Author Archive ihancock

 

This is the path before Ken started his project.

 

Now we have steps down to the bank.

 

Paths to help you to walk the bank in safety.

 

Steps & ladders all along the banks which will make it far more comfortable for your fishing.

 

We think you’ve done a great job Ken an we’re sure our members will think so too.

Ken has fished these waters regularly over the years and has caught many many Salmon. He also ties all of his own flies as shown below. If any members would like Ken to tie some for them, they are able to contact him at marchbrowntrout@hotmail.co.uk

 

 

Steve Carrington sent me this link of Sea Trout in Mid Wales.

Very interesting! www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10204708671308764 incredible footage.

 

Is this the start of your 2nd Century Ken?

 

 

Ken caught his 100th Salmon on May 13th at Upper Llangybi.

It weighed 18lbs and was caught on a Black Francis N Snaeldar 14mm Brass.

Congratulations Ken! Well done. Here’s to your next 100th! Try and leave some for the rest of us!

 

Ken Evans caught this 10lb Springer at Upper Llangybi on the 4th May. It was caught on Ken’s Shrimp.

 

PRESIDENT: Mr. J. Devoy     CHAIRMAN:Mr.S.D. Carrington

Honorary Secretary: Mr D. J. Rees, 12 Brookfields, Crickhowell, Powys, NP8 1DJ

Tel: 01873 811604       Mobile: 07506539377       Email: daireesatno12@aol.com

Honorary Treasurer: Mr. S. Gable, 73, Dan-y-Bryn, Gilwern, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, NP7   0BL

Tel: 01873 832204     Email: scogable@aol.com

http://www.crickhowellangling.co.uk/

Message from our Chairman Steve Carrington.

Hi All,

I was very disappointed with the attendance of the membership at the AGM, (34 members turned up and I had 23 apologies for non-attendance out of 206 members). I understand many of you come from far and wide but a phone call, e mail or letter to the Hon Sec would have been nice. Or a note on the forum even.

There are some serious issues being voted on sometimes, so it is your chance to have your say and vote on it with your fellow members.

There was some confusion about proposals for discussion at the AGM and the timescale to place these before the committee. All proposals have to be with the Hon Sec, in writing and with a seconder 21 days before the AGM. This will give the committee time to discuss the issue and will in future give us time to notify all members pursuant to Rule 9(3).

This also applies to nominations from the membership for Chairman, Hon Sec, Hon Treasurer and general committee.

Just a reminder, that subscriptions are due before the end of February 2015. An ideal place to catch the Hon Treasurer will be at the presentation night that is being held in the Bear Hotel on Wednesday 25^th February starting at 8pm. Or you can pay by electronic transfer.         Sort Code 30-90-02       Account number 00597008.

The AGM for the Usk Fisherman’s Association will be held in the Angel Hotel Abergavenny on13th March 2015 starting at 6pm. All are invited to attend and to join the UFA.

Due to Paul Bowen’s resignation the sea section will need someone to oversee and book trips in the future. I will take care of the section for the trips already booked but we will need someone to take control of the section. It is usually well attended so hopefully I can have a volunteer to take over. Anyone interested please contact me, Scott or Dai Rees. Anyone interested in going on any of the trips please let us know also.

If no one can be found to take over then unfortunately sea angling will cease which will be a great shame.

The committee and volunteer members have carried out bank clearing/litter picking on all of our beats. Some really good work has been carried out on Bridge Meadow by Ken Evans. He has installed steps and pathways on the left hand bank before the cottage. Below the cottage is still quite untouched so please be careful down there.

We will be asking members through the year to assist in litter picking and Balsam pulling on our beats during the season.

Finally there will be a calendar of events the society is running this season on the website. I will mailshot those without internet access. There will be for example two skills days, one day for trout and the other for Salmon fishing. We are talking about having a dinner and/or BBQ and several away days fishing somewhere different.

It will not be long now and we can get back out in the fresh air and enjoy our sport, take care and tight lines.

Cheers,

Steve Carrington.

Crickhowell and District Angling Society

Minutes of the 2015 Annual General Meeting

Held at The Bear Hotel, Crickhowell

At 8pm on Friday 30^th January 2015

1.         Our chairman Steve Carrington welcomed everyone to the meeting.

He informed the meeting that again last season we had lost another two     members namely Phil Wilkinson and Chris Widnall. He asked the meeting to observe a minutes silence in respect of them and all those who have passed             away since the society started.

 

Steve expressed his disappointment at the turnout with only 34 members attending and 23 sending their apologies for not been able to attend.

Prior to the start of the meeting Steve had invited Simon Evans, one of our Committee members and Deputy Director of The Wye and Usk Foundation To give us a talk on two issues, abstraction and salmon densities.

The majority of Simon’s demonstration was by means of overhead screen, the slides from which are attached.

