same as 2009. If you are experiencing financial hardship, please contact us and we will do all we can to find a solution for you to be able to rejoin.
NEW RULE
SWAN AND TONFORD: As from 1st April 2010 it has been decided that, due to the size of these two lakes, anglers will only be permitted to use two rods each at any one time.
LEADCORE AND LEADERS
The ban on leadcore and other leaders was lifted in 2009 with the following provisos:
Leaders shown in the diagrams, style and method, included in the 2009 Newsletter, are the only type permitted. Copies are available from the office for existing members – new members are automatically sent a copy.
I will once again stress that anyone (and I mean anyone) found using leadcore where hook lengths cannot be shed easily will face an immediate ban and loss of membership for life. The same goes for anyone using hook lengths stronger than their main line or rigs that could be deemed dangerous for fish. Baliffs will be given permission to check rigs regularly. This is your last chance, if we get to the same stage as last time then I will put in place a permanent ban with no further discussion or warnings. Some members are still chancing their luck and are using lead core with clips. Several have found to their cost we have a zero tolerance on this issue if you use leadcore in any method other than a helicopter rig as demonstrated in the news letter last year.
K.H.V.
As you know this terrible virus has come too close for comfort, virtually wiping out Chartham Angling Club’s lake which, as most of you know, is no more than 50m from our Stour Lake. I cannot impress upon you enough to be extra vigilant, make sure you dry all of your tackle including boots, nets, bags and any other equipment between trips. Check memberships, a lot of problems can come from poachers! If you are not sure then check and if you are reluctant to get involved then ring the emergency phone numbers I don’t care what time of day it is - remember it is the fish that you have paid a lot of money to fish for that are at risk.
SPAWNING FISH
Please, if you see fish spawning leave them alone, do not try to catch them. If you do it could result in the big females becoming egg bound and dying and I am sure you do not want that. Common sense please!!
ANGLING TRUST
It has been decided that Echo will now be incorporated into the Angling Trust. As some of you may know, I was elected onto the advisory panel of the Trust. As with all new ventures there were bound to be teething troubles and there were problems with the structure of the Trust and the way the finances were used; most of those have now been resolved, directors have gone and the panel has given their views on the direction they feel the Trust should go. There is definitely light at the end of the tunnel now and finances have been brought under control.
It is so important that the Trust succeeds as it is really coarse anglings last chance to get their act together. We need a collective voice much like the Salmon and Trout organisation to be able to lobby Government on important issues regarding fisheries legislation and to be able to ask for monies from Government and sporting bodies. I don’t know if you are aware that a minority sport like Lacrosse gets more Government funding than angling which is an absolute nonsense, here we are one of the biggest, if not the biggest participant sports in the country and we receive virtually no Government help. We are also stealth taxed by the Government i.e. rod licence money and get virtually nothing back in return, it is an outrage! I would like to see some, if not all, of that money given to the Angling Trust, I know we are several years away from this happening but it is worth pursuing. At least it would be used to fund angling schemes and not some Government quango! I therefore ask that you support the Trust by joining, I know it is another £20 and times are hard but I really do feel the Trust must succeed if our sport is to protected and enhanced in the future.
BAILIFFS
The bailiffs meeting will be in the Mill on 3rd March at 7.30pm. Would any member wishing to become a bailiff please contact the office or Alan Turner of Premier Tackle. The way it works is a bailiff is allocated a water to look after by Alan our head bailiff. You then check the water as and when required and submit a report weekly to the office. If the report is received on a regular basis throughout the year, you then receive a free membership the following year. If you don’t have email we can supply you with envelopes and stamps or you can telephone the information through but we need the names and catches of people on the waters on a weekly basis. Please don’t apply unless you can do this consistently throughout the year.
RULE BOOK
If you require a new brochure/rule book please let the office know. Not knowing a rule is no excuse.
LAKE CLOSURES
Chilham
Chilham Lake will be closed from midnight on the 29th April and re-open at 2pm on the 23rd of May.
21 February Members’ Pike Match : Lake closed from midday 20 February until close on play of 21st February
30 April-2 May Chilham v Milton Match, members only – 1st round, formally to be known as the
Keith Bampton Memorial Match : All proceeds to “Help the Heroes” charity
7-9 May BCAC 1st qualifier
14-16 May Bruce Raison Memorial Match: 15 pairs, members only – book with the office. £50 per pair.
21-23 May BCAC 2nd qualifier
30 Sept-3 October Fish with the Stars – please contact the office if you are interested in fishing the event or in donating raffle prizes.
