By-laws of the Boxmoor
& District Angling Society Ltd 
EFFECTIVE
June 1st 2009.
Fishing
Rules
1.
Pike fishing will commence on 1st September each year until March
31st following, unless advised. Members wishing to fish for pike MUST
be in possession of a BDAS Pike Ticket, available at no charge, details
from the secretary.
The use of live baits, under 6 inches in length, is permitted on
all BDAS waters.
Live baits must be caught on the day and at the water where they
are to be used.
2.
The total amount of bait allowed per session (twelve hours) is 1.5
kilos, to include all loose feed, hook baits and ground bait.
Nuts or pulses, of any type, are not to be used as bait in any
form. Bait
leftovers are not to be deposited in Society waters or on the banks.
Left over bait must be taken home at the end of the session.
(The amounts stated here are subject to change.
Please see the notice boards at individual waters for details)
3.
Members shall not reserve a swim.
Tackle may be left, unattended, in a swim for a maximum of one
hour in any twenty-four.
After that period it may be removed by any member.
Any damage to tackle so removed will be at the owner’s risk. Any
loss of tackle will be at the owner’s risk.
4.
Fishing from boats is not allowed on Society waters, tackle should
not be cast beyond half the width of the water, if there are anglers
opposite you.
No bait boats are allowed on BDAS waters.
5.
Main reel line only to hook link, with additional tubing if
required. Lead core line or leaders in any form are banned from all BDAS
waters. Braid may only be used on marker and spod rods or when pike
fishing at your discretion.
Fixed lead rigs are not permitted.
Permanent bent hooks are not permitted. Any Official, Bailiff or Officer
of the Society, on production of identity, may inspect any rig, bait or
other equipment, including vehicles, brought onto Society waters by any
member or guest.
6.
No fishing within 10 feet (3 metres) of the aeration upstands at
Westbrook Mere.
7.
Keepnets, minimum size 250 cm long X 45 cm diameter, are allowed on
all BDAS waters, throughout the year, with the following exceptions; No
carp, pike or barbel are to be retained in keepnets.
Suitable sacks and tubes are to be used for these species but must
only be used for the retention of fish for witnessing and weighing and in
the case of pike and barbel also for a recovery period before release.
Fish retained in keep nets, sacks or tubes are to be returned to
the water with every care.
8.
Anglers must be in possession of an unhooking mat
at all times when fishing.
9.
Only two rods shall be used for fishing at any one time, unless
between 1st October and 31st March following when in
possession of the relevant club permit for a third rod and a second EA rod
licence.
10.
Baited rods must not be left unattended.
Baits must be removed from the water and from the hook/hair prior
to leaving your swim for any reason.
11.
A current EA licence is required
to fish BDAS waters and all relevant EA bylaws will be observed on
Society waters. EA Licences will be checked by club bailiffs.
12.
Conventional sized fishing Bivvies, brollies, tents and other
temporary shelters, with or without fixed groundsheets, may be used on
Society waters throughout the year but individually or in conjunction with
rods or other equipment, must not obstruct any access path around or near
the waters. Some swims on the
canal bank at Westbrook Mere and in Snooks are NON BIVVY swims,
they should be obvious from the lack of space they have. This means no
bivvy, tent, brolly or other shelter is to be erected for the purpose of
fishing overnight. An umbrella may be used during the day if conditions
require it but this must not impede passage along bankside paths.
Membership
and Family/Guest Priviledges
13.
A card will be supplied to each member as a permit to fish and/or
visit the Society’s waters and MUST be produced on demand. It
is not transferable. Wives
will be deemed honorary members and member’s children (under 16 years)
may also fish the waters but only in the same swim as the member.
Non-members
are not permitted on Society property.
14.
Members shall be entitled to purchase one guest permit per day
between August 1st and May 31st.
Hours of fishing for day guests will be between sunrise and sunset.
Night guest permits are also available from local tackle shops on
production of your membership card for use between 1st October
and March 31st. Night
guest permits allow fishing from 3.00 p.m. until 10.00 a.m the following
day. Other guests are not
permitted on club waters. Guest permits are available from local tackle
shops on production of your membership card and club ID.
Members are wholly responsible for the behaviour of their guests
and will be held equally liable.
15.
Night fishing is available only to members holding a senior ticket,
which is available from 16 years of age, and a night fishing permit.
Junior Associates may not be on the waters at night nor fish at
night unless under bylaw 6. Annual
night fishing permits will be issued by the membership secretary, at a
price determined from time to time by the committee.