Some of the main points he mentioned are described here in the minutes.

He told the meeting that the money which we kindly donate to the Wye and Usk foundation is used by them to try and get a better deal for the fisheries of the river Usk in respect of the abstraction and the amount of water that is taken from the river Usk. Simon stated that he thinks they have eventually got there. Most of the Valley Rivers were heavily polluted due to heavy industry so where did they go they came to the first clean river which is the Usk. That is why we have all the water taken out of the Usk. When the Usk was designated as a special area of conservation, the highest designation you can have in terms of the protection it meant that a lot of these historic deals had to be corrected. He explained that there is a migration threshold, we get a spate and Salmon swim            into the river, in low water Salmon don’t swim into the river. There is a trigger for Salmon migration into the river .By definition you are reducing the flow      below that threshold, so you are getting less migration into the river. If there is a rise of water 100% of the fish enter the river. Around 2% of the fish kept out in the estuary because of low water die every day .For Salmon it is an arduous task going from saline to brackish to fresh water and back, and after about two weeks you are loosing about 2% a day. So if there is a two month drought you are loosing a big chunk of fish. If the flows are below the level that they can      migrate into the river then there is increased mortality in the estuary. In dry year’s on the Usk 25% less enter the estuary, and about 10% of them die, that’s 10% less fish entering the spawning grounds at the end of the season. Another impact is that it greatly reduces the surface area. If the surface area is reduced     then it means less fish. The last floods in April take the smolts away. If that flood doesn’t happen then they have to shuffle down stream. If there is no spring flood to flush them out then they get predated. The majority of smolts get eaten          by migratory birds, shad etc. Because the Usk is designated there is a           requirement to address these wrongs by 2015. NRW published their proposals in 2012, we didn’t like them. The water companies didn’t like them. It would mean the closure of the Brecon canal, because they wouldn’t be able to take enough water. This is when The Wye and Usk foundation got involved. An agreement was accepted by The Wye and Usk foundation, and the BreconCanal. Most of the water coming out of the Usk was going in the canal, and smolts were unable to travel because they do not like going through water which is less than 10cm deep. Basically they would come up to the shallows and go back to pools time

and time again and were prone to predation. He then showed a graph which showed that half the river flow was  going in to the canal.

Some fish arrive in the estuary in March, April and May, August is when most fish arrive in the estuary.15% of the stock in the estuary will enter the river system if the flows are right. In 2005 just over 1,300 Salmon died in the estuary, those were fish that should have come into the river but never made it.Dwr Cymru are going to open all the taps when there’s a natural spate and leave   as much water through as possible.

How does abstraction affect fish population; reduced ability of Salmon to enter river.Increased mortality in estuary. Less fish entering during the fishing season.

 

How does abstraction affect Salmon population;   reduced ability of Salmon to enter river.    Increased mortality in estuary.            Reduced migration window.

Summary of new UWAG agreement

Pumping from Lower Usk reduced from 264ML/D to just 11ML/D from April to October.

Except in severe droughts, reduced autumn pumping until December.

Extra release from Usk and Talybont dams to boost spates and smolt migration.

Dwr Cymry are going to release more water into the river Usk.

Anticipated that there would be 1,100 more Salmon in the river by the end of the season.

 

 

Benefits of Usk improvement; Minimal summer abstraction from the Usk.   Daily fluctuation avoided.

Much better flows for migration and juveniles. Much reduced smolt mortality.

 

Our chairman thanked Simon for his presentation.

1. Minute of last years AGM -All matter arising from those minutes had been dealt with or will be discussed later on.
2. Chairman’s report – Our chairman Steve Carrington addressed the meeting.

He stated that he was disappointed with the turnout for the meeting, we’ve had       23 apologies for absence and that only 37 members were at the meeting out of 206 people. One of the complaints been thrown at the committee is lack of communication, he stated that this is a two way commitment. There are no outstanding issues from the last AGM, as a committee we have cleared most of it. Simon had explained about abstraction which was one of the main worries of most members. Not a very good salmon fishing season, trout fishing was a lot better. 19 salmon was the final catch record, with all of them being returned. The heaviest being 17lb. We lost a good member of the club this year due to certain issues; Paul Bowen has resigned from the membership, something that Steve was disappointed with. Paul was passionate about Crickhowell Anglers.

