Poaching at Frensham Great Pond - please be vigilant.

Unfortunately, with 40 - 50 large Common Carp scales found near the inlet swim, it is suspected that a partial de-scaling has taken place, it is quite possibly one of the two large Common Carp, one of which was mid-30's and the other around the 28-30lb mark, known as the Long and Short Commons. A similar sized Mirror Carp is known to swim with them. No body has been found, but not far away, a 'dead line' has since been found with a jelly lure attached.

Mike Slater, the Head Bailiff on Frensham Great Pond has instructed his bailiff team to increase the number of bailiffing rounds that are undertaken, checking for fixed lines through the use of a drag stick along the margins or casting parallel to the bank when anglers are not fishing to remove any fixed lines that are found and mentioning the problem to all FAS Members that are bailiffed so they can keep their eyes open, be vigilant and report any issues ASAP to Mike Slater in the first instance on 07967 - 736815.

Unfortunately, notices prohibiting poaching have been ripped down at the fishery many times and groups of non-FAS members have been found fishing illegally over the summer and were asked to leave, having been fishing with no permits, cheap rods and BBQs at the ready in swims on the bank opposite the hotel.

Please ensure we do all we can to avoid any losses in the future - The Executive Committee (17th January 2012)

Brown Trout Record Falls!

Michael Rogers has claimed the FAS record for a Brown Trout with this stunning fish of 4lb 8oz that was caught from Stanford End on the River Loddon on 4th January 2011.

It was his first cast of the day when being guided by Duncan Charman with the intention of catching a 5lb Chub, which he went on to achieve later in the day !

Ruffe Record Falls!

Junior Jimi Loten has claimed the FAS record for a Ruffe with a 1oz 4dr Ruffe that was caught from Badshot Lea Big Pond on 28 October 2011 and carefully weighed using electronic kitchen scales !

Jimi showed that his specimen hunting, for which he is fast making a name for himself, is not just confined to Barbel such as this 16lb 4oz specimen that he took from Carters Hill in July this year which was just 8oz off the existing FAS record.

River Valley update 20th December 2011

The original published plan has not significantly changed.

The fishing lake (Northern side closest to river) has been temporarily divided into two so that a body of water can be maintained on site to hold the fish as they are rescued from each of the drained down sections.

The temporary causeway dividing the fishing side in two will be removed when re-profiling works within the drained section have been completed and the island will remain intact within the fishing lake.

No fish have been removed from the site and all of the venues stock are currently in the section closest to the car park and should be catchable, in fact several have been caught from the two remaining undisturbed banks. When the top half of the fishing lake has been profiled the water in the lower half will be pumped back over the temporary bund and then all the fish transferred to the fishing side top half.

With the temporary fishing lake dividing bund just high enough to retain the water, they will then part fill with soils and re-profile the last section (car park corner), removing the temporary bund on the way out. The work appears to be on schedule with a predicted end date around March 2012 although they can easily apply for an extension of time if the project is lagging behind.

The main water supply to the venue was diverted to allow the work to take place and will be re-instated towards the end of the project. In the future, River Valley will be much changed, but in time as productive as before and hopefully enhanced.

The Executive Committee

River Wey Elstead - New Stock

The Environment Agency Fisheries team delivered a batch of fish to the River Wey at Elstead on 24th November. The juvenile fish which consisted of 250 barbel, 250 chub and 250 dace were introduced to the river in an area chosen away from the main flow with lots of marginal cover. The fish which were transported from the Environment Agency's Calverton Fish Farm in Nottingham swam away strongly and are expected to grow quickly in the rich environment.

The fish introduction was overseen by FAS Chairman Richard Cane, pictured.

Fishing for Pike?, you must attend a Pike Teach In!

Want to fish for Pike, then remember you need to have attended an FAS Pike Teach In ! There is no need to book.

Anyone wishing to fish for Pike on FAS waters must attend a Pike teach-in. This includes all guests and exchanged members. Anyone who is not a member may also attend a teach-in, all are welcome.

Please remember that to qualify for a 'Pike Fishing permit stamp' in the Handbook, attendants must arrive before the stated time of each teach-in session (times indicated below) and bring the required equipment as per bye-law 4.s.ii a-g (see pages 10-11 to allow for a tackle check by FAS officials, otherwise you will not be able to complete the teach-in).