MILTON PAN AND HANDLE, SWAN AND TONFORD
4-6 June These lakes will be closed from midday 2nd leg of the Keith Bampton Memorial Match. Presentations will be held back at the Mill after the event.
PADLOCK NUMBER
The padlock numbers will be changed from the first of April 2010. The new number will be on your information sheet when you rejoin.
NEW VENUES
I am pleased to announce that I have negotiated a lease on a new lake situated at Lydd from CEMEX, known as Dungeness Long Lakes.
We have also a new venue at Shadoxhurst near Ashford, this is a small lake of about 2 acres which I am sure will give excellent fishing to pleasure anglers.
We are not going to renew the lease on St Clere at Kemsing. The lake was just not used enough and they wanted to allow members of staff to fish there which would restrict the availability to us.
We did not renew the lease on the Medway as the new owners wanted to nearly triple the price of the lease and again impose restrictions which meant it just was not worth the hassle. I am at present looking at a new stretch of the Medway to lease, I will keep you informed. There are also a couple of other waters in the pipeline which I am negotiating at the moment.
We are also giving up our lease on the Royal Military Canal this season – as our stretch has a close season (SSSI site) we were unable to fish until 16th June and then it was unfishable because of the weed. I have tried to negotiate with the owners but I have had no reasonable response and refuse to keep paying for something for a full season when it is only really fishable for a few months.
TOILETS AND LITTER
For the benefit of new members I will repeat last year’s entry: The toilet block at Chilham is fed by a cesspit to the mains at the A28 via a 2” pipe. Please could everyone be aware that you must not put anything in the loos apart from loo paper; no face or baby wipes or those fancy loo wipes, no nappies or personal female items – they constantly have to be unblocked and the cesspit emptied because everything builds up and blocks the transfer pipe. Small plastic bags have been placed in the loos for your use which please place in the bins.
Regarding litter – all I can say is if you are caught leaving litter you are out.
DOGS
As you know, we allow you to bring dogs to our venues, if they are kept under strict control. However, this is restricted to only two dogs per member please!
GUESTS
Guests may fish nights between November and March – days only between April and October. Guests can only fish Chilham, Stour, Loggies, Reed, Blue Lagoon and Larkfield. Guests tickets can be bought in advance from the office but you must have your ticket before fishing. They are £25 per 24 hours or part thereof. DO NOT telephone bailiffs or anyone else out of office hours about these. You need to plan in advance as only a certain number of guests are allowed on any one lake at a time. DO NOT ask for guest tickets on other lakes.
Non-Fishing Guests are not permitted on the Milton Complex, Westbere, Conningbrook, Freemasons, all Lydd lakes, Littleton and Staines after Sunset without PRIOR PERMISSION from the office. All non-fishing guests must park in anglers’ car parking areas at all venues and display clear and obvious details of the member they are visiting. Any member flouting the above will be suspended
JUNIORS
Don’t forget that juniors must apply for a permit to fish nights on their own.
FISH REPORTS
Again, could I remind you to let me have your catch reports so that they can be posted on the forum and this year, we will also post them in the shed at Chilham and in the office so that people without the internet can access them.
WEB AND FORUM
We will be changing the layout of the web in a few months so that we have more control and can make daily entries and amendments. We will feature an area for members to advertise their business but these must be submitted through us – it will be plain text – no logos etc. The forum seems to have settled down now although I am aware we lost a few members during that period of unofficial entries! It is good fun for most of the time so get on there!
On this note, there have been a few suggestions as to entries in the newsletter and for those who do not have access to the internet, I have set out a brief outline here:
It was suggested that the carrying of fish antiseptic be made compulsory – I am not going to do this as it can actually do more harm than good in certain circumstances – please call me if you would like to discuss this and would like clarification of my thinking.
Bait boats on Westbere – no, it is a SSSI site and bait boats are banned from all of our waters.
It was suggested that the number of 48 hour stays on Chilham and other lakes be limited in some way and also that certain swims were controlled so that everyone gets a chance – this is not going to happen – everyone pays their fee and is entitled to fish when they can – you cannot penalise people because they are retired or have more holiday or work shifts and are therefore able to spend more time on the lakes – stop being blinkered into thinking that only certain swims are worth fishing – and I am not going to make the swims into doubles either. We have enough to do in the office without having to start booking in systems for the 48hours and holiday entitlements – some of you can’t even manage the existing booking in system on Chilham!
Someone mentioned the rubbish on Loggies and I must say I am absolutely amazed at the amount that is left here – I just wish I could catch the people who leave it.