We have made every effort to communicate with members via face book, e mail      web site, newsletter etc. He stressed to the meeting that members contact Scott, Dave or himself or any of the committee. He stated that we had put the club on the map with the new website, and most agreed it was a good form of communication. Steve Cox has taken over the running of the website and if any member has got any contributions to contact Steve and he will insert it on the site. Crickhowell anglers have always been looked at as a bunch of elitists who won’t let people have day tickets, it got really bad about three years ago when the stretch of water called the Garn, near the Bridge pool and the Council said you can’t have it you’re a bunch of elitists, you don’t allow anyone in. To this

End we decided to raise the profile of the club. Last year we were approached by the local Rotary Club to demonstrate fly tying and casting demonstrations and clinic to help them raise money for survival tents for disaster areas so they asked us to come along to their annual duck race. The comments that came back           from the Town Council was that how professional we were, and that we had the Best corporate image on the whole site. Instead of being elitists we are now             considered to be down to earth people who are willing to help the community, which is what we intended to do. He went on to mention the skills days organised by the club. Only five members attended, with twenty guests turning up on the day. Steve went on to thank his committee stating that without them we wouldn’t be anything. He went on to thank Geraint and Justin for running the Fly tying classes free of charge, and putting money back into the society which is hoped will help the junior section. He also thanked Ricky and Paul Slaney for giving their time for nothing. He had been in contact with Mark Lloyd from the Angling trust. The Angling trust have challenged the British Canoe Union and             Canoe Wales that they are encouraging their members to trespass on our waters. That is with their solicitors and Angling Trust solicitors at the moment, but there will be an announcement soon from the Welsh Assembly. We as a club have donated £1,000 to SACC (SUSTAINABLE ACCESS CAMPAIGN CYMRU) to help cover some of the legal fees.

The annual presentation evening will take place on Wednesday 25th February at 8pm at The Bear Hotel, Crickhowell, would all those wishing to attend please contact Dave Rees (Hon Secretary) so that numbers can be confirmed. This year             there will also be a presentation for the heaviest Bass caught in memory of one      of our members who died two years ago Evan Churchill. All members and their   wives / partners are welcomed to attend. The buffet is provided free by the club.

4.         He the passed the meeting over to David Sanders on behalf of the honorary treasurer to delivery a detailed account of our finances (attached)

5.         Election Of Officers / Committee -No nominations received, proposed and seconded that Officers of the Committee be re-elected en bloc.

6.         Bank clearance – Bank clearance has been neglected over the last couple of years, due to health and safety issues. We have overcome some of the issues with our Insurers. Working parties have been set up, and so far bank clearance and litter picking have been carried out at Glangrwyne Court, Red Barn and Crickhowell

Waters. Next bank clearance arranged for Bridge Meadows.

7.         Sea Angling Section – Paul Bowen who ran the Sea Angling section has stood down as a member of the club, we are looking for volunteers to run this section. If anyone is interested in running it please contact Steve Carrington or Dai Rees, otherwise this will cease.

8.         Catch returns – Steve told the meeting that once again this year catch returns were again late in coming in. Geraint Meadows the Catch returns Officer once again had to chase members for their returns. It is every member’s responsibility             to send in a catch return and not the responsibility of the committee to chase people. It clearly states in our bye-laws Section 5, subsection (3) that failure to submit a catch return by 31 October annually will result in the non-renewal of their Membership. He also mentioned that there is only two things we

ask members to do and that is paying their subs on time and send in a catch return            on time. A discussion took place re this matter.

9.         Proposals – Our chairman asked Tony Konieczny to address the meeting with his Proposal.

Tony explained to the meeting that he had been a member of the club for 17 years, and that he lived in Abergavenny, and he is the Chair of The Abergavenny Civic Society. They are currently running a project along with The Wye and Usk Foundation to open the Gavenny as a spawning tributary; this is actually a scheme to increase the spawning capacity, egg deposition capacity of the Usk catchment. The preliminary report for Usk egg deposition this year is that the Usk is at risk, it is falling below the conservation levels. Year on year there has been a decline in Salmon catches. This is not only affecting the Usk catchment. Atlantic Salmon is being affected very seriously by global warming; it is extinct In Portugal, Southern France. There is a real risk of extinction of Salmon in The British Isles. There are varied reasons, some of them are at sea, some have to do with water levels and water abstractions, we have now reached a level where population levels once they fall below conservation limits, we can’t as anglers and conservationists afford to put more pressure on a species that is likely to become extinct. We have got to be aware that the Atlantic Salmon is falling below sustainable levels in our river systems. He went on to explain that as a Society we have major assets, and if there were no Salmon our assets would be worth nothing. His proposal was that we implement a catch and release policy, and that we review the situation at the next AGM.

A lengthy and heated debate ensued, which continued for some time. Our chairman then asked members present to vote on this issue. Eight members voted for this proposal, one abstained and twenty five were     against the proposal. The proposal was rejected by the majority.

10.        Presentation evening – Members were again reminded that the Annual Presentation Evening will be held on Wednesday 25th February 2015 at 8pm At The Bear Hotel, Crickhowell, he informed the meeting that this was a chance to meet, have a chat and a few beer’s. A free buffet is provided by the club. Would members wishing to attend please contact David Rees ( Hon Secretary ) so that numbers can be confirmed, contacts daireesatno12@aol.com, home             number 01873 811604, mobile 07506539377.