All required tackle will be available to purchase and sold at 10% discount (cash transactions only).

You must be prepared to handle Pike during the teach-in session.

All Pike Teach-Ins completed for 2011/12 Season and the next Teach-Ins will start in September 2012.

For further information contact, Mike Slater 07967 736 815.

Barbel Teach-In Report - Stanford End August 2011

Just forty-eight hours before the event the river had been bank high and coloured after a recent down pour that saw parts of Reading flooded. Every Barbel in the river would have been feeding heavily during this period and with the river now fined right down to its normal level and a day of high pressure bringing bright blue skies; along with nine anglers on its bank it was never going to be easy.

After eventually getting to the river we all sat down in the field where l demonstrated the technique that l had perfected over many years of fishing this small intimate river. This was followed by plenty of questions from the anglers before they all settled into swims. This stretch of river has a limited number of swims, and some found it difficult, however one small Barbel was caught very early on along with a few Chub.

Unfortunately, my methods involve being mobile, being on the river at times when no one else is, then rotating the better swims which wasn’t possible for these guys on the day, however I’m sure that most will have understood this and will be back soon and then they will start to see just how effective and immediate the approach is. 

All the anglers seemed to have enjoyed the day, learnt a lot, as well as being blessed with a fantastic view of watching a barn owl hunt the fields at dusk.

Tight Lines and please keep us informed on your Barbel catches by submitting them for display on the web site - Duncan Charman

River Valley Lake Development - Update

The causeway to divide the lake into two is almost complete and the first section to be drained prior to re-profiling was emptied recently. As you can see the hole was very deep and the banks unstable having collapsed during de-watering.

Working conditions are never ideal when the water is removed but the fish have to be extracted. Approximately 5000 fish were safely re-located into the other half, mainly small perch and a few pike.

No carp had been seen in this first section and none were found. We had expected to see a few large eels but even after extensive electro fishing , there were none.

It does not get much better than this at Badshot Lea Big Pond !

Trevor Hopkins has broken the FAS Common Carp record, catching Scar at 40lb 14oz. This was included within an amazing haul of 35 Carp, with only 2 under 10lb and the best of the rest at 19lb 13oz. This included 10 Grass Carp, with 3 over 20lb, and the biggest at 23lb 10oz. he also had a a Catfish of 29lb 9oz. Trevor caught all the fish from the same swim over 7 nights fishing, over the course of 10-days on and off Badshot lea Big Pond.

1st Finchampstead Scout Group Have Fantastic Days Fishing on Kings Pond

Eight Cubs from 1st Finchampstead Scout Group had a simply fantastic days fishing on Kings Pond. Most of the boys (aged 8 to 10) had never been fishing before and having arrived by mini bus we were excited at the thought of a great day’s fishing. We were met by Ian Gray, the Secretary of Farnham Angling Society who had helped make the day possible with the support of the Environment Agency who had supplied us with whips and pole float rigs, bank sticks and ‘Fishing Introductions Packs’ for the boys and with Farnham Angling Society providing the venue, pellets and groundbait, landing net handles and some terminal gear for the cubs to practise making up their own float rigs for the future.

Read the Article...

Restricted Access at Stanford End, River Loddon

Junior & Senior Teach-Ins

FAS Raise £3,306.11 for the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice!

ANGLING TRUST CORMORANT WATCH

LODGE POND UPDATE

Forthcoming Changes to our fishing at Lodge Pond. which will come into effect from 1st September 2011

Weekly Closure
Every week, NO FISHING will be allowed to take place from noon on Wednesdays to 4pm on Thursdays to enable the Forestry Commission to utilise Lodge Pond for the wider general public.

Swims 7 & 8
Every day, swims 7 & 8 will be closed to fishing between the hours of 8.00am and 8.00pm. These swims will be used by the general public, of all ages for viewing the pond and for duck feeding.

Vacating your swim
Anglers vacating swims should do so in good time, making sure that they are clear of all litter and especially any hooks and line which could cause danger to the general public of all ages, especially children

These are stipulations of our new lease and if anyone is found not complying with these new Fishery Rules, they will face the severest penalties at a disciplinary hearing, so please do not risk your continued membership of Farnham Angling Society.

