Ilkley Angling Association – Club Rules
1. The association shall be known as Ilkley Angling Association.
The Objects of the Association:
2. The securing of fishing for its members.
3. The prevention of poaching and illegal methods of fishing.
4. The prevention of damage: for example, leaving litter or discarding nylon line, interference with game and wildlife habitats.
5. Conformity with the above and the notification of any infraction. All members are requested to inform the Secretary accordingly of any instances of non-compliance. (The Committee will deal severely with any offenders.)
Association’s preserves
6. River Wharfe: from Ilkley old bridge (packhorse) left bank downstream to the noticeboard below the stepping stones at Ben Rhydding and on the right bank from the Ilkley old bridge (packhorse) downstream to the stepping stones at Ben Rhydding.
Roadside Lagoon – situated on land between the A65 trunk road and the River Wharfe at Wheatley Holme (OS 182) Ben Rhydding (to the right on entering the access gate off A65 road).
Members’ Lagoon – situated on land between the A65 trunk road and the River Wharfe at Wheatley Holme (OS 182) Ben Rhydding (to the left on entering the access gate off A65 road).
Membership, subscriptions and waiting list rules
7. The number of members shall be 180, consisting of 130 Seniors and 50 Juniors (12 years and over). Children under the age of 12 may fish the waters of the club without the need for a day ticket, privilege ticket or club membership, so long as they are accompanied at all times by an adult (18 or over) member of the club or adult day member (day ticket holder). Children fishing for free must fish catch & release, ie.no fish to be killed. Senior membership may be increased by a maximum of 20 as vacancies occur on the junior list or vice versa.
8. Disabled members pay half the adult rate (on production of evidence of disability status). Senior Citizen members aged 65 and over pay two-thirds of the adult rate (rounded up to the nearest £). Adult members attaining the age of 65 will automatically pay two-thirds of the adult rate except those having 15 years membership, who will pay half the adult rate.
9. Adult members are allowed three privilege tickets costing £3 each. Members may apply (and pay) for these when renewing their subscriptions or obtain them later in the season by postal application (including a SAE) to the Membership Secretary. Members must accompany ticket-holders. Tickets must be completed in ink before commencing to fish. Failure to do this will result in loss of privilege tickets for a minimum of two years or at the Committee’s discretion. Non-members may fish winter matches as a guest with a privilege ticket. Note that privilege tickets are required for guests on the river but at both of the ponds members may bring up to two guests (per day) without the need for them to have a privilege ticket. Also note that privilege tickets purchased in one club season (March to March) cannot be carried over to the next season. They are only valid for use in the season in which they were issued.
10. It is the duty of the member to inform the holder of the privilege ticket of the Association’s rules before fishing. No excuse will be accepted for failure to do so.
11. The holder of the privilege ticket is recognised as being a member for the day.
12. Honorary life members are not included on the adult members’ list and have no voting rights.
13. Junior members on attaining the age of 18 will pay the adult rate but remain on the Junior list, and be admitted to adult membership as vacancies occur.
14. Subscription rates for members shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting by a three-quarters majority vote of members present. Entrance fees for members shall be decided by a majority vote of the Committee. The cost of day tickets is to be fixed by the Committee at their discretion.
15. Subscriptions must be paid before 15 March in any year. Members who resign membership during or at the end of a membership year but subsequently apply to rejoin the club within 3 years will not have to pay another entrance fee.
Constitution
16. The management of the Association shall be vested in a President, Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Bailiff, Membership Secretary and a Committee of four members to be either co-opted by the Committee at any time of the year or elected at the AGM (to be held in December each year), the date and venue to be decided by the Committee and all members to be notified of these.
17. All officers except the Chairman will hold office for the year but will be eligible for re-election at the AGM.
18. The Chairman will be elected for 3 years unless circumstances determine otherwise.
19. Committee meetings will be held at Ilkley Bowling Club on the third Mondays in January, March, May, July, September and November or at the Committee’s discretion. Six members shall form a quorum and all questions or propositions shall be decided on a majority vote of those present, with the Chairman having the casting vote in the event of a tie.
20. The Committee shall have the power to fine, suspend or expel any members breaking any rule.
21. The property of the Association shall be vested in our Trustees, who shall be members of the Association and shall be appointed by the Committee. Relevant decisions taken shall be evidenced by a clearly-referenced minute of proceedings in the Committee book.
22. The Trustees shall hold office until death or resignation or until removal from office by the Committee, whence it shall be necessary to appoint a new Trustee or Trustees.
23. The Chairman is hereby nominated as the person to appoint new Trustees of the Association within the meaning of Section 36 of the Trustees Act, 1925, and he shall by deed duly appoint those nominated by the Committee.