11.        AOB –   Communication. Our chairman informed the meeting that we were being criticised for lack of communication. We have set up a new website,         sent out more emails With the minutes of the AGM there will be a basic form asking members for up to date details. Please fill these in and return them to our Secretary as soon as possible. Full name, address, home telephone and mobile phone numbers and e mail address. We did ask members at the last AGM to send us up to date details and only 12 got back to us. Communication is a two way process.

There being no other matters the meeting was closed at 10.10pm.

Treasurer’s report

Gents,

Apologies for not being able to present this report myself I am afraid I have been called away. Any questions you may have about the distributed accounts I would be happy to answer personally by telephone, email or snail mail.

This report will highlight the position and trends in the society finances with explanations and supporting information where required.

Income and Expenditure Account

Income

• The Income for the society remained statistically static, being £383 (1.5%) higher than the 2013 season.

• The number of adult paying members remained static in the year (190) as did disappointingly the number of special juniors and juniors (11).

• There is a shift in the membership with more members now being over 65 and being eligible to the discounted membership rate, this trend is set to continue based on the society demographic. (142 full fee members, 45 reduced fee members in 2014) (147 full fee members, 41 reduced fee members in 2013)

• Guest ticket income this year increased by £60 (46%) the variability in this income is recognised as primarily weather dependant.

• Removal of funds from and the closure of the MonmouthshireBuilding society Trustees account to fund the Bridge Meadow purchase reduced our interest income to £0.

Total income for the 2014 season was £25,263, an increase of 1.5% (£383) against 2013

Expenditure

 

Subs and donations

 

• Variance is noted in the subscriptions and donations made by the society during the 2013 season.

• UUFA subscription rates rose to £50 from £10 (400%)

 

• A donation was made to the Sustainable access fund held by the Angling Trust of £1000, this is seen in the accrual against the angling trust, included in this figure is the society insurance premium, this has increased by £89 in the season, a pattern common across insurance providers.

 

• No donation was made to the WUF during the 2014 season; the committee have pledged to make a donation during the 2015 season following a request.

 

Professional fees

 

• Secretary and Treasurer expenses (honoraria) remain unchanged.

• Accountant fees were increased by £10 against 2013, an increase of 1.5% this is inline with the Retail process index of 2% falling to 1.6% during this year.The work undertaken by the accountant represents excellent value and consistently saves the society a corporation tax bill in the order of £500. In addition the accountant’s team validated the treasurers financial forecasting and modelling required by lenders when approached with loan applications.

 

Other expenses

 

• Appearing on the I&E account for the first time is a payment accrued against advertising expenses, this sum is made up of expenditure on the society banner and bailiff shirts purchased during the year and used at the duck race and skills day. While the expense may seem excessive the number of enquiries to join the society spawned from these events and the website has seen the waiting list rise to its highest level in recent years with nearly 50 individuals waiting to join the society.

• No bank charges were incurred during the 2014 season with those incurred during 2013 being directly attributable to the Bridge Meadow purchase.

• Loan interest accrued during the season against the Bridge Meadow purchase has fallen slightly and is due to fall again during the 2015 season as the lender adjusted the repayment schedule.

• No additional repayments were made during the 2014 season to reduce the loans medium term impact, this was a committee decision based on the quotes received during the season for undertaking bank maintenance work on the newly acquired beat.
• The work has been started and is predicted to cost significantly less than originally quoted.
• To this end the committee will discuss extra loan payments during the season based on expected expenditure and liabilities.

• Renegotiation of the loan product with other lenders has proved difficult with lenders still demonstrating significant lending caution and requiring financial forecasting and modelling. Many factors are seen by uninformed lenders to place membership levels at risk (C&R, declining stock etc. etc.)

• Website hosting fees increased by £150 in the season following a whole scale upgrade, the site has delivered multiple enquiries for membership; additionally £175 has been accrued against a ‘staff training’ line for the training of society members in managing the website. In context the cost for running the website is recouped if it recruits two new members into vacancies.

• While the society sent out fewer mail shots during the season the cost of printing stationary and postage increased significantly on 2013. Stationary and printing up 82% to £462, postage up 13% to £305.

• Coffee was provided to the NRW team who provided a free training session to society bailiffs and others during the season, this is accrued against meeting expenses

• Year book costs rose by 6% to £462 although the batch size of the print run increased.

• The society invested £180 in a number of fly tying kits for use by members participating in the fly tying evenings, these will be accrued as society assets along with the rods and reels etc. previously purchased and bank clearing equipment that will be purchased.

• The skills day barbeque cost £48 to put on but this was more than covered by the revenue generated by the participants. The excess revenue sits as part of the cash in hand demonstrated in the accounts.

