GUASH FISHING CLUB

RULES and REGULATIONS 2026.

Note. In the following clauses the use of the masculine gender shall include the feminine gender wherever appropriate.

 

 

MEMBERSHIP

 

1         The Club shall consist of not more than 130 members, but this number shall not include those elected as Honorary Members in recognition of services rendered to the Club, or for other special reasons. In addition, the club will offer up to 5 young members places for potential members aged 18 to 21 on 1st January of the year of application.

 

 

2         Admission to the Club or if appropriate to the Waiting List shall be at the discretion of the Membership Secretary.

 

2a.     By joining the club, a member is considered to have given consent for personal data to be held on them as detailed in the club Data Protection Policy.

2b. All members are individually responsible for ensuring that during their membership, all information held on them is accurate.

 

 

 

SUBSCRIPTIONS

 

3         The annual subscription, entrance fee and guest ticket fee for the following year shall be fixed by the Committee and communicated to the membership not later than 1st November. This subscription must be paid through Clubmate on 1 January or first working day thereafter of the year to which it applies. Young members, who meet the criteria in note 1, will pay one of half the adult subscription. In the year following their 21st birthday, they will pay the relevant joining fee along with the adult subscription.

 

4         As every Member will on such payment become entitled to the privileges of the Club, such payment will be considered as an undertaking on his part to submit to the rules and regulations of the Club existing at the date of admission, and to any amendments, alterations or additions to the same that may at any time subsequently be made.

 

5         Not later than 10th January in each year the Membership Secretary shall write by letter or email to all Members who have not paid their full subscription for the current year, informing them that if the sum due be not paid, on or before 24th January they will cease to be Members of the Club.

5.1 Payment of membership fees will be by electronic bank transfer.

6        Ex members who re-apply to join the club will go to the top of the waiting list. On being offered membership, they can decline to take up membership and will remain at the top of the waiting list. If any prospective member declines for a second time, their name will go to the bottom of the waiting list as if a new applicant.

 

 

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

 

7         The Committee of Management shall consist of at least six Members of the Club, two of whom shall retire by rotation at each Annual General Meeting of the Club when, unless all or any of the retiring members are re-elected, other Members approved by a simple majority of the Meeting shall take their place. The Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary and Membership secretary, who shall additionally be members of the Committee, shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of the Club and the current holders of these offices may offer themselves for re-election. The Committee shall have the right to co-opt on to the Committee further Members who can be of help to the Club. Such appointments shall be notified to the membership at the Annual General Meeting for ratification. At Committee Meetings five shall be a quorum.

 

Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Membership secretary shall receive 50% discount on subs and all other committee members shall receive 25% discount. Qualification to be 50% minimum attendance at Committee meetings unless there are extenuating circumstances like long term illness etc.

 

Committee members who travel more than 30 miles round trip to attend shall be reimbursed travelling expenses at 45p per mile. So, for example if someone travels 40 miles round trip they could claim for 10 miles at 45p per mile. To make admin simple, claims to be made annually

River keepers to be reimbursed at 45p per mile, claim to be added to their invoice monthly.

 

 

8         Any other vacancies in the Committee shall be filled by election at the Annual General Meeting, but if any vacancies occur by death or resignation after election at that Meeting, the remaining members of the Committee shall have power to fill them, but any Members so appointed by the Committee shall not continue in office beyond the next Annual General Meeting unless their election be then confirmed.

 

9         The affairs and general management of the Club including admission of new Members shall be entrusted to the Committee who shall make all regulations, not inconsistent with these general Rules, as they shall from time to time think necessary for the well-being of the Club.

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10 At the first Committee meeting held after 24th January in each year it shall be the duty of the Committee to remove from the books the name of any Member whose subscription remains unpaid, and he shall thereupon cease to be a Member. If any Member whose name has been removed by the Committee on account of non-payment of his subscription for the current year shall give such reasons for the non-payment as shall be deemed satisfactory to the Committee, he shall on payment of the sum due from him be re-admitted to the Club.

All people on the waiting list will be contacted each year, if they have not been offered membership, to check that they still wish to remain on the list. A nil response will mean that person will be removed from the waiting list.


11   The Committee shall have power to appoint a Keeper and to remove or suspend him.

 

12      The Committee may at their discretion suspend any Member who is reported to have broken any of the Rules and Regulations of the Club, and shall be empowered, if they deem it expedient, to recommend any such Member to resign and if the Member so recommended shall not comply within one calendar month from the date of such communication being addressed to him in writing the Committee shall call an Extraordinary General Meeting to consider the expulsion of such Member. At such Meetings the question will be decided by a simple majority of votes taken by ballot

 

 

ACCOUNTS

 

13      The Treasurer shall be responsible for the preparation of accounts for the year ending on 31st December and for having them properly audited and submitted for approval and acceptance at the Annual General Meeting. Copies of the accounts shall be made available for inspection by Members present at the Meeting.

 

 

GENERAL MEETINGS

 

14      The Annual General meeting of the Members of the Club shall be held on a day to be fixed by the Committee between the 1st March and 31st March. Members shall be notified at least three weeks in advance of the date of the Meeting and the agenda. Matters dealt with at the Meeting shall include: -

i)  Election of Officers and new members of the Committee

ii) Approval and acceptance of the accounts for the previous year

iii) Dealing with any proposals put forward to amend the Rules and Regulations of the Club

 

15      Any of the Rules and Regulations of the Club may be replaced or altered and new rules or regulations made by a simple majority of the Members voting at a General Meeting provided that the changes proposed are communicated by the Secretary to every Member of the Club at least three weeks before the date fixed for the General Meeting; but no question which has been decided at an Annual General Meeting shall be considered again in any form whatever before the Annual General Meeting next ensuing unless circumstances arise which in the Committee’s view are of such importance as to require an Extraordinary General Meeting to consider them.

