Chilham Mill
Mill Lane
Chilham
CT4 8EE
Tel 01227 730668
Fax 01227 738894
Dear Member Firstly we would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and to also thank you all for your patience during the last few months of uncertainty. MKF “The Future” As you can imagine, it has been a really traumatic time for all of us, to be told out of the blue you are going to be made redundant and that we would lose our houses at the same time was a huge shock to the system. MKF has been my life for the past 20 years and when you have created something from scratch, something which you are immensely proud of and then be told you are losing it was very hard to take. We were given first refusal on the lakes for a period of one month, this was for the Loggies and Stour complexes, but trying to get a loan in the current financial conditions proved to be impossible. During the next three months of sleepless nights we tried numerous avenues and eventually managed to negotiate a deal with SEW. I had already negotiated with Bretts regarding new leases on all of their waters and as usual they have backed me 100% which I cannot thank them enough for. I have also negotiated new leases with Tonbridge and Malling and Smurfit Kappa for the Leybourne and Freemasons Lakes, therefore I am happy to say MKF has survived and in fact now looks stronger for the future. In the future, we will no longer be controlled by the red tape that a large company necessarily has to put in place. We can go back to being a business that is involved with its members, investing (well in a few years after we have paid everyone back!), improving and having time to talk and listen. We can go back to bartering and we will definitely be begging, borrowing and bartering for a while. We also intend reinstating the annual meeting/get together with the first one being held on 18th March – please see separate note regarding this. The only sad news is that Chilham Lake has been sold separately, there was nothing I could do unfortunately – we just could not raise that much capital. However, when we came here, Chilham was a disappearing lake and with the help of some great members and staff we turned it around and made it what it is today and we can do it again, just be patient. The very good news is we have taken on another two lakes, which some of you may know, situated at Faversham called “The Ham Road” lakes. These two lakes were previously run by a carp syndicate and Bretts came to me and asked if we would take them on because of security issues on site and of course we are pleased to do so. One of the lakes known as the Scout Lake suffered a fish kill a few years ago and we assisted the company in saving many fish which were then transferred into the Ham Road Lake. A few fish survived the fish kill which are now rumoured to be very large, the fish I am told in the Ham road go to mid forties. We are arranging for a bailiff to live on site and the rules will be strictly enforced as this is a working quarry. Please do not try and visit this venue before 1st April. The bailiff who will be living on site will also be checking the Mill Pool and Wood Pool to enforce the rules on this venue; it has become a bit troublesome with a few local individuals causing problems. There are also two other lakes we are negotiating for at this time which may be available for the start of the season. Mid Kent Fisheries – Going Forward We will continue to run as normal with a few changes that will affect you as members. The main one being that, after 18th March you will no longer be able to call at the office to deal with your membership or any other queries. We do however intend placing a container office near Loggies Lake which will be manned on Saturday mornings during the summer months for enquires etc. We will also try and work with you, within reason, if you cannot make this time. We are hoping to keep our existing phone numbers but this will be confirmed when your membership is sent out. Chris Junior will be responsible for the day to day running of the business with Keith Gambrill as the Fishery Manager and Lin and I will be taking a back seat stance of support while planning our retirement. We are also lucky to have on board Simon Mallett. Simon is our “Webmaster” and many of you already know him from the forum. He has personally invested in our future and we are very happy with his involvement. He has been with us from the very beginning and although not a fisherman, his interest and passion for the future of Mid Kent Fisheries makes up for it. His knowledge of the web etc is huge and he and his wife Leslie have some great ideas for new ventures, they bring a new dimension to the business. Membership As you are all aware, costs are rising in just about everything we use and unfortunately we have to pass some of this on. As you appreciate the purchase of the business has been a massive financial undertaking but we are not increasing fees to offset this whatsoever so please do not think that. Tier one will be £295 and encompasses all the lakes including