24. If at any stage in the future the club chooses to sell any of its assets then the proceeds of any such sale will be retained by the club and not distributed amongst the members of the club.
25. The Trustees shall deal with property of the Association by way of sale, mortgage, charge, lease or otherwise, as directed by the Committee. This direction shall be given by a resolution of the Committee, passed by a majority of the members present at a duly convened Committee meeting. A resolution so passed shall be binding in favour of a subsequent purchaser, mortgagee or leasee for value, upon all members of the Association. A certificate signed by the Secretary or Chairman for the Association shall be conclusive evidence in favour of the said purchaser or individual.
Procedure at Annual General Meeting
26. Changes of Rules or Notices of Motion are to be notified in writing, duly proposed and seconded to the Secretary no later than the second Monday in November, prior to the AGM.
27. Members must confine their remarks to the subjects under discussion and the ruling of the Chairman on points of order shall be absolute and without appeal.
28. When an amendment is made upon an original motion, no second amendment shall be put forward until the first one is disposed of.
29. The proposer of the original motion, but not of any amendment shall have the right to reply, and his reply will close the discussion.
29b. If the first amendment be carried, it rules out the original question and then becomes itself a question, and thereafter a further amendment may be submitted. If the first amendment be nullified, further amendments may be moved, but only one can be discussed at a time.
30. No member shall speak more than once on the same question unless permission from the Chairman be given to explain a point.
31. The Association’s rules cannot be altered without a three-quarters majority vote of adult members present at the AGM, or an Extraordinary General Meeting called for that purpose. Current membership cards must be produced on entry to the meeting: Juniors may be (and children under 12 must be) accompanied by an adult.
General rules applying to all waters
32. Members must be in possession of a current membership card when fishing, and must produce it at the request of the Bailiff or any Adult Member. Fishing must cease immediately on failure to produce the card.
33. All Adult and Junior members must be in possession of a current Environment Agency rod licence. All members must conform to fisheries regulations and byelaws which will be assumed to take precedence over club rules (as national/EU regulations are revised, etc).
34. One rod and line only is allowed to be used per person fishing. An additional rod may be set-up, but not used other than on the Members’ Lagoon and Roadside Lagoon, where the use of two rods is permitted. Both rods must be positioned within one meter of the angler.
35. No fish taken from the Association’s waters may be sold or bartered. Any person breaking this rule will be barred.
35b. All coarse fish and Grayling are to be returned alive to the water.
36. No excuse will be accepted if a member is found in possession of undersized or oversized fish, and he or she may be expelled from membership without appeal.
37. Adult members have the right to request inspection of creels or baskets, etc. to ensure the above rule is not violated.
38. No member should leave litter: no excuse will be accepted for this and it is expected that all existing litter, if any, should be cleared before fishing. Members leaving litter may be expelled from the club.
39. It is the duty of the Bailiff, or any member, to report any violation of the rules to the Secretary, who will place the matter before the Committee for their observations, their decision on the matter being final.
40. The sale of Day Tickets will be at the discretion of the Committee.
41. Members and their guests, day/weekly and privilege ticket holders and children under 12 fish at their own risk and are responsible for their own personal property and safety. The Association shall not be held to be liable for any injury or damage to property, nor the negligence of any angler.
42. Barbless, microbarbed or debarbed hooks only may be used.
43. Arranged, publicised angling competitions have pegging priority over individual members and their guests, day/weekly and privilege ticket holders and children under 12.
Rules for River Wharfe Preserves
44. No keep nets may be used apart from during official Association matches.
45. No more than one hook may be used except when fly fishing.
46. The river is closed to all fishing between 15th and 24th March (inclusive). The statutory coarse fish close season applies between 15th March and 15th June (inclusive). Between 25th March and 15th June (inclusive) members and visitors may only fish fly and worm. During the river coarse fish open season (16th June to 14th March) all forms of legal bait are allowed. The close season for trout is from 1st October to 24th March (inclusive).
47. Spinning is not allowed on the river.
48. No person is allowed to fish from the stepping stones.
49. No trout to be taken under 25 cms (10 inches) and none over 35.5 cms (14 inches), to be measured from the nose to the fork of the tail.
50. The basket of takeable trout is limited to two fish per day.
51. No Grayling to be taken from the Association’s waters. Only trout may be taken from the river, in season and within the conditions of the above rules.
Additional rules for both lagoons
52. Entry to the lagoons should be via the main gate only.
53. Vehicles should be parked on the designated areas only. No cars on the river bank without special permission.
54. Members’ dogs should be kept under close control at all times.
55. There will be no close season for the lagoons.
56. No carp to be held in keepnets, except in bona fide angling matches.
Roadside Lagoon (OS 182) rules
57. Spinning, fishing with sea dead bait and the use of multiple hooks is allowed on the Roadside Lagoon for pike.