OVERVIEW OF OUR LAKES
Chilham
Despite low conditions and a massive algae bloom this summer the lake fished exceptionally well. The carp record crept up to 46lb 10oz and we also had three other forties caught which is good. There were also many large thirties caught - it even surprised me. The pike season has kicked off well and several good twenties have been caught. The catfish record went again and now stands at just over 62lb, that would give you a nasty suck! Thankfully the weed wasn’t a problem this year probably due to the algae and the lakes are now frozen again so hopefully it should kill off what weed is there.
Stour
As you know the lake was closed for a couple of months but before that it was fishing very well and the reinstatement of the tench swims meant there were some nice tench caught, I even had a few myself, not big 4/5lb but good fun - the best I heard of was 11lb. The pike also have been doing well. Please be aware of the situation with the Chartham Angling Club Lake and keep well away from it.
Milton Complex
Every lake has now produced carp over 40lb which is a fantastic achievement and this, coupled with the fabulous tench fishing, makes it one of the best complexes in the country. We have restocked 30 plus fish of double figure and above into the Handle after last years fish kill. We actually removed 22 carp dead from the water just to quell all the rumours. There are still a few fish in the middle pond which we will get back into the Handle as soon as we think fit.
I have been informed that anglers on Tonford and Swan appear to think they are excused from our general rules and in particular, the distance between rods. Take note here and now that the distance between your rods should be no more than three metres and that you should be with your rods at all times. I am also aware that some of you cross the River to get to Swan and/or Tonford. Please make sure you leave your car within the parking area and do not drive it to the edge of the river to unload/load. I will suspend any member seen doing this – I have received several calls from Bretts relating to this. I am in the process of negotiating further parking for Swan and Tonford and will post any news on the forum. Please check with the office regularly for further details if you do not have access to the internet.
Conningbrook
The same as usual at the Brook, the guys putting the time in are getting some fish. We did have a mad few days when about five or six fish were caught but then back to the same old slog. Lee Jackson has just published a book about his time on the Brook and the lead up to catching Two Tone which is a really good read, there have been some mad times over there! Apparently the winter social held at the George at Shalmsford Street was equally as mad this Christmas. Lee is now known as speed ramp as he was found sprawled out in the middle of the road and then got frozen to the side of his van, Ian Brown was last seen walking off into the night and has not been seen since and F, Si, Brett, Whatto and the rest were equally as bad -they all need therapy!!!
What is very worrying on a more serious note, is that we had fish stolen from Little Conningbrook. We know we put 11 fish in there from the main lake some years ago to be allowed to grow on. When we did a check on these fish last autumn we could only find six fish. I am aware that a couple got moved over but it is very likely that some may have been taken. I ask all of you who fish over there to be very vigilant and let us know if you see anything you are not happy with.
Loggies
The lake has fished really well with carp weights continuing to increase. Good bags of tench have also been caught and what is really nice to see is numbers of big roach being caught up to 2lb plus good bags of 10oz plus fish. What has really pi****d me off is the amount of rubbish which has been dumped around the lake this year, it has been the worst of all the lakes and we are going to clamp down this year with a new bailiffing regime so be warned!
There has been a problem with the padlock on this venue, we have replaced several in a short space of time – I believe they are being vandalised but I can’t understand why as there is a pedestrian gate there. Please keep this gate closed at all times, it is being left open frequently. Even if the padlock is broken make sure you close it as this can help to keep vehicles out. If you see it open, please do me a big favour and go and close it.
Lagoon and Reed
Good all round fishing on both lakes with some good bags of big bream and tench. The carp in Reed are now just under 30lb which is good to see.
Naccolt
I am pleased to announce that I have now negotiated a long lease with CEMEX for sole use of Naccolt. You no longer need to book in for this venue.
Lydd
Excellent sport! The carp are now creeping towards the forty pound mark in the main lake. The small lake fish are now pushing 20lb and the back lake fish are also coming on nicely so all in all another great complex in the making.
Faversham
These two lakes have really fished well! We are still having a few problems with the yob element from the local estate but we are persevering - we now telephone the Police to attend whenever there is a problem and I would urge you to do the same. I have been told that some of the Faversham members have moved fish to their own lake at Bysingwood from the Wood Pool, if you see anything you are not happy with please let us know immediately and we will act and prosecute any thieves.
Harrietsham
Still a great day’s fun fishing to be had at this popular little lake.