• Fishing right rentals and parking fees increased slightly in the 2014 season, Lower Cadfor Farm increased by £50 as did the parking Fee at Glangrwyne court. This is the first time the fees have been increased for these rentals and still represents excellent value.

Total expenditure for the 2014 season was £13,776, an increase of 1.6% (£218)

The excess of Income over Expenditure for the 2014 season is £11,487 and increase of 1.5% (£165) over the 2013 season.

 

 

Balance Sheet

 

Owned fishing assets remain unchanged

The current net assets of the society see an increase over the 2013 season with £794 cash in hand and a bank balance of £22,312. with a number of rolling deposits held by charter skippers.

Current liabilities for the 2015 season amount to £8,564.

The net surplus for the 2014 season of £11,487 brings the total net value of the society assets to £188,988.

It is my recommendation to accept the accounts as presented to the committee and society and to maintain the financial model we are following.

I also recommend maintaining the relationship the society has built with the Accountant team at Catherine A Williams Ltd

Scott Gable (Hon Treasurer)

Membership fees due by 28^th February 2015

Senior members (over 65 with two years prior full membership)                                             £95

Full Members                                                                                                                       £125

Special Juniors                                                                                                                    £20

Juniors                                                                                                                                  £5

Cheques: payable to ‘Crickhowell and District Angling Society’

 

Please put name and membership number on reverse

 

To Scott Gable, Hon Treasurer

73 Dan-Y-Bryn

Gilwern

Abergavenny

NP7 0BL

 

Electronic transfer:

 

Account name:                     ‘Crickhowell and District Angling Society’

Sort Code:                             30-90-02

A/C number:                         00597008            

 

Please use your membership number and name as a reference or I cannot match individuals to payments

 

 

CDASSea Angling Section – Bookings with availability – 2015.

 

The following trips have been arranged, should you wish to go on a trip please contact Stephen Carrington (details in the year book)

 

Friday, 1^st May 2015 – Salcombe – Skerries Bank plaice trip: 6 anglers to date. 2 spaces (£350 plus bait costs).

Friday, 31^st July 2015 – Axmouth – Specialist bass fishing trip with John Wallington of Devon Bass Pro Charters. Maximum of 4 anglers. £50 per angler – all tackle supplied.

 

Wednesday, 5^th August, 2015 – BurryPort – Bass fishing trip with Stuart Denman aboard ‘Ebony Mae’. Maximum of 10 anglers. (£500 to include all bait costs).

 

Monday, 17^th August 2015 – Axmouth – Specialist bass fishing trip with John Wallington of Devon Bass Pro Charters. Maximum of 4 anglers. £50 per angler – all tackle supplied.

 

Monday, 28^th September 2015 – BurryPort – Bass fishing trip with Stuart Denman aboard ‘Ebony Mae’. Maximum of 10 anglers. (£500 to include all bait costs).

 

Monday, 12^th October 2015 – Axmouth – Specialist bass fishing trip with John Wallington of Devon Bass Pro Charters. Maximum of 4 anglers. £50 per angler – all tackle supplied.

 

Thursday, 29^th October 2015 – BurryPort – Bass fishing trip with Stuart Denman aboard ‘Ebony Mae’. Maximum of 10 anglers. (£500 to include all bait costs).

The Angling Trust, its predecessor organisations, and our partners at the Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society (B.A.S.S.) have been campaigning tirelessly for the introduction of conservation measures for bass for many years. In 2012, the Angling Trust organised a delegation to the then Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon to press the case for bass conservation measures in the face of evidence demonstrating that stocks were in trouble.

 

Hundreds of Angling Trust and B.A.S.S. members responded to the call to write to their MPs and the European Commission to press for EU action to protect bass stocks from collapse.

We enjoyed tremendous support from a fantastic group of cross-party MPs including: George Hollingbery, Jon Cruddas, Charles Walker, Ben Bradshaw, Simon Hart and Richard Benyon.

Rest assured, here in the UK the Angling Trust will be pressing our government to take additional domestic measures to restore the UK bass fishery to good health.

Britain’s best known bass angler, photographer and writer Henry Gilbey enthusiastically endorsed the Angling Trust campaign writing on his bog today:

 

The photo at the top was taken by Stephen Cox at the Lower Birgham Beat on The Tweed at 5.30am just as the sun was starting to “burn off” the early morning mist.

The lower photo was taken by Justin Connolly at Garnffrwyd fishery at early dawn

Justin & Stephen were both rewarded with a free one year’s subscription of the magazine.

The next photo was taken by Spencer John of “The Usk at Dawn” and was published in the January 2015 edition of “Fly Fishing Fly Tying”  Spencer will be rewarded with a free one year’s subscription by the magazine.

