Knowle (Bristol) Angling Association Limited
(Founded 1923) Company No 04806153
Dear member,
The main purpose of this newsletter is to inform you that: the club’s Annual General Meeting will be held on November 23 at the Bristol South Sports Club in West Town Lane, beginning at 1930. It is vitally important that as many members as possible make the effort to attend; this is your chance to have your say on how the club is managed and to vote on important issues that will effect your fishing. Supporting paperwork is attached.
You should be aware that David Paul, our Company Secretary and Mark Wilkinson, scribe and newsletter editor, have both resigned from the committee due to work commitments. The committee and membership thank them both for their past work on behalf of the club. If any member has a legal and/or accountancy background and would like to take on the role of Club Company Secretary, they should contact a member of the committee.
I will be resuming the role of scribe, newsletter editor and publicity officer, if you have any views on the style and content of this publication, please let me know; I can be contacted on: . In future editions, I would like to include lost and found items, plus any fishing related equipment that is wanted or for sale – so please let me know.
As many of you are by now, no doubt aware, the website has been redesigned, modified and is a real credit to the club; our thanks to Steve Feddery who has been responsible for the transformation.
Members should: make sure they are fully aware of the club rules and regulations thus ensuring they are behaving correctly at the venue; do not leave any litter and if you see some pick it up or we will be blamed for it; lastly any member acting in an abusive manner or using conduct that will lead the club into disrepute will be sacked.
Many of us have speculated on the poor fishing on the Upper Chew over the last couple of years, we all have our theories; however, I can assure you that the water quality has been tested on several occasions and found to be excellent; also a recent investigation by committee members into the riverbed insect life has shown that the river is rich in invertebrate life and this is not the cause. For more detail see our website.
You will all have heard about the lack of water in Chew Magna Reservoir: a few weeks ago, due to the very dry spring and summer, the stream feeding it ran dry and eventually all the water ran out from CMR. However, you will be pleased to know that: all the fish were rescued by Bristol Water staff and our thanks and appreciation for their hard and very dirty work has been formally acknowledged. On the upside, a lot of the silt has been removed and as soon as the water level has been restored, it will be restocked and open for fishing throughout the winter months. Members should note that a new fishing platform will be built and supplied with a Water Level Gauge that is powered by a solar panel.
The owners of Acker’s Pool have informed the committee: that members should not bring their family or friends with them when they fish this venue – please note this.
All members should try to protect the club’s assets, we pay a lot of money for the fish we stock at our venues and we should be vigilant for thieves, do not put yourself in danger; if you see someone behaving suspiciously get a photo or car registration number if possible and then telephone the EA Hotline on 0800 807060, the police or a member of the committee. In a situation like this, if you are threatened, you are entitled to the full protection of the law and should ring the police.
In the near future, contractors will be working on the Lower River Chew and the Wellow Brook to return these venues, section by section, to viable fishing habitats. We have also been informed that the sluice at Bye Mills is to be reinstated, all-be-it in a manual operating mode.
In a few weeks time, we will be advertising the programme for Habitat Improvement Working Parties, the object of these is to clear dead and overhanging trees, unwanted vegetation and river obstructions etc. To aid us in these tasks, the club is to purchase a weed saw, which we expect to use to good effect and to rid us of much of the weed that has blighted all our venues this year. If we undertake this work ourselves, we don’t pay for it; however, if the work is not undertaken, the venues will either become unfishable, or we have to pay for the work to be undertaken by contractors – this will directly affect the level of membership cost. The work is not particularly hard, we have a good set of club tools, and get to know other members, understand something of the venues and achieve a real sense of club ownership.
On to social activities: in the near future we hope to organize one or more: fly tying and rod building evenings; in addition a visit to a fish breeding facility is planned, for details, see the website.
Some of you may not be aware that the club’s membership year runs from 1st of January to 31st of December, so if you wish to rejoin, please make sure you get your subscription for 2012 to our membership secretary in plenty of time. We already have several people on the waiting list, so to avoid disappointment, please note the above.
It’s nice to be back doing the newsletter.
Tight lines
Nigel Andrews, September 2011
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