Match Lake
Big bags of fish are still being caught on this venue of all species. As some of you may have noticed we have cropped a lot of the trees as they were damaging the banks and toppling into the water. There will be further extensive works carried out at this venue during 2010. The lake is being divided into two – one half for matches and one for general/day ticket fishing. Any additional information will be posted on the web site or telephone the office.
Westbere
Probably one of the most under fished waters and yet one of the best. The carp record has now exceeded 40lb and still great catches of tench, bream roach and pike can be caught. Remember there is a close season on this lake due to it being a SSSI.
Please check with the office regarding additional parking for this venue.
Freemasons
Another fantastic lake and has proved to be a huge asset and to be very popular. I would like to point out one thing and make it perfectly clear to all concerned. Mid Kent Fisheries own the lease to this lake and therefore have total control. Freemason Angling Club is there because I allow them to be, some of their members became abusive to our members and I stopped this very quickly. I am stopping our members having to book in this year but I will be monitoring the situation as I do not want the lake to be over pressured. Therefore if you are fishing anything less than 48 hours you no longer have to book in.
Littleton North and South Lakes
The partnership with CEMEX has worked very well and has resulted in a good working relationship between the two organisations with many good things to come I hope. The lakes have both produced some excellent catches of carp, bream, roach and pike with carp in excess of 40lb.
Staines
It looks as if, at last, we are going to get a long lease on the lake which means stocking can begin. Despite that, the lake has produce two carp of 40lb plus although numbers are few.
RIVER FISHING AT CHILHAM AND THANINGTON
These are both sections reserved for fly fishing only between April and October. In the past I have allowed members to coarse fish the stretch at Chilham between November and February but I am suspending this favour while I am working with the Brown Trout Association relating to river improvements. However, I do not want anyone coarse fishing the stretch at Thanington so please, whoever you are, do not ring me instead of Lin hoping to get a yes. I do not want this stretch fished out of season so if any members see someone on there between November and March inclusive, please could they call us as they will be poachers. Any members found fishing this stretch will be suspended.
THANKS
I would like to say a really big thank you to all of the guys who help out bailiffing and on work parties, it is so appreciated. Guys like Alan Turner, Nick Hook, Tim Denning, Dave Johnson etc etc.
Special big thanks to my team! Lin, Keith, and Chris Jnr do so much for the fisheries it wouldn’t be able to exist without them. They put so much of their own time into the running of theses fisheries which most of the members do not see and for that a really big thank you from me.
I would also like to mention the lads that come on work experience – they do work hard (some of them!!!) and they don’t get paid – we do rely on them for that extra pair of hands and many still come and help when they have left the College.
AND Finally
It has been a really sad couple of years or so, firstly we lost old Bruce and then tragically a good friend, bailiff and member Keith Bampton. We have now got the bench for Bruce’s memory which is between One Pole and Transformer and the plaque for Keith which has been placed on what was known as Shooters and now will be renamed Bamptons. A small unveiling ceremony will be held on Sunday, 14th March at 11.00am and anyone can attend.
I would also like to wish Padge all the very best in his fight and recovery from cancer. As many of you will know Padge had been our head bailiff at Conningbrook and our best wishes and thoughts are with you mate, get your finger out because I need you over the Brook ASAP to keep the mad men in check!!!!!
FOR YOUR INFO : LOCAL SUPPLIES
The Post Office in Chilham Square (01227 733894) stocks lots of bits as well as offering cash withdrawal and The Chilham Shop (01227 730348) on the main road to Canterbury has a wide range of groceries and veg.
Animal Antics (01227 785382 - 145 Wincheap, Canterbury) offer some baits and tackle, including maggot and will give 10% discount to our members.
RENEWALS
If you wish to upgrade to Tier 1, please submit your application on this basis. Applications are numbered when received and allotted on a first come first served basis. Existing Tier 1 members have until March the 14th to rejoin or let Lin know of your intention to rejoin - after this you could lose your place.
Existing members should supply one photo (check with the office as we may already have extras). Do not send in your current membership card as it will be needed to fish the remainder of the season.
Tier 1: All waters under our control. No discounts for this Tier.
Tier 2: All waters except Conningbrook.
Tier 3: Westbere, Blue Lagoon, Reed Lake, Naccolt, Mill Pool, Wood Pool, Match Lake, Harrietsham, Shadoxhurst, Lydd Long Lakes, River Stour at Canterbury, the Rope Walk at Sandwich.
Tier 4: Larkfield Complex (also known as Leybourne) – four lakes – No 2, Road & Island, Ocean and Railway. This tier does not cover Freemasons.
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