I am sure there are many of you with excellent photos on the subject of fishing. Why not send them to me at stephen.cox18@btopenworld.com and I will ensure that they are published on our website?

Phil Beugelar sent in his photo of a cracking Brown Trout he caught at Red Barn on August 27th. The fish was safely returned to the river. Well done Phil!

 

Chairman’s Newsletter 2014/15

 

Firstly may I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year? I apologise for the arrival of the newsletter with your Christmas cards but things have been very hectic for me over the last few months and I am just about catching up with things.

2014 will not be a year I will remember fondly. But at least I didn’t have a blank season like the year before. Happily I managed to catch two salmon just before the season ended! Both were returned safely to run the brooks to spawn.

As a Society however we have moved forward socially really well, holding a grayling day on the Cefnllysgwynne beat of the river Wye, a Fur and Feather day at Bigwell fishery, a second skills day rounded off with a fabulous B-B-Q and a really well-attended fly tying class held every other Thursday in the Bear Hotel. Details of all these and future events can be found on the website. www.crickhowellangling.co.uk

We also erected the club gazebo at the annual duck race on the Bullpit Meadow to support Crickhowell Rotary Club in their fundraising quest to provide emergency tents for disaster areas across the world. Club members held fly tying and fly casting instruction for visitors at the event.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my committee members for the work they have done to help us promote the Society in the Crickhowell community and for providing their skills free of charge for our members.

I would also like to thank Ricky Smith and Paul Slaney for their help and support at the Rotary day and fly tying classes.

Website

The website continues to go from strength to strength mainly due to the input and enthusiasm of Stephen Cox our website manager and all the other contributors. There are some really good articles and photographs, plus the site is being used more and more as our primary form of publicising events and happenings. I hope it will continue to grow and grow.

Next year we hope to put a catch return form and membership application on the site. If you haven’t joined up to the site then please do so, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Catch returns

Salmon fishing was not as good as 2014. The final count was 17 salmon which was again well down on last season. Once again the low flows of this year have ensured fish cannot run the river successfully, I hoped that the water flows in May/June would not have been detrimental for the smolt run out to the estuary. They would have had to run the gauntlet of many predators so we can only hope as many as possible made it to the sea.

We had a 100% catch and return rate this season. As chairman this is something I am really proud of and each salmon fisherman that returned his fish should be very proud too. The river is probably “still at risk” as an SACC but I can happily report to the NRW that we are doing our bit to make things better.

The biggest fish of the year at 17 lb was taken off the Bridge Meadow beat by Jonathan Powell.

Congratulations to him, he wins the Edwin Price Memorial cup for 2014 which will be presented to him at the annual presentation night.

At our last committee meeting held on the 4^th December we discussed methods of further protecting our dwindling salmon stocks. We had three ideas to put to you at the AGM for your approval or disapproval. They are:-

1. 1.Fly fishing only for salmon until June 16^th.
2. 2.All lures especially “Flying Condoms” to be single barbless hooks.
3. 3.No taking of salmon after 30^th September.

I am looking forward to some good discussions about these proposals.

Trout fishing was again mixed but many reports of good bags of fish mostly returned after capture were made. Final numbers have not been made yet but there seems to be a downward trend with our trout catches too.

We have 207 members of the Society. At our last committee meeting held on the 4^th December 100 members had still not made a return to the Catch Returns Officer Geraint Meadows! At least

68 of this number have internet access so to not even bother to send an e mail return is no excuse. You have a form in the handbook, Geraint’s phone number and e mail address and we even gave you an extra month in which to make a return and we are still 100 returns down. Next year we plan to put a form on the website for returns also.

Geraint has now got to send out reminders to the others which is both time consuming and expensive for the Society

Please refer to the Society rule which require you as a member of the Society to submit a catch return by 31^st October or face expulsion. This is all we ask of you.

Next year we will give you until the end of November to submit a catch return. Failure to do this for 2 consecutive seasons and you will be out. No one will chase you for a return!!!!!! Re-joining the Society with committee approval will require you to pay the joining fee as well as your membership. A stamp on a form, a phone call or e mail will be cheaper I can assure you.

Fly Fishing Skills Day

Our second casting skills day was held on GGC. Organised by Geraint Meadows and Justin Connolly our qualified instructors managed to persuade several of their GAIA colleagues to attend and pass on their vast knowledge to the membership. My thanks to Mark Roberts, Lee Davies, Geraint Jones, John Symonds, Chris Price and Alun Rees some of the best casting instructors in the country.

Although all this talent was available free of charge to the society only 5 members turned up to support them. Fortunately the event had been so widely publicised that 20 plus guests turned up.

After a morning of instruction “the chef from the Bear” Raymond Hinds prepared a Jamaican Barbeque.

I must pass on my thanks to Geraint, Justin, Paige, Mark and all the instructors from GAIA for all the efforts they put in to arrange the day and make it such a memorable one.

