To bring you all up to date here is a snapshot of the latest news from your Committee :-
Land at Hickstead Lane
Good news – we have a very large hole. Bad news – not a great deal of water in it yet !
On a serious note there has been a flurry of activity by the Development and Maintenance teams plus able support from the usual hard core of members. We have a new gate, the hedgerows have been moved back to create a clear line of visibility and by the time you read this the entrance will be completed. We have been asked to do quite a lot by the Planning Department and will shortly be creating a ditch adjacent to the road.
The overflow from George Cragg should be completed shortly which will mean
A) There should be a steady trickle of water into the new pond and
B) The water level in George Cragg will be stabilised and the swims will be fishable at all times
However before too much water goes into the new pond we would like to start planting some of the land around the lake and more importantly the islands. It is a very large site and even small trees are not cheap so we are looking for help from both inside and outside of the club. We are trying for grants for hedgerows to go along the boundaries but if any member has any unwanted shrubs, small trees or marginal plants (Iris, Marsh marigold) please drop them off in the car park at George Cragg. There will be one of the team there at least once every week and any donated plants can be “ heeled in” or potted up until we decide where they can go. If we have any professional gardeners who are clearing ground, rather than dump or shred any unwanted plants shrubs or small trees please drop them off at George Cragg.
With regard to trees we will need somewhere in the region of 2/300 so any help would appreciated. We are looking for the usual water loving trees Alder, Willow, Poplar, Silver Birch, but as we have quite a bit of land to plant we are also looking for other native species Horse Chestnut, Hazel, Sweet Chestnut, Sycamore etc. If you have an unwanted tree or something in the corner of your garden which hasn’t really taken off bring it along and we will find a home for it.
Alternatively you might like to buy a tree for the club – £20 will buy 4 trees , Alder, Silver Birch, Willow etc from “Trees by Post” If you would rather do this you can either order via the “ Trees by Post” website or if you would like the club to sort it out for you please contact Tony Elkins on 01273 843726. He will let you know who and where to send the cheque. We need a lot of trees and shrubs so anything would be appreciated.
That is about it on the new pond for now but your Committee would like to remind our members that for Health and Safety reasons the area is a closed site with no access unless you are working on the site. Please no sight-seers.
Other news…………
The new membership is due from 1 April and if you were not already aware you can now join and pay online v. Over 50 members have taken advantage of this and if you do renew or join this way would you, please take time to complete the linked questionnaire.
Further work has been done to improve the car park at Hickstead Hotel
We will be planting lilies in the middle of Decoy, and hopefully the carp will leave them to establish
Because of the low turnout at last years prize giving event, this year it will be combined with the Robbie Wallace Memorial competition. Further details to follow.
Another polite reminder – this time to parents of junior members .Whilst we would like to encourage our younger anglers as much as possible please note that Juniors under the age of 12 should not be left unattended on Club Waters.
And finally – the usual request about fish catches. With Summer just around the corner the fish should be coming on to feed and we have high hopes of our waters this year. Please send your pictures to the website so we can create a gallery of fish caught on the lakes ponds and rivers. It doesn’t have to be large Carp; there have been some beautiful Spring tench caught already this year and there are stories of good sized Roach, Rudd and Perch being caught.
Good luck and enjoy your fishing
Your Committee

For all those that could’nt be or were’nt present here is a summary of the recent AGM.

A question from the floor asked about stocking of fish-it has been agreed that there should be a percentage of money recieved via subscriptions set aside for fish stocking and that if in any one season this is not used it should be held over to the following season and used for the same purpose.

Rent increases-Although most rents are stable we have been asked to attend a meeting with one fishery-the results when known will be posted to the web site.

The bailliffs reported that early in the season some anglers were caught without club memberships or licenses-they have been reported to the E.A.

Our junior match team is low on numbers and could do with an urgent influx of new juniors-anyone interested in fishing for the club please contact Steve Pead.

Subscriptions-although times are tight for everyone, it has been decided that subscriptions are to be held at the same level as last year. However, if we are presented with sudden increases in rent we may have to consider the possiblity of relinquishing a fishery.

Regards to all and thanks to those that came to the meeting,

Steve

Here is the latest news from the recent committee meeting:-
Land at Hickstead Lane
Here we go again. Our solicitors are still trying to sort out the issues surrounding the “ change of usage” for the land………………………………………………..
Maintenance
Water levels have been raised at Wildings and a number of the reed swims at Masons have been cleared. Reports of good quality silver fish coming out of Masons !
Hickstead
The water levels are even lower but carp are still coming out despite this. Work is being carried out to improve the car parking area and also to improve the quality of the swims.
Decoy
Initial reports from the various sensors at Decoy are indicating that the oxygen levels have improved. We will continue to monitor the situation bit so far it looks as if the lake is recovering after last Winter.
Other………………….
We have been offered a number of lilies by Brighton Council so on Saturday 19 November we will be paddling around in the Rock garden pond in Preston Park. Anybody wanting to lend a hand is more than welcome to come along – from 9 oclock. The Council are providing a lorry to transport them to Decoy so all we have to do is pull them out of the pond and load it up !
Catch reports are a bit thin on the ground –a number of good perch from Decoy, the best 3 ½lb plus a 5lb 11 oz chub from Hamsey. Unfortunately there were not enough witnesses to allow it to be submitted as a club record.
Bookings are now being taken for the Christmas competition. Details are available on the website.
And finally – Dave Morris, our Press Officer will be standing down next year so if there are any budding Rupert Murdochs out there please put your name forward at the AGM.
Your Committee

Hope everybody enjoyed the summer break and managed to fit in some serious fishing. The latest news from your Committee is as follows:-
Land at Hickstead Lane
Without sounding like a cracked record the solicitors are still sorting out the legal issues to enable us to go ahead with the purchase of the land. We will keep you posted !
Maintenance
The trees at the Millpond have now been removed as have a couple at Masons. Mink traps have been put down at Masons and Wildings. A number of Swims have been cleared at Upper Hookers and weed removed from Pickwell ponds.. There is a tree which needs to be removed from Wildings – the Maintenance team has this in hand. Please let the Maintenance team (see club book) know if you come across anything at the club waters which needs fixing , replacing etc.
Hickstead
The water levels are still very low. Work on the toilet blocks seems to have ground to a halt. We will be meeting with the owner shortly to discuss this and other matters
Other………………….
The system for online membership payment will be ready in time for half yearly memberships in October and we are hoping that it will be updated so that it will be possible to purchase guest tickets on line.
Catch reports are a bit thin on the ground – Let us know what you have caught as it is all good publicity for the club . There have been carp of over 20lbs reported from Wildings – see the news page on the website and plenty of Crucians coming out of Decoy. Average size seems to be around 1- 1.5lb so they are putting on weight (lack of competition from carp ?)
There is also a rumour that Pickwells is fishing well – so much so that a competition has been switched there from Hickstead – So much for the stories that were doing the rounds last year that there are no fish in Pickwells !
Unfortunately we had to call off the September beginners day at Decoy because of a lack of numbers. However we will still be holding these next year but we will be changing the September date to August to generate more interest. Watch this space for details
I will finish off with the usual request. Any good catches preferably with pictures should be sent to the website. There are a lot of stories and chat about good fish coming out this summer so lets see your smiling faces – Oh and a picture of the fish would help.
Your Committee