Occasional night permits are available to senior members from local
tackle shops on production of your membership card and club ID.
Night permits are required between one hour after sunset and one
hour before dawn or as indicated on the notice boards.
16. An
Associate Senior Membership is available for non-fishing adults and to
allow youngsters, joining as Junior Associates, under the age of 14 to
fish accompanied and under the care of the Associate Senior Member,
between 1 hour before sunrise and 1 hour after sunset. The Associate
Senior Member must accompany the child at all times and be responsible for
behaviour of the child on and around the waters.
There is no minimum age established for this class of JA membership
but under the age of 14 all JAs must be accompanied by an Associate Senior
Member or full Senior Member.
17. At
14 years or more a Junior Associate may fish between the stated hours
un-accompanied.
18. A
child under 14, JA or honorary, by virtue of the parent’s membership,
may fish at night, in the same swim, with a parent, grandparent or legal
guardian, who is a Senior Member and in possession of a night ticket.
Maximum number of rods permitted under this bylaw is two, three rods under
the 3 rod permit and at the designated times of year.
19. Members must complete at least one official working
party each year, unless exempted, by age or infirmity.
Dates of work parties will be advised in the newsletter published
in February/March each year.
20.
If a bailiff asks a member or junior associate to leave the water
for breaches of the rules of the club or angling etiquette then the
member’s card, club ID and key will be retained by the bailiff, returned
to the secretary, and will only be returned to the member concerned after
a disciplinary meeting has been held according to Company rules.
Bailiffs may clip a member’s card to indicate to other bailiffs
that there is a note in the club diary regarding that member’s behaviour.
21.
To qualify for trophies fish shall be weighed in the presence of
two witnesses. Applications
for trophies are to be submitted to the secretary with witness’s names
prior to March 1st each year. Weighing
scales to be produced upon request. Claim forms are available from the secretary, the club
website at www.bdas.org and published
once a year in the newsletter.
22.
Competitions will be subject to individual rules, determined by the
match organiser, set out on the day of the competition and in compliance
with Society bylaws.
23.
Hours of fishing will be determined by the committee and advised to
members.
Behaviour
24.
Litter and waste is not to be left on Society premises.
All litter found adjacent to
a swim will be deemed to belong to the member fishing that swim. There are toilets at Westbrook Mere and Durrants Hill please
use them, not the swims or pathways.
Litter includes dog ends, please use a sealed tin as an ashtray and
take them away with you. Do not bag litter and hide it in vegetation.
Do not deposit litter on adjoining properties. Take all litter with
you when you go. LEAVE LITTER – LEAVE THE CLUB
25.
No fish are to be introduced to or removed from Society waters
without the approval of the fishery manager and the relevant EA approvals.
Anyone caught introducing fish in contravention of this bylaw will
be reported to the EA with a view to criminal prosecution by them and may
be sued in the civil courts by the Club for damages which would be
extensive.
26.
No member or guest is to remove, trim, lop, cut down, prune,
pollard or in any way modify growing plants, with the exception of the
need to clear annual growth in acknowledged swims, unless instructed to do
so by a member of the water management team
or a member acting under its direction.
27.
No fires shall be lit on Society property except by the direction
of a water management sub-committee member or a member acting under its direction.
28.
Dogs (except official guide dogs and bailiff’s guard dogs) are
not permitted on Society waters. Appointed bailiff’s
dogs will be on a lead at all times.
29. Tins and glass containers may be not taken on Society
waters.
30. Alcohol and all illegal drugs are banned from Society
waters.
31. Portable radios are permitted only if fitted and used
with earpieces. They must be
turned off if another angler complains to you.
32. Permanent lights are not permitted. Please limit your use of torches and headlights.
33.
All gates must be kept locked at all times, other than when
entering or leaving Society premises.
Keys are not to be copied.
34.
Cars must not block access ways to Society waters, car parks or
adjacent properties.
35.
Contravention of the Society’s rules or bylaws shall be dealt
with by the Committee and penalties applied.
Rule breaking may lead to expulsion.
Insurance
Claims
36.
Following
changes in the way insurance companies manage liability claims our
insurers require the club to advise them immediately following incidents
in which they may have an interest, particularly incidents involving
personal injury.
In
order to comply with these changes any member who is involved in an
incident whilst angling or on any BDAS fishery must immediately report the
circumstances to the Secretary in writing with details of the place, date,
event and any witnesses.
Acceptance
37. Members paying their subscriptions are deemed to have
accepted these bylaws and the Company rules, which are shown in the club
handbook.
Revised
: April 2009