 

16      The Committee may call an Extraordinary General Meeting on their own authority and shall be bound to do so on a requisition to the Committee by eight or more Members of the Club.

 

17      At Extraordinary General Meetings the Chairman, or in his absence a member elected by the Members present shall take the Chair.  All proposals, other than for dissolution of the Club, placed before a General Meeting shall be decided by a simple majority of the Members present. In the case of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. At General Meetings ten shall be a quorum. 

 

 

INDEMNITY

 

18      The Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary and Membership Secretary or any Member of the Committee or of the Club so authorized by the Committee shall not incur any personal liability for any duties properly carried out on behalf of the Club and any Officer or Member so acting shall be entitled to be indemnified from the Club’s assets

 

 

FISHING

 

19      Members shall be entitled to fish for trout from 1st April to 29th October inclusive or such other period as the Environment Agency’s bye-laws shall permit or within that permitted period such lesser period as the Committee shall determine. No Member shall fish without a current Environment Agency licence. All fishing on club waters will be temporarily suspended when the water temperature reaches 19 degrees centigrade or higher on the Guash or the Welland rivers.

 

20      The taking of fish by any other means than by rod or line is strictly prohibited. The Club’s waters shall be fished with artificial fly only except in such locations, at such times and by such methods as are set out in the appendix to these Rules. Only barbless or crushed barb hooks are to be used in any fly or bait fishing on any of the club waters.

 

21    Members shall at all times show due regard to the safety of other Members and the public at large.  Members shall conduct themselves in a responsible manner appropriate to a due care for the countryside, in particular ensuring that all gates are closed and all litter or discarded fishing line is removed. No Member shall take a dog with him when fishing in the Club’s waters. Road vehicles of any type shall not be taken to the riverside except along a recognised vehicular roadway.

 

22      Wading is to be allowed from 16th June to the end of the season. This is to protect coarse fish spawning grounds. Wading is at members own risk; the club strongly recommends the use of the wading staff and a buoyancy aid. It is recommended that wading be done only on gravelly stretches and members must be extremely careful of very soft deep silt pockets in the river bed.

 

23      No trout shall be killed under 9 inches in length. No member shall kill more than one brace of trout in any one week.

Trout below the size limit or not required shall be immediately returned to the water with every possible care. 

 

24  Each Member must record on Clubmate all brown and sea trout caught by him and his guests. Nil returns are also required.  Failure to provide a catch return will lead loss of membership unless exceptional reasons are provided and accepted by the Committee.

 

25      A Member or his guest must show his ticket when asked to do so by any other Member of the Club or by the Keeper if one is appointed.

 

 

 

Each member shall receive 5 concessionary Guest Tickets by email, who must inform the secretary their intention to take a guest fishing and complete a catch return for the guest. Extra guest tickets can be requested and these will also be emailed out to the member by the secretary, tickets to cost £10 and payment must be included with your next seasons subscriptions. Members are also permitted to take guest coarse fishing on the Welland and the Guash                     

 

26      A Member on payment of the relevant fee as determined by the Committee may invite a friend to fish with him as a guest. Such Guest Tickets shall be limited to a maximum of ten per season. Every guest fishing by invitation in the Club’s waters must conform to the Rules and Regulations laid down for Members of the Club and must be accompanied by the Member who introduces him. 

Members shall be permitted to take a Junior Guest fishing, provided that such juniors are under 17 years of age and under the direct supervision of the Member.

 

 

DISSOLUTION OF THE CLUB

 

27      If in the opinion of the Committee circumstances require the dissolution of the Club or if at any General Meeting a proposal for dissolution of the Club is passed by a majority of the Members present the Committee shall arrange an Extraordinary General Meeting of which at least four weeks written notice shall be given to each member. If at the Meeting the resolution for dissolution of the Club is passed by a majority of three-quarters of the Members present the Committee must as soon as practicable realise the assets of the Club and distribute such assets equally among the subscribing Members, except that Members with two years or less membership shall be entitled only to reimbursement of their entrance fee or to an equal division of the total assets whichever is the lesser. On completion of the distribution the Club will be dissolved.                                                                                                                                               

 

 

APPENDIX

 

Subject to such amendments as the Committee may from time to time determine other methods of fishing are permitted in the locations and at the times set out below.

River Guash All beats: Fly fishing only for grayling during the trout close season up to 14th March

River Welland: Upper Welland, bait fishing for coarse fish and pike during the trout close season up to and including 14th March. No keep nets are permitted. No large spoons or dead baits, except where specifically fishing for pike. Barbless hooks must be used at all times. Acceptable baits for coarse fishing are: maggots, corn, bread, worms, cheese. No ground baiting is allowed. Lower Welland; this is designated as a mixed fishery and members must use Environment Agency approved coarse fishing methods, including those outlined above for the Upper Welland, to target the beat’s coarse fish population. All coarse fish caught must be handled with care and returned promptly to the river. Rule 22 covers any trout caught whilst coarse fishing.

 

Members can now park by the ford when fishing the Upper Welland at Harringworth, but they must text the land owner Sara Bell 48hrs before to gain permission: her Mobile No is 07921108983.