LODGE POND RE-OPENED WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT

Sea Trout from Sindlesham Mill

FAS AGM Newsletter

The AGM was once again held at Badshot Lea Working Men's Club, and was well attended, with 86 members coming along. The main points from the meeting are listed below.

Changes to the Executive Committee

Following a ballot in which 3 existing of the existing Executive Committee and 2 non-committee Members sought election, the following were duly elected as Officers of the Society: Richard Cane, Fred Durbridge & Roger Sturt.

Membership and Availability of the Handbook

Just a brief reminder that your current 2010-2011 Handbook will expire on 30th March 2011, so do not go fishing on any FAS waters on March 31st. To fish again as from 1st April 2011, you will need to have renewed your membership and be in possession of the 2011 - 2012 Handbook. See next to last page of this letter.

To read or download the rest of this newsletter, just click on this link: Post AGM Informative 2011.

FAS Perch Record Smashed

The FAS Perch record has been broken with a fish of 3lb 5oz landed on 22nd November by Duncan Charman from Frensham Great Pond whilst fishing with maggots and a helicopter rig. The fish was landed along with several Rudd and Tench whilst Duncan was once again targeting the specimen Rudd at Frensham.

Chub & Barbel Stocked in the River Wey

The Environment Agency delivered a stock of Chub and Barbel to the River Wey at Elstead on Tuesday 16th November 2010. A spot was chosen where there is a slack area of flow to stock the fish which swam off strongly. The fish were bred at the Environment Agency's fish farm at Calverton, near Nottingham which produced half a million fish last year.

Richard Cane, FAS Chairman, met with Adrian Bicknell, Fisheries Officer at the Environment Agency on site to oversee the stocking of 200 Chub and 50 Barbel stocked into the section of river. This particular section of river provides some good habitat for juvenile fish with fast runs of water and undercut banks and we are hoping these fish will grow quickly.

FAS Koi Record Falls Again

Congratulations to Gavin Rice, pictured here with his great Koi from Winchfield Pond, a new record at 38lb 3oz !

Gavin caught this new record at 6.00am on 30th October, the fully scaled Ghost Koi weighing in at 38lb 3oz, caught on tutti frutti boilies and beat his PB by 16lb ! As befitting Halloween weekend, Gavin nicknamed it 'Casper'. The 34lb 6oz Ghost Koi Carp was caught by Gavin on 5th November, just a few days after having the other 30 out at 38lb 3oz ! Gavin said "Well, as if last weekend was not the highlight of my life, I managed to tempt another one of the Winchfield beasts to the bank. Same spot, and same bait, it's been an amazing week managing to land 2 30lb+ Ghostys. Truly amazing. Thanks to the member who helped take the great picture and thank you to FAS for having great waters to manage a massive achievement." To add to this, Gavin also caught an 11lb 0oz Bream on the night of 5th November just for good measure.

Chub Record Tumbles

A new FAS record Chub of 7lb 5oz was caught from the River Loddon at Stanford End caught by Michael Tooke during October 2010.

Common Carp record falls again & again !

The Big Common at Badshot Lea Big Pond has been caught several times this season, and has now broken the official FAS record for the species as it continues to pack on weight for the coming winter.

Jason Clarke of Nottingham caught the Big Common at 40lb 3oz on 29th September to claim a new FAS record, having seen it topping at 30m the previous day, he spodded about half a kilo of maize and used 4 pieces of maize and a piece of fake corn on a 3 inch hooklink off a size 10 hook.

Earlier this season, John Triggs landed the big Common Carp at 38lb 0oz on 26th June, 4oz short of the FAS record. He then had the good fortune to catch it again on , but this time at 38lb 8oz in August and claimed the new FAS record.

Stott McDermott then caught it at 39lb 1oz to claim the FAS record on 29th August, but this has now been broken by Jason Clarke's capture.

Since it was caught at 40lb 3oz, it has been caught twice at 39lb 12oz, by Jamie James on 4th October and by Peter Hooper on 11th October.

Who could be next ?

Five Carp Over 20lb From Tarn Pond

A fantastic 40 hour session at Tarn Pond resulted in 9 Carp including 5 of over 20lb for Glen Wright

Two More Farnham Angling Records Tumble

The third and fourth FAS record claims of the season have been received. A Chub of 7lb 5oz from the River Loddon at Stanford End caught by Michael Tooke and a 38lb 8oz Common Carp from Badshot Lea Big Pond caught by John Triggs, the second time he has caught the fish this year ! Well done to both members, but will they still hold the record at the end of the season or will they be beaten ?

