General rules of the association:

The association shall be called Gillingham & District Angling Association Ltd. The

members of the association shall be Season Ticket Holders, classified under the

following description:

• Local members are those residing within a 12 miles radius of Gillingham

Railway Station

• Associate members are those living outside a 12-mile radius of Gillingham

Railway Station. Associate members have the same benefits as local members

apart from voting rights.

The Committee of the Club (Directors of the Association) shall be made up of

Chairperson, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer/Membership Secretary, Winter

Match Secretary, Spring/summer Match Secretary and committee members. The

Committee may co-opt others to the Committee if they feel the need. The minimum

number of attendees for a Committee (Board) meeting shall be a quorum of 7. The club

also has a President and Vice President, and these are non-voting positions

Any Committee member who has a vested interest in a particular project or financial

deal brought to the committee shall declare such interest and abstain from voting on

it.

Any notice or motion from members to amend any of the rules of the association are to

be provided in writing to the Honorary Secretary at least 14 days prior to the date of the

next AGM. The committee may amend rules and/or constitution due to urgency/need

of decision making. Any such amendments will be proposed and seconded within

committee meetings, minuted and taken within the best interests of the club and its

members. Any such decisions will be shared with the association’s members via

social media.

 All members must comply with the rules of Gillingham & District Angling

Association. Purchasing a membership means acceptance of the club’s rules.

Ignorance of a rule is not an excuse in disciplinary situations.

 The Committee has full power to deal with non-observance of the associations

rules by any member and may expel any member from the association for non-

compliance. No plea of ignorance will be accepted for breaking a club rule.

 The Committee may refuse an application for membership if they think fit. All members must have a current membership at time of fishing and must have a

current Environment Agency Rod Licence.

 All members are responsible for their own safety when fishing on any of the

association’s waters.

 Proof of membership must be provided to Bailiffs or any club member requesting it.

Under the club’s constitution, all members are effectively bailiffs. Requests to see

membership shall be carried out in a courteous, friendly manner. The association

does have formal bailiffs for Lodden Lakes and Two Counties Lakes. These Bailiffs

and others as decided by the Committee shall have access to the membership

details of all members. Abuse/aggression aimed at our Bailiffs, or at members

carrying out bailiff style activities (requesting a members details, checking

rigs/hooks etc.) will not be tolerated and may lead to membership being cancelled.

(see Disciplinary Policy)

 Memberships run for 12 months from the date of purchase. Memberships can be

purchased from the association’s Clubmate website

(gillinghamanddistrictanglingassociation.clubmate.co.uk). All memberships are

at the discretion of the committee.

 Membership categories are:

Special rate Junior (13 years and under)

Junior (14 years to 17 years inclusive)

Senior (18 years to 65 years inclusive)

OAP (over 65 years) or Disabled

River ONLY (Coarse season 16th June to 14th March)

Lodden Lakes Night ticket Junior (additional fee on top of membership)

Lodden Lakes Night ticket Senior, over 65, disabled (additional fee on top of

membership)

Trout (Fly only on Shreen plus fly, worm or spinner on Stour above but not including

Eccliffe Mill pool), Only 30 Trout/fly memberships will be offered.

Current membership prices can be found on the associations Clubmate

website (gillinghamanddistrictanglingassociation.clubmate.co.uk). Lodden

Night Memberships for Juniors can ONLY be issued to that child if a parent or

legal guardian over 18 years of age has a current Gillingham & District Angling

Association or Sturminster & Hinton AA Lodden Lakes Night Ticket (Senior, over

65 or disabled) and accompanies the child at all times when fishing at night.

Members fishing the club’s waters including all juniors MUST be registered on

the clubs Clubmate membership siteHonorary Life Memberships may be awarded at the discretion of the committee.

 The coarse fishing season on the River Stour is from 16th June to 14th

March inclusive, All the association’s lakes are year-round fisheries. The

association’s Trout season waters (Shreen, River Stour at Chantry and above but not

including Eccliffe Mill pool) are available from 1st April to 15th October. The pike

fishing season, on any of the club waters, is from 1st October to 14th March inclusive.

