Newsletter March 2018
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Annual General Meeting
This year’s AGM was held at The Crown Hotel, Colne on Tuesday the 20th February 2018 at 7.30pm. 42 members, including Committee members, attended out of a total membership of 108.
The main points arising from the meeting were as follows:
- Memorial bench for Mr Porter to be erected at Churnclough.
- The higher levels of fish stocking on the main reservoirs from 2016 had resulted in more anglers fishing and more fish caught. Policy to continue for a further 2 years.
- Mr Ogden volunteered to advise on appearance and content of Club website
- Worm fishing to be discontinued.
- A Club Open Day/ weekend to be arranged.
- The Club will no longer have the fishing rights on Smellows after the end of April 2018.
- The 2018 Club Accounts approved.
- Rod share agreements to fish a section of the Ribble and with Bradford City AA to continue in 2018
- Guest anglers bag to be limited to one fish only.
- The Club’s preferred method of communication with members to continue to be via email where possible.
- Subscription fees for 2018 are full member £198, senior £145 and junior£95. River membership £40.
- New Rule book issued
- United Utilities have confirmed imposition of a float tube ban at Laneshaw and Churnclough reservoirs.
- Members to be allowed to fish all of Laneshaw Res, including the far/neck end.
- £130 raised in the raffle.
A Message from the Club’s Chairman.
Thank you to those who attended the AGM. I hope you found it worthwhile.
As you will know Mr Porter sadly passed away last year and his family would like to erect a bench in his memory at Churnclough, a place he loved. After a bit of “discussion” I am pleased to say that United Utilities have agreed to this and hopefully we will get the memorial bench put in place soon.
In addition to losing Mr Porter, we have also had Mr Lockie, Mr McGranaghan, Mr Proctor and Mr G Desykes step down from the Committee. So if there is anyone out there who has something to contribute to the running of the Club, then please come along to our monthly meetings at 7.30 pm on the first Tuesday of each month at the Crown Hotel in Colne.
On a positive note, member Mr Liam Ogden agreed to look at the Club website and advise on improvements to appearance, content and accessibility. I am pleased to say that Liam has already done considerable work on the website and has agreed to join the Committee so that website issues can be fully addressed at our monthly meetings. The website and use of social media are now the most important means we have of advertising and marketing the Club and the fishing we have to offer.
On the website will be a Club News page. I will be posting monthly news updates (in addition to the more formal newsletters such as this one) but to be “interesting” the page needs items of news, articles and general input from members. So if you want to describe good days, successful flies, and anything else of interest then please send it to me. If approved for publication I will then arrange for it to be uploaded onto the News Page where it will remain for a couple of months before being archived. We need an interesting and up to date website that is informative and useful to both members and other anglers and with Liam’s help, we will get there!
You will have seen from my report to the AGM that the higher level of stocking undertaken over the past two years has been a success. More anglers are fishing and catching more fish. We still need to attract more new members to the Club to sustain this level of stocking into the future but the policy is to continue for another two years. Hopefully word will get around of the excellent fishing we have.
Unfortunately, due to the recent bad weather causing a backlog of deliveries at our suppliers the initial stocking of the reservoirs this year will be a little later than usual. Rest assured the reservoirs will be stocked as soon as possible.
The “Open Day” weekend is to be repeated this year and held at Laneshaw over the weekend of 23rd and 24th June. Please note your diaries and if you are able to come along and help then do so as last year we needed more members to assist with the number of people who turned up! Open Days are an excellent way of promoting the Club to potential new members.
At the AGM, after lively debate, it was agreed that a guest angler be permitted to take one fish only. After all the purpose of a guest ticket is to introduce anglers to the Club and its waters and as they are enjoying free, or half price, fishing then it is only right that the number of fish they can kill is limited.
At its March meeting the Committee decided that in order to better monitor and ensure the proper use of guest tickets then all must be booked on by telephone with the head bailiffs and NOT the Treasurer. The telephone numbers are in your 2018 membership cards and for the record are Carl Ainsworth (Tel 07834 077874) for Churnclough and Bob Pearce (Tel 07761 376012) for Laneshaw. Please can you note these changes in your membership cards. I would emphasise that ALL GUESTS must be booked on with the appropriate bailiff before fishing.
You will see that we will no longer have the fishing rights at Smellows after the end of April 2018. It was becoming increasingly difficult to justify the cost to the Club given the relatively few members who fished there and, after discussion, the Estate decided they did not wish to continue with the arrangement. If anyone desperately wants to fish Smellows thereafter then please contact me as I may be able to get permission. Of course there will be no further stocking but up to the end of April you may fish without booking and use any method at Smellows and take fish for the table. Fish may not be transferred to other waters but please still only take what you want to eat. And does anybody want to buy two boats!
The Rule Book has been updated and you will have received this with your membership card. Unfortunately it was prepared prior to our losing the fishing rights at Smellows and the changes to the guest bag limit, so it is already out of date! Members will be notified of amendments in due course and we may reprint and reissue them. In due course it is intended to put and keep updated the Rule Book on the Club website. Please ensure you are familiar with the rules of CWAC. In particular bag limits are 2 fish per day, subject to no more than 4 fish in a week (Monday to Sunday) from ALL club waters.
You will also see that worm fishing is no longer to be allowed at the principal reservoirs. The experiment simply has not been worth it.
Please spread the word about the quality of fishing we will be offering and I would remind that you get a discount of £25 on next year’s subscription for each new member you bring to the Club. Juniors under 14 accompanied by a club member may fish for free, sharing the member’s bag limit and this is an excellent way trying to get a younger generation into our sport.
