General bye- laws 24-25
GENERAL BYE-LAWS:
Renewal of Society membership to be made ‘on-line’ through Clubmate at godalminganglingsociety.clubmate.co.uk
All adult members must renew .their membership by July 1st, annually, in accordance with the Constitution.
1 Members must carry their membership book at all times whilst fishing or visiting any of the society waters, and must show it when asked for proof of membership by any other member or bailiff.
To validate their Society permit a member ( and partner for joint membership ) must insert and sign across passport photograph / s.
A non-validated permit will be removed by any bailiff or club official, and disciplinary action taken by the General Committee.
Note : Junior membership commences from the age of 7.
2 Members must have a valid EA rod licence when fishing society waters. When asked by a bailiff they must show their EA rod licence.
3.Moving fish. No fish to be introduced or removed from or between Society waters without the prior consent of the General Committee. Any member found moving or aiding and abetting movement of fish from or between Society waters without General Committee consent shall be expelled from the society.
4 Guest Tickets :
4aGuest tickets are available on all waters unless stated otherwise in the permit.
4bMembers may only take one guest at a time.
4cJunior members are not permitted Guest tickets.
4d Members under the age of eighteen may not take a Senior or Young Adult guest night fishing.
4eGuest tickets may be purchased from :-
Apollo Angling Centre at our Marsh Farm Fishery, Milford.
A & R Newsagents, 7 Meadrow, Godalming. GU7 3HJ.
4fA member holding a Guest Ticket is responsible for the conduct of their guest, and must accompany and fish in close proximity to them. Any infringement of the rules by a guest will result in the member being subject to disciplinary action, as if he / she had broken the rule.
5 All members, ticket holders and visitors either fishing, working, or visiting Society waters do so at their own risk. Please also refer to “Safety Guidelines” on Page 7 of this permit.
6 Damage. Any person lighting fires, leaving gates open, or committing any damage to property, banks, vegetation , or livestock, will be the subject of disciplinary action.
7 Rule enforcement
7a) Rule are enforced by bailiffs and club officials. Being abusive or obstructive to Bailiffs or club officials is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.
7b) Infringements of bye laws. Bailiffs / Club Officials have the right to remove a member’s permit if they believe the member has infringed the bye-laws of the Society. The permit will be passed to the Hon Sec/Ass Hon Sec who will advise the member by email and/or letter of the alleged offences and confirm to the member that they have the opportunity to refer the matter to the next Disciplinary Sub Committee, whether or not they accept the offence/s and that any relevant circumstances should be set out in time to be taken into consideration by the Disciplinary Sub Committee
8 The General Committee may need to introduce short term Bye-laws. Members are reminded to check for temporary notices at the water or on the website and the Facebook page).
9 Litter : Members must clear up and take home for disposal all loose line, discarded hooks, etc… Any members found with litter in the vicinity of their swim will be considered responsible for it.
10 Tins : No tins of bait, open or unopened, are permitted at the waterside.
11 Electronic Devices : The use of this equipment must be at a level where it does not cause disturbance or annoyance to others.
12 Bait-boats and Drones: The use of Bait-boats and Drones is not permitted except on official society business.
13 Dogs must be kept on a lead and under strict control.
14 Alcohol, Drugs & Firearms
14a) All alcohol and illegal drugs are banned on society waters.
14b) No firearms or air weapons are allowed on any society waters unless authorised by the general committee.
15 Competitions : When the date, venue and time of a competition has been published in the fixture lists, only competitors are permitted to fish the waters. The waters will be closed two hours before a match and will remain closed until one hour after the stated finish time in the fixture list.
16 (a) Night Fishing : Junior members are not permitted to fish during the hours of darkness, unless they are accompanied by a member over the age of eighteen, this member will be responsible for the safety and activities of the Junior member.
Any Junior member fishing through the hours of darkness must have made the arrangement to be accompanied prior to going fishing and must not approach anglers already on the bank-side to accompany them.