 Members must not leave litter and are responsible for any litter in their swims,

whether they left it or not. LITTER IS DANGEROUS TO WILDLIFE AND LIVESTOCK.

Discarded lines/hooks are particularly dangerous. Remember- leave only your

footprints in your swim.

 Any member seen with litter in their peg or leaving litter at their peg will be asked to

remove it. Failure to do so will lead to their membership being cancelled.

 No fish to be caught other than by rod and line.

 All fish caught must be returned unharmed to the water they came from.

 Dogs, fires, generators, and radios are banned from any club waters. Fires may be lit

on work parties with the agreement of the riparian owner/their representative.

 No camping on any club waters.

 No vehicles may cross land to access club waters. Access points and parking/

restrictions are detailed for each water on the club’s website. These must be

followed. (www.gillinghamanglingclub.co.uk). Please Park with consideration for

others. Please do not obstruct the gateways.

 Members must ensure that any gates are shut behind them after use.

 At times the association may negotiate access for vehicles for work parties with

Riparian owners. This does not imply that access is allowed for any other reason.

 Keepnets/sacks/ landing nets/ unhooking mats must conform with relevant

Environment Agency rules. Those carp fishing must have landing nets with 42” arms

and must use unhooking mats with sides.

 Lodden Lakes and Two Counties lakes are barbless hook only waters. Lodden Lakes

has a net dip, with directions for its use, on site. This must be used prior to fishing.

Alternatively, nets are to be dried and aired before starting to fish.

 Members must adhere to the individual rules of any of the Associations waters.

Such rules are shown under the individual waters on the association’s Clubmate

site. Individual rules for White Post and Revels may be displayed at those fisheries.

 Members must not fish under/in close proximity to overhead cables. Fishing under

or in close proximity to overhead cables is DANGEROUS The committee may at times introduce keepnet bans at times of low water

levels/low oxygen levels. Such bans will only be introduced for fish safety concerns.

Members are discouraged from retaining fish in keepnets during pleasure fishing

sessions. Fish should not be kept in keepnets for more than 5 hours.

 The club has adopted the Safeguarding policy of the Angling Trust

(https://anglingtrust.net/safguarding.net). Links to this can be found on the club’s

website. Any Safeguarding issue should be reported to the Honorary Secretary

within 48hours of any incident.

 Complaints. Any complaint must be reported to the Honorary Secretary within 48

hours of the issue leading to the complaint. The club will respond to any complaint

within 28 days.

 Guest tickets are available for Lodden Lakes and are only available on the basis that

the guest is accompanied by an adult member at all times during the guest session.

Guests cannot night fish at Lodden Lakes. Members must not share gate codes with

their guest. Guest tickets at Lodden can only be purchased by members holding a

current adult/senior membership

 Day tickets are available on waters other than Lodden Lakes. These must be

purchased prior to fishing. Day tickets can only be purchased by those over 18 years

of age.

 The association does not issue day tickets for Trout fishing,

 The Committee is empowered to introduce any fishery regulations it thinks

necessary for the wellbeing of the association’s waters. This may include keepnet

bans, closure of venues for maintenance, etc.

 All fish in association owned waters are the property of the association and must

not be removed unless permission has been given by the Committee. Any person

found removing fish without permission from the Committee will be subject to

prosecution by the association. NO TRANSFER OF FISH BETWEEN LAKES by

members. If caught, those transferring fish will face a lifetime ban.

 The association cannot be held responsible for personal loss or injury to any

member, guest or day ticket angler, that is not its fault through the members, guests

or day ticket anglers failure to take due care and attention to the inherent risks

involved with fishing.

 All members, guests, day ticket anglers shall report any unacceptable behaviors,

damage to property, dead fish or fish in distress on any club water to the Committee

via its social media pages or directly to a committee member. Concerns regarding

a pollution incident should be reported IMMEDIATELY to the Environment

Agency (incident hotline 0800 80 70 60), followed by the association via social

media or direct to a committee member. Trout are not to be put in keepnets,

 Large fish may be recorded providing they are verified by two adult members of the

association and returned alive to the water in which they are caught.