A great day was had by all and we hope to arrange the same thing for next season.

Club Bailiffs

We were given a presentation in February by Steve Barker and Clive Williams (Enforcement officers, Natural Resources Wales) in the actions that can be taken by a club bailiff. Unfortunately this does not amount to much but both Steve and Clive re affirmed their commitment to fisheries enforcement and have said in no uncertain terms that they need our help to report incidents in real time not days later. Due to their low numbers they are now relying on the angler more and more to provide information on incidents which occur on our waters.

If any of our membership would like to have this training and become bailiffs would you please let me know? We are quite short of bailiffs at present due to illness and old age creeping up on us all, so a few of our younger members to volunteer would be welcome. We have given up on the fleeces but I can promise you a club bailiff polo shirt instead.

If you have concerns about anyone fishing who you have reason to believe is not a member, or who is behaving oddly, please call the National Resources Wales incident line on 0800 60 70 80 so that they have a chance to deal with the situation. Please phone in as soon as you suspect anyone and take descriptions, car registration numbers etc. Anything which would aid the NRW officers.

It is also acceptable to call the Police if you believe someone is fishing without permission. Call the police on 101 and explain the situation.

Tell the Police that the Home Office code for this matter is 116/11. For more detailed information visit the Angling Trust website

Here

http://www.anglingtrust.net/page.asp?section=1038&;sectionTitle=Guide+for+Anglers+ReportingOffences+to+the+Police

Canoeing

This year has been a case of waiting for the Welsh Governments “Green Paper” to be published on access to the inland rivers of Wales. All I can do to update you on this issue is to print what I wrote last year

“As I and others see it this green paper is being brought out to encourage the canoe tourism industry and it won’t be long before the river will be taken over by fleets of Canadian canoes with children falling in, splashing each other and generally causing mayhem. As such we reserve the right to enjoy our sport that we pay for without this legislation.

We as a society have signed up as a supporter of Sustainable Access Campaign Cymru, which is a body set up to challenge the Welsh Governments Green paper which is due out soon. SACC are fronted by the Countryside Alliance, the Angling Trust/Fish Legal, Country Landowners Association, the Welsh Salmon and Trout Association and Angling Cymru.

The link for the website can be found here.   http://www.accesscymru.org/ Please join as a supporter now.

Please sign up as supporters of SACC via the website as soon as possible. We will need as many people as possible to lobby their Assembly Members before it is too late.

The SACC website will also give you hints and tips on how to lobby your local AMs either by e mail, letter or by visiting AMs surgeries. Please take the time and effort to do this. It is a simple fact that if we do nothing we stand to lose everything that the original founder members of the Society fought so hard to bring to life.

On behalf of the society I have written to every AM and our local MP to gather their support, some of which was encouraging. I have met with our local AM too and hope that she will be on our side when the green paper is released in January 2014.”

As you can see nothing has changed. SACC and the Angling Trust have been very active on our behalf though. SACC have challenged Canoe Wales on their support of trespass by their members.

SACC still needs your support.

Fish Eating Birds

Again there are far too many FEBs on the river. A license to cull was applied for last season by the Usk Fisherman’s Association and I believe it was quite successful. Another license is going to be applied for this year. Any sightings of cormorants, goosanders and numbers of birds, if you would like to send them to me or directly to the UFA would be most helpful.

Dates for your diary.

The AGM to be held in the Bear hotel on Friday 30st January 2015 starting at 8pm.

As it stands all committee members are prepared to carry on in their positions for the next year. If there are any of you who wish to stand as an officer of the Society or for any position, you can make your representation, with proposer and seconder in writing to the Hon Secretary no later than Friday 16^th January 2015.

If there are any items or issues you would like discuss at the AGM would you please also make them in writing to the Hon Secretary again no later than Friday 16^7h January 2015.

Presentation night will be held in the Bear Hotel on Wednesday 25th February 2015 starting at 8 pm.

This is our only social meeting and a free buffet will be provided by the Society. It is a good night and will be a great chance to meet the new members of the Society and have a night of good food, a few pints, fishing tales and banter.

Would you please endeavour to inform the Hon Secretary of your attendance at least a week before the event. His contact details are in your members hand book.

The AGM of The Usk Fisherman’s Association is to be held in the Angel Hotel, Abergavenny 13^th February 2015 starting at 6pm.

Dates for any events we will be holding this year will be published on the website.

2015 subscriptions to be paid to Hon Treasurer by 28^th February, rates are unchanged.

Full Member                                                                                        £ 125

Senior Member (Over 65 with 2 years full membership)                      £ 95

Special Junior                                                                                     £20

Subs may be paid in cash and by cheque to the treasurer at the address above or electronically by transfer to the society account.