FAS Koi Record Falls

Congratulations to Mike Guy pictured with a great fish, his very first from Farnham Angling Society waters on his first ever trip out ! Caught on 1st June 2010 and fishing on his own at Winchfield Court Farm Pond, he did well to get a good photo of the 31lb 0oz Koi, one of two known 30s at the small fishery. The fish came from under a overhanging tree on the island, and was tempted by a Mango & Peach Boilie with a piece of orange plastic corn.

FAS Charity Match Raises Over £1,771

Following this years (2010) 24-Hour Jack Frost Memorial Charity Match that took place at Badshot Lea Big Pond on the weekend of Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th May 2010, The Second Chance Children's Charity will benefit from a donation of £1,771 via Farnham Angling Society.

Now in it’s 10th year, the match commemorates the late Mr Jack Frost, who gave 40-years of service to the Society and was an active charity worker. The matches have now raised a total of £25K that has been donated to The Second Chance Children's Charity based in Portsmouth and the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham. On behalf of FAS I again express thanks to the 20 anglers that took part who enjoyed the match and congratulations to all for raising the funds.

Read more...

FAS Tench Record Falls

Congratulations to Daniel Ibbott pictured with a fish of a lifetime, caught on 15th April 2010 at Badshot Lea Big Pond, a fantastic Tench of 10lb 10oz. This has been accepted as the new FAS record by the Executive Committee having been witnessed by two Junior Members.

FAS Fishing Rights Unchanged at River Loddon Carters Hill and Sindlesham Mill

Farnham Angling Society would like to reaffirm that it retains full fishing rights for the River Loddon at Carter's Hill and Sindlesham Mill and that there is no change to this venue which remains on the FAS permit for the 2010/2011 season.

The Society is currently disputing a third parties claim to the fishing rights on a section of the river at this venue, on which FAS
have held the fishing rights for over 60 years. The Society's solicitors are dealing with this matter and are confident that the
matter will be resolved in due course.

Member's are requested to ignore any signs that may be put up by third parties claiming ownership of the fishing rights at this venue and to report any challenges to the Chairman, Richard Cane on 01252 - 721105.

River Valley Lake Development - Plan To Transform Lake into separate fishing and boating lakes gets the go-ahead

Following the granting of planning permission by Hampshire County Council to the landowners, development will soon commence to split the lake into two, creating two lakes by building a causeway across the southern half of the lake. One lake (the larger northern lake), will be dedicated to fishing and FAS fully expect to continue to provide fishing on this water to it's members. The smaller southern lake will cater for canoeing.

Following the splitting of the lake, each section of the lake will be drained separately and reduced in depth before being refilled to create two, shallower lakes with a maximum depth of 5m and will hopefully be more suitable venues for fishing and canoeing.

The main part of the drainage and infilling of sections of the fishing lake is believed to be scheduled for June to September 2011, depending on the commencement date of the works and availability of infill.

FAS Chairman, Richard Cane commented "Farnham Angling Society's fishery management team have been working with the landowner and contractor on their plans and hope to continue to help provide advice and practical help to protect the fish and to ensure that our members can continue to fish as the work progresses with minimal disruption and disturbance".

The development also includes the creation of extensive reed beds in the north-eastern corner of the lake, which will have a boardwalk that cuts through them as part of a new riverside walk to the south of the River Blackwater. A new path will surround the two lakes and lead across the causeway to provide improved access.

As part of the development plan, access to the fishery will change due to the works traffic, so members are reminded to please take note and take care when entering and leaving the fishery and use the marked car park which will be relocated from it's current position.

The development will take place between the following times: Between 7.30am - 6.00pm Monday to Friday and from 7.30am to 2.00pm on Saturdays. There will be no working on Sundays or Bank Holidays.

The development is due to be completed and restored within 18-months of commencement and will involve the importation of approximately 100,000m3 of inert waste soils and approximately 10,000 to 15,000 HGV deliveries of inert waste during this period: this will amount to some 40-60 HGV loads a day.

The planning permission is publicly available online at http://www3.hants.gov.uk/environment or you can contact the Chairman, Richard Cane on 01252 - 721105 to check on any impact on fishing and the progress of the works.