Conningbrook. Tier two will now be the Leybourne complex and is £195 and tier three will be £82.50. All these subscriptions are plus vat as we now have to pass this on. I am sure you will all agree this is still a fantastic value range of prices, much less than most syndicate waters with less fishing. Your membership form and joining details are at the end of this newsletter. Please note that you must remember to supply a stamped addressed envelope for the return of your documents – we are operating on the smallest budget! You can come to the existing office until 18th March with your membership, many members have already started paying cash amounts to Lin towards their membership. We are trying to set up a PayPal facility which will hopefully be available through the web site and means you can pay with a credit card if you wish. The finer details are yet to be sorted but if you want to use PayPal you will need to call or email first and we will let you know the procedure. PayPal do make a charge to us for this so we will have to pass this on to you. Please check the web site or call Lin for updates. I am aware that there will be some members who may experience difficulties for various reasons and we have always tried to help so please call us and we will do what we can. We are a little more flexible in attitude without the constraints of a large company but we are less flexible also because we don’t have their bank account – catch 22!! Annual Meeting We are going back to the beginning and holding the first meeting of the new venture on 18th March. The venue will be Chilham Village Hall, where the first meeting was held when the club was originally formed as Chilham Mill Angling Club in 1991. In years to come we hope to encourage guest speakers, hopefully from among our own members, many of whom have a wealth of knowledge and experience of their own that we would like to hear about . The meeting will start at 7pm and end at 11pm for clearing up. Hugh Picket has kindly offered to supply a hog roast for the evening and there will be beer tea and coffee available. There will be a small charge of £3 for a roll and drink which will go towards the hire and food. There is a limit of 200 persons allowed in the hall due to fire regulations and I would therefore appreciate it if you would telephone the office to book in. We had to turn people away from the last meeting held at the cricket ground and it also helps to know how many to cater for. Bailiffs If you would like to join our team of bailiffs (starting 1st April)) please contact the office and we will let you know the date of the Bailiff meeting, yet to be arranged. Existing bailiffs will be notified as soon as we can arrange a date. Swan and Tonford (new cycle path) As you know there has been a new footpath installed alongside these two lakes. I can foresee that this may cause us problems during the next year especially in the summer. I want to make it quite clear to you that nobody has the right to walk around our lakes unless they are members. No person should allow their dogs in swim in our lakes. Nobody is allowed to picnic anywhere off the path. They must stay on the path at all times. If you see any of the above please let us know immediately and we will deal with it. Do not get into arguments with the public at anytime, remain calm and if there is any altercation call the police and us. KHV Please remember to dry all equipment after and before visiting any lake and do not move any fish without permission. Spawning Fish We will close lakes as and when we feel it necessary to protect fish that are spawning and are under too much angling pressure. Lead Core There still is problem relating to this product, people are still using it in a dangerous way and therefore, as of 1st April 2011, we are banning lead core completely. This should stop all arguments about what and how to use it. Poaching We are still having problem with foreigners in the area - if you see anyone who you think is not a member please contact us. Under new legislation the police have far more powers relating to poaching. They can seize all equipment and their car which will be crushed, as two individuals Keith and I caught found out to their cost. Padlock Numbers These will be changed on 1st April. The new number will be sent out to you in your information sheet as will your new list of waters and rules. Work Parties We will be holding work parties on our lakes over the next few months. Details will be enclosed with your membership. Fish Reports and Articles All reports and articles sent for any publication must be cleared by the office first. I have no problem with fish photos being sent up for publication but the content of the article must be sanctioned first. Not doing this will result in membership being withdrawn. The new email address will be on the information sheet. Competitions We will not be holding the British Carp Championships this year for obvious reasons. We will however be holding the other matches on venues yet to be decided, most probably on Loggies for the