16 (b) Juniors under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
This adult must be a member of the society to fish waters accessed by a GAS key. When fishing Broadwater, Marsh Farm or theriver from Salgasson downstream the adult is not requiredto be a member.
Senior and Young Adult members must be aware that any infringement of Society rules by a Junior member who fishes with them during the hours of darkness, will result in both the Junior and Senior or Young Adult member being considered to have infringed the rules.
( See Johnson’s Lake Bye-law 8 for conditions relating to a Junior fishing with a night permit ).
17. Rods :Not more than two rods may be used.
A “Marker” float must only be left in the water while casting.
18. Hook Safety : Unattended baited hooks or lines must not be left either, in or out of the water.
19. Hooks : All hooks must be barbless (as manufactured, not crushed barbs), with the following exceptions:
Size 14 and smaller, which may be barbless or micro-barbed.
Trebles and hooks used on lures which must be crushed flat.
20. Hooks & Hair-rigs : One hook only to be used, except for pike fishing, see Bye-law 29d. All baits to be presented on the hook, except when using hair-rigs, where a maximum length of hair of 2” ( 50mm ) is permitted.
21. Weights and Weight Attachment :
21 (a) All weights, from number 6 shot up to 1 ounce, must be lead-free.
21 (b) The method of attaching a weight must be such that the weight will break away easily should the line break above the hook link.
22. Self-hooking devices with a trigger mechanism including OMC’s Magic Twig are strictly prohibited on all waters
23. Keep-nets :
None to be used – except in authorised society matches, on the river fishery only and in holding—nets sanctioned by the General Committee. Fish may not be retained in a sack.
All fish to be returned alive to the water.
24. Landing & Care of Fish :
23(a) Members must be in possession of an adequately sized landing net.
23(b) The use of unhooking mats and suitable weigh-slings is mandatory when carp or pike fishing, the minimum sizes for unhooking mats are :-
i) Padded Flat Type ... 80cm x 50cm x 2.5cm thick.
ii) Cradle Type ... 75cm x 38cm.
Corral Type ... 75cm x 38cm x 2.5cm thick.
It is strongly recommended that unhooking mats are used for all other species of fish on all Society waters.
25. Nets, Unhooking-mats & Weigh-slings :
To protect our waters against the introduction of KHV and parasitic infections ; all landing-nets, keep-nets, unhooking-mats and weigh-slings must be “bone” dry before they can be used on any Society water.
26. Bloodworm : The use of bloodworm and joker is prohibited on all Society waters; with the exception of Marsh Farm, where it may be used during the period November 1st to March 31st with the proviso that its use in competitions during these months be at the discretion of the match organisers.
27. Nut Baits : The use of nuts of any description as bait is prohibited.
28. Groundbait : Groundbait and loose feed must be used in moderation, with any surplus being taken away, and not emptied into the water or thrown onto the banks. ( Please note Bye-Law 1 for Broadwater Lake )
29. Breaking of ice to fish, is not permitted on any Society water.
30. Pike fishing
30(a) A minimum of 12lbs breaking line should be used.
30(b) A wire trace must be used, with a minimum length of 18”,
and a minimum breaking strain of 20lbs.
30(c) When paternostering a wire uptrace should be used.
30(d) No more than two treble hooks per trace
30(e) Anglers should be in possession of suitable unhooking equipment. ( i.e. Forceps, wire cutters, etc.. ) and must have an unhooking mat and large landing net.
30(f) Effective bite indication must be used (floats, or alarms plus indicators) such that it shows instantly when a bait is taken. No free-lined baits are permitted.
30(g) At Wood Lake, Busbridge - Fishing for Pike is permitted only from the 1st October until the 14th March inclusive.
30(h) Live baits are only to be used in the water from which they have been caught.
30(i) Anybody fishing for pike in any Society water must have attended a Pike Handling Workshop and be in possession of a certificate, available at the workshop, verifying that they have. Completion of the FAS course is acceptable – evidence of completion must be provided to get a GAS stamp.
31. Swim reservation. A member may not reserve a swim by positioning rods, tackle, etc., in a swim whilst not fishing.