 Members must not fish on the same or opposite riverbank within 20 yards of another

angler without first obtaining that angler’s permission.

 Coloured maggots may be used BUT must not be coloured with Aniline or

Chrysodine dyes.

 Trout pellets are not allowed on association waters. Only Carp and coarse pellets

are allowed.

 The use of floating baits is allowed on association waters, but anglers must have

consideration to other anglers and the floating baits drifting into their swims. Also,

consideration for bird life must be given when using floating baits.

 All matches held on association waters will be agreed by the committee prior to

arrangements being made. Venues for winter matches will be posted on the club’s

social media site. Freelance fishing of any waters/river stretches listed for a match

is not allowed (for rivers from either bank).

ASSOCIATION NOTES:

Anglers and guests are responsible for their own safety

• Do not obstruct gateways

• Leave no litter

• Close all gates

• No cars on banks

• Full consideration must be given to property/landowners and other road users

when parking. Please follow parking details shown for each venue on club

website (www,gillinghamanglingclub.co.uk).

• Create no nuisance

• Please park considerately

• Lodden Lakes – close and lock the gate every time you go through it

• Lodden Lakes may be closed at short notice at times. This may be without

warning for maintenance etc. The lakes may also be closed at times of high

winds and if required by Government advice through a risk of life and limb.Lodden Lakes rules

• Each person fishing at the lakes must be a member of either Gillingham &

District AA or Sturminster & Hinton AA.

• No day tickets on Lodden Lakes

• Guest tickets are available. The guest must be accompanied by a club member

who has a senior membership. Guest tickets can only be purchased by

members overs 18 years of age

• Access to Lodden Lakes is via the coded gate ONLY. No other access points

should be attempted or used.

• No sharing of gate code with guest,

• Lodden Lakes has an available net dip on site, which must be used before

fishing. Alternatively, nets should be air dried before fishing

• For those wishing to night fish there is an additional membership charge (see

Membership fees), but generally this is a sunrise to sunset fishery with a limit to

2 rods per peg at any time, except when member is fishing with a spouse/child

when one additional rod can be used. A spod rod is not included in the 2 rod

limit.

• Night fishing for any member is limited to two consecutive nights and then a

break of at least two nights.

• No night fishing on 1st peg on Shaftesbury bank of Carp Lake. This is a day fishing

only peg. The peg called Muddy is a double peg.

• Those under 16 years of age fishing at Lodden Lakes MUST always be

accompanied by an Adult/Senior member of the club (at all times). This

includes night fishing.

• Dogs are not allowed on the complex at any time.

• The complex does have toilet facilities. Please use them and leave them as

you would wish to find them

• No generators to be used on site

• The lake has some disabled access pegs on the roadside bank.

• The lakes are open all year.

• This is a barbless hook only fishery.

• Carp anglers are encouraged to use Carp klinik or similar (antiseptic)

• For those fishing for carp unhooking mats and a 42″ landing net are required

• Fishing is from designated pegs only

• Rods must not be left unattended.• All anglers should respect the proximity of pegs opposite them on this complex.

This includes observing that baits and baiting should only be cast halfway

across the venue towards anglers opposite. Bait boats may be used if this

recommendation is followed.

• No death rigs to be used. Leads should easily detach in the event of break offs

• Bailiffs have the right to check rigs at any time. Frequent checks will be

completed to ensure anglers are abiding by these rig rules.

• Anti social behaviour (behaviour that overly affects others at the associations

venues) will not be tolerated. This includes behaviours influenced by alcohol or

drugs. The club has adopted the Angling Trusts definition that “if you are not fit to

drive you are not fit to fish,” ,

• One guest ticket (sunrise to sunset) per over 18 year old member is allowed (the

member must let the guest in and out of the gate)

• Please be aware that Lodden Lakes has cameras operating and your actions

could be caught on camera at any time.

• The club reserves the right to instigate keepnet bans if the need arises.

• Anglers are discouraged from keeping fish in keepnets for more than 5 hours

Please help us to look after the fish in this fishery

Two Counties lakes rules

Parking is on the hard standing ONLY – do NOT drive around the lake

Those under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at ll times

Two Counties lakes are only fishable from dawn to dusk.