This year we are replacing the river season ticket with a River Membership so that those only fishing the river feel more part of the Club. The cost is £40 and will include 2 free guest tickets and a sporting only day ticket for the reservoirs.
Day tickets and additional guest (half price) tickets are available again this year from Padiham Anglers and the Ball Grove Cafe, between Colne and Laneshaw Bridge. Procedures for guests, day tickets and rod share anglers are posted at the reservoirs.
I would remind you to advise us of any changes in your contact details. Email is now our preferred (and cheapest!) method of communication so please ensure we have your correct email address. Also, please check your junk mail folders from time to time as some members appear not to be receiving emails even though we have the correct contact details! For those without email we will continue to use the post.
We are still seeking a Licence to control cormorants on our stocked waters with the intention to apply at Laneshaw first as the public access at Churnclough will be an issue.
Unfortunately United Utilities have decided no float tubing will be allowed on their waters for reasons of health and safety and biodiversity protection. However, at Laneshaw we have been given permission to fish the far/neck end of the reservoir so all the reservoir will now be open. More changes to the Rule Book!
At Churnclough we shall no longer be providing a litter bin in the shelter as this is constantly being used by dog walkers to deposit their dog poo bags. However, United Utilities have agreed to install and manage dog waste bins on the public footpaths. When fishing Churnclough (and ideally Laneshaw as well) please can you ensure you take all litter, rubbish and loose nylon home with you.
Last year members reported catching grayling in Colne Water which is excellent news. The number and distribution of grayling will be monitored but at present there will be no changes to the permitted fishing season on the river.
Rod Share Arrangements
Unfortunately we no longer have a rod share arrangement with Nelson AA to fish Coldwell.
However we have access to an excellent stretch of the mid Ribble near Clitheroe by booking through Carl Ainsworth, preferably be telephone, Tel 07834077874.
Also we again this year have two “floating” memberships for Bradford City AA who have excellent trout and grayling fishing on the Aire, upper Wharfe and Ure as well as numerous coarse fishing rivers and lakes. Please take a look at their excellent website which gives full details of their waters.
Any CWAC member may fish BCAA waters (with the exception of a stretch of the Aire at Carleton shared with Skipton AA) free of charge simply by booking with me by phone, text or email. My mobile is 07941534944 and email paul.ffly@gmail.com
We are limited to no more than two of our members per day fishing BCAA waters and when booking I will give you a reference number to ensure this limit is not exceeded. You must remember/write down this number and have your CWAC membership card with you at all times in case you are challenged. There will be no need to physically have the BCAA membership book with you. General and water specific rules and access points are given on the BCAA website.
At the time of writing this Newsletter I am stuck at home in the snow but hopefully I will get out fishing soon!! It only remains for me to wish you all tight lines in 2018 and an enjoyable fishing year.
Paul West
Chairman Colne Water Angling Club
There is a PDF version of this news available here
News from the Chairman: March 2018
Members shall shortly be receiving the Club’s latest Newsletter summarising what was said and agreed at this year’s AGM but following the monthly Committee meetings I shall be posting brief news reports here to bring you up to date with what is happening at the Club.
At the AGM member Liam Ogden kindly “volunteered” to look at the website and advise on ways in which it could be improved. I’m not sure if Liam fully appreciated what he was taking on! However I am pleased to say that he has taken this on board and will be developing and managing the website from here on in. I am further pleased to say that Liam has agreed to join the Committee and I’m sure that “Club Website” will be a regular item on future agendas!
Many improvements have already been made but it is very much work in progress and we still have a long way to go to get the quality of website I feel is needed to best promote the Club and the fishing it has to offer.
I believe it is important for the website to look fresh and be up to date. Hence there will be a Club News section in which my monthly news reports will appear but I want members to contribute as well. It will not be a running forum of comments (such as you may get on Facebook or Twitter) but more of a magazine format for members to submit articles and news worthy items.
So if you have had any particularly good days fishing, or wish to divulge what flies have been successful or want to comment generally on the fishing or anything else Club related and wish to share this with other members, then please submit what you want to say by email to Liam. If suitable for publication (!!) then Liam will upload your article to the website’s Club News and if articles are accompanied by photographs, then so much the better.
After a couple of months or so items will be archived (but still be accessible) in order to keep the Club News page up to date. So please help in making the website one of which the Club can be proud.
Turning to other matters the new season is upon us. Due to the recent bad weather our fish suppliers have a backlog of deliveries to catch up with and therefore the initial stocking of the reservoirs will be a little later than usual this year. Rest assured that stocking will take place at the earliest opportunity.
Members who attended the AGM will know that there was debate about the use of guest tickets. To help monitor and ensure the proper use of Guest Tickets the Committee has resolved that from now on members taking a guest must first, by telephone, “book on” their guest with the head bailiff for the water concerned. For Churnclough this is Carl Ainsworth (Tel 07834 077874) and for Laneshaw, Bob Pearce (Tel 07761 376012). Treasurer, Richard Benson, will no longer be taking bookings for guests and I would ask that you amend the details in your 2018 Membership Cards accordingly. Please note that ALL GUESTS MUST BE BOOKED ON before fishing; this applies to both those using your “free tickets” and those on the half price day tickets.
Tight lines in 2018.
Paul West Chairman, Colne Water Angling Club
p.s. There is a PDF version of this news available here