Members Match and Milton for the Pike match. We will keep you informed. Web As Simon is now onboard and is looking after the web site we intend making it more interesting but at the same time we want to stop the endless back biting and slagging each other off that goes on sometimes. Once set up, anyone posting on the forum will have to have a membership number so they cannot hide behind some fictitious name. It will be open to members only. Litter Every year I have to say it - please take your litter home. This year has probably been worse than many before especially the back of Loggies. If you are caught it will result in a life ban and other fisheries will be informed Match Lake We are stopping all day tickets on this venue. The amount of problems and litter we had from day ticket anglers does not justify its existence. We have divided the lake into two with one half of 60 pegs (with more small fish) being used for organised matches and the other 40 pegs will contain bigger fish and be good fun for kids to be taught and stalking etc. We do intend in the next couple of years to dig this top end out to join up with Loggies Lake. Kevin Durman has said he would like to organise the matches when it’s all finished. Shalmsford Street Complex The gates at both ends of this complex are now to be kept locked at all times. No public cars or bikes are allowed through this site. No public will be allowed to walk around the lakes they must keep to the footpath only. Please ensure this is the case. We have lots of plans for this site in the future so it all looks quite exciting. We are having the road scraped off in the next few weeks and rolled with some road planings. Stour Complex Please make sure this is kept secure and please make sure you dry all your kit, remember KHV was and probably still is very close. Milton Complex We are carrying out some bank work on the Pan and Handle this spring. We have stocked a number of carp into the Handle and are intending to put some more in soon. The car park on the Swan is like a small lake at the moment thanks to KCC when they dug the new path. I have got two loads of gravel waiting to come to and raise the entrance up. I want to point out this is the only place you are allowed to park for the Swan and Tonford lakes once this work has been done. If you are found parked anywhere else you will be suspended. I don’t mind you unloading in Tonford Lane but your car must be brought back to the car park. It would appear that half the members who fish these venues have relatives living in Tonford Lane but this does not make it OK for you to park there when you are fishing unless you are on their drive. Faversham As I have already said, we will be clamping down on rule breakers on this site. Chartham Angling Club will no longer be using it as they have their own lake back. We are talking to Faversham Angling Club to see what they intend doing regarding some of their members that have caused problems otherwise we will take it back in-house only. Westbere Thanks to Dave and Tim and the rest of the gang for keeping this lake tidy. I think the new car park has been a great success so let’s make sure that it is not abused. Well done to Dave for breaking the carp record twice (must be a mug fish!!) I won’t embarrass you and say how big they were!! Work parties will commence at the end of March so remember if you do a few work parties you get into the draw for the start of the season as a thank you. Conningbrook With the sad passing of Two Tone this year it does mean we are able to open this up to the general membership. This is a fantastic venue and of course there are still some very nice fish in there. We do intend putting some more stock in the lake over the next couple of years, as and when the right fish come along. There is a rumour that we are going to make it a runs water which is absolute nonsense, I really do not know where or why these rumours start. I am negotiating with Bretts to get the roadway sorted out. Dungeness Long Lakes A fantastic new venue, although no night fishing, it has proved to be very popular. I had a great days fishing with my brother Clive down there and had some cracking Tench, Roach and Rudd. Whilst there, a guy who has fished for years came around for a chat and he told me he has had carp up to 40lb from the lake, he was certainly tackled up for carp. Do not be tempted to night fish this, if the Military Police see any lights on there at night they will come and move you off, it is about security of the power station. Lydd This complex just gets better and better with fish nudging the 40 mark already. We will continue netting out the small carp from the big lake and in fact as they are such a good strain we might well put them in the Brook. Naccolt Where have all the tench gone? It produced some nice carp but the numbers of tench seemed to have declined, still some nice perch caught though!! Leybourne All the lakes fished well, the newly surfaced road has made things easier. The litter is still a problem on this site, mainly beer cans, if it