No litter to be left at any time.

Barbless Hooks only

Fishing from designated pegs only. Rods should not be left unnatended

Members are required to show their membership of Gillingham & District Angling

Association to the Bailiffs. If membership cannot be shown the person fishing will

be asked to vacate the water or pay a £10 day ticket charge (machine available for

cash payments on site)ZERO tolerance will be given towards foul and abusive language/behavior towards

the owners, staff or bailiff(s).

Two Counties lakes has a policy of NO KEEPNETS on either lake

For those fishing for Carp, a landing net with 42” arms is required and an

appropriately sized unhooking mat should be used.

Whitepost lake rules

These lakes have ample hard surface car parking and some disabled access.

All Juniors under the age of 16 must always be accompanied by an adult

No litter to be left at any time

Local rules can be found on site/on Todber Manor website. These must be strictly

observed by members of G&DAA

Revels rules

Lakes available to G&DAA members are – Match, Dead Tree, Canal, Desperation

and Middle

Members must be in possession of a current G&DAA membership.

Members MUST check in with the on-site tackle shop and show their G&DAA

membership before proceeding to the lakes. Failure to do so will result in

payment of the regular day ticket rate to Revels.

No litter to be left at any time.

All junior members (under 16 years of age) MUST be always accompanied by an

adult.

Local rules will be displayed at Revels and these must be strictly observed by

members of G&DAA.

Please check with Revels fishery directly for disabled access and facilities on 01300

345301Pike fishing rules (including advisories from the Pike Anglers Club of GB)

• Season 1st October to 14th March for all waters. Fishing in water temperatures

above 18 celcius for pike is not recommended as caught pike can suffer fatal

exhaustion.

• Barbless hooks only. Barbed hooks with crushed barbs may be used.

• Pike fisherman must use a wire trace that is at least 15kg breaking strain, is a

recommended 18” long and is made of quality components

• Breaking strain mainline should be at least 40lb braid or 15/20lb mono filament

to ensure the hooks bend before the mainline breaks

• Fishing for Pike with deadbaits is allowed. (livebaits are not allowed).

• Fishing for Pike with lures is allowed.

• One rod only should be used.

• Landing nets with 42” arms should be used with appropriate size unhooking

mats with adequate padding. Never hold a pike vertically by the gills; support its

weight horizontally. Chin grip: Slide your fingers under the gill covers (avoiding

the rakers) to safely open the mouth).

• Sacks to keep fish are banned. Pike should be returned safely to the water

immediately. Hold the fish upright in the water until it swims away under its own

power.

• Pike gags and gaffs are not to be used. Forceps/pike disgorgers of at least 12” in

length should be used. Sturdy wire/hook cutters must be carried at all times to

handle deep hooks safely. Strike quickly to prevent the pike from swallowing the

hooks deeply.

• No pike are to be removed from association waters unless this is agreed by

Committee and following discussions with relevant authorities.Trout fishing rules

• Season 1st April to 15th October

• A limited number of Fly fishing memberships are offered (30). If this number is

reached no further memberships will be available

• The association does not issue day tickets for Trout fishing

• The associations Trout waters (Stour and Shreen) are strictly offered on a catch

and release basis.

• Parking is only available in designated places. Please see designated parking

signs.

• Fly fishing only on Shreen waters

• Worm, fly or spinner can be used on the River Stour between Watersmeet

(behind Waitrose) in Gillingham and the River Stour above, but not including

Eccliffe mill pool

• Barbless hooks only

• Beware of overhead cables and do not fish under them or in close proximity to

them.

• Access to the associations Trout waters is via designated access places only

(see website for details)

• Please park responsibly in designated places onlyMATCH RULES

Match proccedure

Members wishing to fish any club matches must contact the Match Secretary or his

designated agent(s), by the Thursday preceding the match.

Entries to:-

• Winter Matches. Match Secretary: Simon Hebditch, via Gillingham & District

Angling Association or clubs Facebook pages. Matches are posted on the club

site in a timely manner. Alternatively contact Simon on 07394386239.

