ODAA Rules
Fishing Rules –
Ruxley and Laddingford
(Rules ADDITIONAL
to these for Penshurst and RFA waters are shown below.)
Members
MUST :
1) Abide
by the Rules of the club at all times, you have agreed to do so in your membership application. The Rules of the Association apply to all people (Members and
Guests) present on any ODAA water and
must be strictly observed at all times.
Any person suspected or
known to be in breach of any Rule will be
told of which Rule is judged to have been broken and will then be asked to leave by an
ODAA Officer (including a Bailiff) upon
production of his or her Badge of Office.
The Membership permit and
key must be immediately given to the
Officer or Bailiff who will report the matter to the Committee as soon as possible. The Committee will then
consider the matter and take appropriate
action which may include terminating the Membership
of the person judged by the Committee to have broken
the Rule or Rules without refund of any monies.
The decision of the
Committee shall be final and not subject to appeal.
2) Have
a current Environment Agency rod licence. Club Officials and Bailiffs may check
rod licences.
3) Carry
their membership cards when visiting our waters and keep about their person at
all times not left in vehicles, without your membership card you will be asked
to leave.
4) Not
exceed 5mph when driving.
5) Park
in designated parking areas only. Access to the Laddingford lake side is only permitted
at the Committee’s or official’s discretion when ground conditions allow. Move
no barriers or park anywhere that restricts access to others.
6) Use
unhooking mats or cradles at all times when specimen fishing which is of
adequate size and suitable to protect larger fish (fish safety always comes
first and regular safety checks are carried out)
7) Use
a minimum of a 42″Landing net when specimen fishing, and make sure that all nets, slings, matts and like are completely
dry before using.
8) Have
scales, weigh slings, cameras ready for use before removing fish from the water
and please keep the fish out of the water for the most minimal time possible.
9) Return all fish to the same water as soon as possible (no sacking / retaining of fish allowed whatsoever, retaining/floatation slings are banned and any member caught fishing with these will receive a permanent immediate ban, and use of keepnets for any species are now banned.
10) Carry
a ‘Carp Care’ kit at all times when carp fishing and use where appropriate
11) Only
fish your swim and the water in front of you
12) Use
a minimum of 15lb breaking strain line when specimen fishing and use a leader or rig tubing to prevent
harming the fish. Use
Barbed or Micro barbed hooks only
13) Not
use more than 3 rods on the Big Lake.
13a) Not
use more than 2 rods between 1st March & 31st October,
& 3 rods at all other times on The New Barge Lake.
14) Not
use more than 2 rods on all other waters
15) Take
all litter home and dispose of it responsibly. No litter is to be left in or
around swims, all litter must be taken home. All litter in or around our swim
is your responsibility even if not yours! This includes outside the gates and
the verges on the roads.
16) At
all times keep toilets and facilities clean after being used, please use
disinfectant and toilet brushes if available.
17) Lock
gates after entry and exit at all times.
The following are NOT permitted:
18) Fish
removal or introduction to any water on any fishery.
19) Non-paying
guests except authorised members partners / carers whom either have their own
ticket or are named on yours.
20) Rods
to be left unattended. No lines to be in the water unless the angler is present.
21) Fixed
rigs. Rigs may be inspected by the Bailiff at any time (regular checks do take
place and you will be required to reel in if required to do so)
22) Junior
members are not allowed to fish the Big Lake unless in close proximity to a responsible adult member.
23) Dogs,
fires, loud music, excessive alcohol, boats, drug taking, swimming, wading or
any anti social or threatening behaviour at all (any member guilty of the above
risks an instant ban)
No
bullying, racist behaviour or intimidation of others whatsoever.
24) Live
baiting.
25) Use of
nuts of any kind as bait or in ground bait and spod mixes (this does include
Tiger nuts)
26) Use of
braided mainline except when lure fishing (marker and spod set ups are fine for
braid)
27) Leaving
a swim vacant for more than 2 hours either on or off
the premises.
28) Use
of bait boats.
29) Drones
or other similar intrusive / noisy devices that may annoy other members
30) ‘Kebabs’
or any similar fishing method which involves putting buoyant materials inside bait (for example dead
baits when fishing for predators.) again regular checks will be carried o
31) No
guns, firearms or other similar items allowed on any of our club waters
GUEST TICKETS AND FISHING / NON-FISHING
SPOUSES:
32) Members
are responsible for their guests should guest tickets be issued and that shall be at the Committee’s
discretion.
33) Members
are allowed a maximum of one guest ticket per session.
34) Guest
tickets must be purchased before fishing online, or from the Original Cobbler
(Cotmandene), or Danson Angling (Blackfen), or Fish On (Five Oak Green).
Details also on website. No money will be taken on the bank so please don’t ask
35) Guests
must be accompanied by their host member at all times.
36) Guests
are not allowed to fish the Big Lake at Ruxley.
37) No
guest tickets allowed in the month of April. (this may be extended without
consultation and notice depending on the membership and demand of the lakes)
38) Guests / fishing spouses / carers, may
fish with the same number of rods as the Member is permitted. Fishing spouses
must prove they have the same address as the full member and provide a
photograph for their card and must be accompanied by the member at all
times. Non-fishing spouses/carers may
not fish and must be named on the members ticket or have a ticket of their own.