doesn’t improve I will have to do as the other big clubs do and ban all cans. I don’t want to lose our fishing here because of one or two thoughtless individuals. I am aware that the public can walk this venue and even though it may not be your rubbish, please pick it up – we are grateful for any help you can give. Freemasons I have secured a new long lease on the lake which has proved to be very popular. Staines/Chertsey If we are able to secure a long lease on this site, we will be able to stock more fish into the water, it is all to do with planners. Both lakes at Littletons have fished well with good carp to 40lb. Harrietsham The amount of rent for this venue exceeds the amount of use that it gets and we will therefore need to think about renewing this lease. We will notify you of the outcome with your membership documents. Chilham Final Fish James Pierce has contacted me with the aim of holding Pairs Match on Chilham to see out the season. At the time of going to press, all spaces had been taken but he is holding a “subs” list – please see his posting on the forum or email us if you would like to be a sub or help out on the day. There have been a few complaints that this was filled before the Newsletter went out – I do apologise for this but it would not have meant that any different people would have got in. I get the same complaints about the pairs match from people that don’t get their newsletter until the evening – can’t please everyone, wish I could, but it would still be nice to see you all for the BBQ – it will put the fear into James if you all turn up as he is cooking! Below is an excerpt from James’s email……… “My proposal is a send off weekend for Chilham, or if things change and we do still have an interest Chilham, a match to celebrate the birth of a new beginning. The match will consist of 16 pairs all paying £25 each and all money raised would be passed to the club to fund either the rebuild of swims on existing lakes or towards the new clubhouse on the Loggies complex. After chatting with Chris the other day, it made me realise that Mid Kent Fisheries pretty much made me, without your lakes, and your fish, I wouldn't of been able to achieve the article I did, or talk to my mates about what I'd caught and to me that’s what fishing is all about, catching a few, having a laugh, and avoiding trouble with management :) you've gotta slip it in somewhere. The weekend would go like this: Friday 25th March Saturday 26th March Sunday 27th March 9am - draw in the car park 11am - Spots & baiting 12pm - Commence Fishing 12pm - Reel in for a social and BBQ 2.30pm - Fishing commences again 12pm - fishing ends 2pm - presentation, farewells and prizes Providing the weather is sweet the BBQ will give everyone a chance to mingle and have a quick beer or soft drink before re commencing fishing. I’m hoping that you can see this event as a bit more relaxed than other events, just a gathering of people to celebrate their time on Chilham Mill and hopefully a weekend of glorious sunshine. The food for the BBQ will be supplied by the members, as I cannot cater for what everyone likes, it is just best to bring your own and Chef Pierce will man the BBQ for the afternoon.” James Pierce ************* Finally I would like to say a massive thank you to those of you who have stood by us and backed us and for the many letters/emails and posts on the forum, you just do not realise how much it means to us all, it makes all the heartache and stress worth it. Also a huge thank you to all the lads who bailiff, do work parties and help out in the “behind the scenes” running of MKF; people like Alan Turner, ADT Nick, Tim and Dave Ron, Littlelegs, Shaun, Mark, Nick, Martin H, Jack, Andrew, David O, Ian, Martin C, Big Ted, Duke, Big Stuart and little Stuart, Kevin and many more, including the ones who beg and borrow for us and mend things that we break - thanks lads it is appreciated I assure you. Lastly I cannot say the words to say thanks to my team; Chris Jnr has been a source of inspiration with his help and assurance and eternal optimism, I am very proud of him as a son, friend and work colleague, I am sure he will take MKF from strength to strength with the support of his wife Jo who is responsible for at least one dent in the van. Keith has been a really special friend, always available for a chat or to listen and has been behind me all the way through thick and thin (even though he has had to face his own problems, and now must kiss early retirement goodbye) and his wife Karen, who has always been and will continue to be, there when we need her and of course Lin, who even in my deepest depression when I thought I had lost it all she has been there and picked me up with words of love and wisdom and kicked my arse and sent me back out fighting, she really has been right behind us all, at times even when the three of us were down she gave us the motivation to carry on, thanks so much Lin I don’t think I would have got through it without you. Chris Logsdon |
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