• Spring/Summer Matches. Contact Mark Harper via Gillingham & District Angling

Association or clubs Facebook pages. Matches are posted on the club site in a

timely manner. Alternatively contact Mark on 07885498976

For competitors requesting a short walk to their peg this must be requested at

the time of booking.

Match fishing rules

1. Members fishing senior matches must be 16 years of age or over. Junior members

will be able to participate in other matches nominated by the Committee.

2. A match levy will be collected from all competitors and there will also be

voluntary pools charge. No levy collection will be made for the Christmas match,

but a charge will be made to cover the prizes. This charge will be agreed by the

committee.

The levy and match charge are liable to change. Contact Match Secretary for current

charges.

3. The dates of all club matches will be advertised on the G&DAA website and

Facebook page at the beginning of each season for Spring/Summer series matches

and before the end of the Summer match series for the Winter series.4. The draw time and location for senior matches will be determined by the Match

Secretary or his designated agent(s) and published on the G&DAA website and

Facebook page.

5. All matches held on Association waters will be pegged.

6. Peg numbers cannot be changed or transferred, and no member may move the

sited peg he/she has drawn. Those match competitors drawing peg numbers which

have weighing scales allocated to them will be expected to weigh and record the

results of the designated peg numbers.

7. At all match pegs will be drawn in an orderly manner.

8. The surface of the water may be broken, for positioning of keepnets, the

preparation of ground bait, plumbing the depth and setting of floats, before the

official signal to start.

9. At the agreed match start time the Match Secretary or his deputy will signal the

start of the match, and from then members can commence fishing.

10. The finishing time for matches will be agreed before the start of the match and

will also be signified by the Match Secretary or his deputy at the end of the match. At

this time all tackle will be removed from the water and no further fishing shall take

place.

11. A competitor is allowed 15 minutes after the official signal, to play and land any

fish which was hooked before the finish Signal was sounded.

12. On all matches one rod, one line and a single hook can be used at any one time.

Additional tackle may be set up and left on the bank in readiness.

13. Trout & Pike do not count on Association matches. All fish must be returned to

the water at the end of the match in Accordance with Association General Rule 9.

14. No baited tackle is to be left unattended on matches, either in or out of the

water.

15. All queries relating to swims or any dispute arising shall be referred to the Match

Secretary whose decision is final. Complaints must be registered with the Match

Secretary or his deputy as soon as possible before completion of the match and

before the results are announced. Complaints after this time will not be considered.

16. Any competitor fishing outside the prescribed limit of his/her peg, fishing before

the official signal to start, or after the signal to end the match (see 11 above) will be

disqualified from that match and forfeit their match fee.

17. Should a match be cancelled, the Match Secretary will rearrange a convenient

date and advise this through the G&DAA Website and Facebook page.

18. Points system:-

Points allotted as follows:Top weight…………….100 points and thereafter dropping one point. Equal weights

will be equal points.

Although equal weights qualify for equal points, the points awarded for the next

weights down will be the points arrived at by assuming that for arithmetical

purposes each weight was different.

For example:-

12.0 ozs……………..66 points

12.0 ozs……………..66 points

11.0 ozs……………..64 points

This downgrading of points will affect the whole of the points system.

19. Any competitor fishing for the whole match and failing to make a catch will be

awarded 25 points, as long as they hand in their match card at the end of the match

20. The Senior Winter Championship takes the best five match results out of the six

matches.

21. Maximum pole length of 16 metres is permitted on club matches.

Winter Series matches

Match dates will be advertised on the clubs website and Facebook page.

Draw Time & Location will be advised on the day before the match on the clubs

Facebook page

Consists of 6 matches for the Senior Championship, all on various stretches of the

club waters on the river Stour.

The club also holds a pairs match, Christmas match and a committee match

Spring series matches

Consist of 5 matches in total fished on a variety of club waters and other venues

Date, Event, Draw time & location will be advertised on the clubs website

(www.gillinghamanglingclub.co.uk) and Facebook page

Summer series matches

10 matches in total on a selection of club lakes and other venues

This series includes named trophies, 2 festivals and a carnival matchDate, event, draw time & location will be advertised on the clubs

website (www.gillinghamanglingclub.co.uk)