Sort code:        30-90-02

Account:          00597008

If transferring electronically please use your membership number and surname as the reference to facilitate reconciliation with the membership list.                    

Online banking is now available to the society and renewals will be dealt with in real time rather than there being reliance on statement delivery

We have a large waiting list of prospective members so this year we will need subscriptions to be paid on time. Your help in this matter would be appreciated.

Sea Angling Section

The only confirmed dates at the moment for charter trips next year are as follows :-

(a) Cod fishing trip in the Bristol Channel out of Penarth with Andrew Alsop aboard ‘White Waters’ on Thursday, 22nd January, 2015. (Charter fee £380 plus bait costs).

(b) 10 hour flatties trip (plaice, turbot and brill) out ofWeymouth on the Shambles Bank and the mussel beds off Portland with Colin Penny aboard ‘Flamer IV’ on Wednesday, 15th April, 2015. (This is a re-arranged trip from this year and is an ‘individuals’ trip booked for CDAS members but Colin Penny still has 2 or 3 places if anyone is interested in joining the existing group of seven CDAS members. Cost £60 per angler paid direct

to Colin Penny and bait costs will be extra).

(c) Plaice trip on the Skerries Bank out of Salcombe with Chris Roberts aboard ‘Anglo Dawn’ on Friday, 1st May, 2015. (Charter fee £350 plus bait costs). (This is to target the spring run of plaice on the Skerries Bank).

(d) Wrecking / reef trip out of Salcombe with Chris Roberts aboard ‘Anglo Dawn’ onMonday, 8th June, 2015. (Charter fee £575). (Target species are cod, bass, pollack, ling, congers, etc).

(e) Wrecking / reef trip out of Salcombe with Chris Roberts aboard ‘Anglo Dawn’ onMonday, 6th July, 2015. (Charter fee £575). (Target species are cod, bass, pollack, ling, congers, etc).

(f) Plaice trip on the Skerries Bank out of Salcombe with Chris Roberts aboard ‘Anglo Dawn’ on Thursday, 10th September, 2015. (Charter fee £350 plus bait costs). (This trip is to target the big, late season plaice found on the Skerries Bank).

PLEASE NOTE: I cannot book any of the bass trips for next year with the skippers that we regularly use until early in the New Year. John Wallington (Devon Bass Pro Charters – Axmouth – maximum of 4 or 5 anglers on these trips) and Stuart Denman (‘Ebony Mae’ – Burry Port – next year I will run these trips with ten anglers aboard, bearing in mind the size of the boat and also as suggested by one or two members who have been on these trips in the past) do not open their booking diaries until late January / early February each year. Chris Roberts has also not confirmed the dates of his bass trips for next year either (Eddystone Reef and the wrecks and reefs off Salcombe and in Lyme Bay). I will sort things out as usual for the members and advise them in due course; ideally by email or when Dai Rees or Scott Gable send out the Minutes from the 2015 AGM and details about the Presentation Night and any other sundry matters affecting the Society at that time. All the other charter trips will run with eight anglers aboard, as

usual. Quite a few members have asked me to arrange some sharking trips with Andrew Alsop aboard ‘White Waters’ out of Milford Haven next summer/autumn but, bearing in mind the cost of these trips, these places will only be booked as ‘individuals’ and I will be speaking to Andrew about these trips when we are out cod fishing with him next week (Thursday, 18th December).

.

Sea Angling Co-ordinator – Crickhowell & District Angling Society,         Please note Paul’s new number. 01873 850826

The biggest bass caught this season was a fine fish of 7.5lb and was caught by Martyn John. He wins the first Evan Churchill Memorial cup and will be presented with the cup at the presentation evening. Many congratulations from me Martyn.

Paul Bowen works really hard to provide sea angling opportunities for all our members and their guests. Several times he has been let down at very short notice by members who have committed to a trip, not paid a deposit and not turned up. This has resulted in the other anglers on the trip having to pick up additional costs. This is not acceptable.

I have told Paul that if this keeps on happening that he should refrain from booking any trips without a deposit or if this doesn’t work to stop booking charters altogether. This season will be very important because if these actions carry on then that will be the end of the sea angling section and that will be a great shame.

Bank Clearance/ Litter Picking

This year we will be starting bank clearance on Sunday mornings in January starting at 10 am on the 11^th, 18^th, 25^th and February 1^st. Details of what beat and start time will be on the website. No major work will be carried out so anyone can attend. Simply picking up the rubbish will help enormously.

Please make an effort to attend at least one of these clean up days. It is in the society rules that all members should attend at least one day per year.

Bridge Meadow will be having some access points built into the banks during the start of the season (conditions permitting)

Once again I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and hope you have a good season in 2015. I look forward to seeing you at the AGM, the presentation night or even on the riverbank in 2015.

Steve Carrington

Chairman, Crickhowell and District Angling Society.