Please note: No guest tickets
are available until further notice.
39) Children aged 12 and under (up to 13th birthday) must fish the same swim as parents and not be left to run around, we encourage you to bring children and even give them their own ticket but they must be with you to fish or spectate. only one rod per child at any time unless they are fully competent and able to cast and land fish themselves (or with assistance to land specimen fish) , all children must be capable of using the equipment they are using, of course they need to learn but for example a 4 year old with a12 ft carp set up is unacceptable as is Dad with 3 children and 8 carp rods all on top of each other, all adults must be responsible, common sense must apply.
40) Junior members (age under 14) must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times (who are either members or named on the Junior members ticket) Junior members are not allowed guest tickets or may allow any other person other than those named on the membership to attend the waters. Young Persons (Age 14-16) may fish from dawn to dusk without a responsible adult being present but should they wish to fish at night there must be a responsible adult (family member / carer) present at all times.
SOCIAL MEDIA
41) The ODAA Facebook and Instagram pages are there for announcements, information, capture pictures, advice and gentle banter and constructive criticism they serve the club well and keep the majority of members informed. Please use them for the reasons above. Bullying, continued bad language, threatening behaviour or anything that brings the ODAA into disrepute/makes any slanderous allegations on any other site will be considered a breach of these Rules. Constructive criticism is acceptable and helpful but must be respectful.
BAILIFF AND COMMITTEE DECISIONS
42) The
Bailiff’s word on the bank is final. Please have your membership cards ready
for inspection and ask for any advice or help you require.
43) Members
may appeal a Bailiff’s decision by writing to the Committee.
44) ODAA
reserves the right to withdraw or suspend any member at our discretion should
they break any of the above rules. No refund of any monies shall be paid. All
decisions made by the committee are final and are not subject to appeal. Please
remember Ruxley Lakes is a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest); we are
answerable to the Environment Agency our landlord, English Nature & NWKCP.
45) Should
you wish to leave your membership part way through the season no refund will be
made unless there are exceptional circumstances.
46) All keys and tickets remain the property of
the ODAA and if your membership is terminated should be returned in the stamped
addressed envelope you will be sent. Anyone caught on
the
land / lakes who is not a member will be reported as trespassing.
47) The committee may without any notice close venues
for the sake of the fish or land, also rules may be amended (subject to approval at the subsequent AGM)
again for the sake of the stock, the
members or the environment.
48) EA
Byelaws: In addition to the Rules shown here, all ODAA anglers are subject to EA byelaws
for the South East Region and for
the avoidance of any doubt the link is shown here. The EA Byelaws are laws that govern all
angling irrespective of any additional
club Rules.
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295631/South_East_Byelaws.pdf
49)
The ODAA or
any of its officials will not be held liable for loss of life, equipment or
vehicle damage, theft or loss. Anything any person brings onto an ODAA water is
their responsibility and at their own risk. All rubbish must be taken home, any
rubbish left will lead to an instant ban as will any person leaving any gate
open for any reason. The last 2 points are repeated above but are of utmost importance.
50) Under reasonable and exceptional
circumstances, the ODAA Committee
or Association Officials may suspend or change any Rules to suit the needs of the waters and / or the
Association
Additional
Penshurst AS Rules
1) If you are requested to vacate any
area to allow a Penshurst Estate shooting party, you must immediately do so.
2) Family picnics or similar are
prohibited and any non-fishing persons must sit in close proximity to
appropriate member.
3) NO fishing after dark
4) NO dogs allowed
5) Keepnets are permitted for silver
fish only
6) Persons must not walk through or
fish in any woodland, thicket, or pheasant covert adjoining the river
7) Fishing all year round on The
Backwater. (On the rivers the close season still applies)
8) To identify you as an angler to the
keepers, always leave a beermat on the car dashboard.
Additional RFA Rules
1) Maximum
two rods.
2) No
live baiting.
3) No
night fishing
4) The
‘Country Code’ must be observed at all times, and in particular:
a) No gates to be left open or
unfastened;
b) Livestock not to be harassed or
otherwise interfered with;
c) No bait to be dug for in adjoining
fields or banks;
d) No damage to be caused to any
fence, hedge, noticeboard,
bank or other structure;
e) No fire to be lit;
f) No dog to be brought onto RFA
waters and properties;
g) No firearm, trap or other snare to
be carried or used;
h) No game to be interfered with or
otherwise damaged;
i) No tent, camp, ‘bivvy’ or similar
structure to be pitched;
j) No vehicle to be parked on or
driven onto any bank or adjoining
field, or in any way which might cause an obstruction;
k) No litter or rubbish to be left;
l) No radio, tape recorder or other
similar noisy appliance
to be used;
m) No gaff to be used.
n) The EA Close Season applies to all
RFA waters.
o) No commitment of any act which might
in any way prejudice
any rights held by the RFA, or which might bring
disrepute upon the RFA.