Angling and lock down update.

We await confirmation but there was a useful piece in this morning’s Daily Telegraph on the return of outdoor sports from March 29th. They acknowledge that angling is one of the few activities still permitted during lockdown, albeit with restrictions. The Angling Trust will be working hard to ensure that both night fishing and match fishing are permitted from this date It seems that the travel restrictions will be lifted then as well. This means our Match on the Kenn 14th March will not take place.

Additional Club Trustee

Steve Bonwick has been elected as a 3rd Trustee of the Club, he joins Roger Moody and Barry Fowler. Steve will also continue as Club Chairman.

River season almost over.

The river season ends on 14th March (last day for fishing). Some quality bags of bream, hybrids, perch and tench have been coming out. After this date the bank maintenance begins again and we will be making some improvements to permit more comfortable fishing for when the season begins again on the 16th June.

CFWAC WATERS ARE NOW BACK OPEN (7th January 2021).

Thanks to the Angling Trust we can continue to fish but no matches permitted, here is the full statement, please abide by the rules.

The Government have now formally responded to the representations made by the Angling Trust. We have promoted the huge benefits of fishing on individual health and wellbeing and have been able to present a case to which the Government have listened. On this basis I am pleased to announce that fishing will be permitted during the third national lockdown.

The DCMS Sports Team confirmed the following;“fishing is allowed as exercise so long as participants adhere to the rules on staying local, gathering limits, social distancing and limiting the time spent outdoors”

This has also been confirmed by DEFRA;“Cabinet Office have now officially confirmed that angling / fishing (incl. sea fishing off private boats, water sports) can be considered exercise and are hence permitted.” We have worked extremely hard to reach this position and we as anglers have a duty to abide by the strict conditions under which fishing is once again permitted. With infection rates and death tolls rising we must stick to the Government’s rules and ensure that angling remains part of the solution and does not cause problems.

Please bear in mind these key points which will be reflected in the new Angling Trust guidelines which we will publish shortly:- This is a strictly limited resumption of LOCAL fishing and very different to how we have been allowed to operate since May- We are in a National Lockdown and this must be respected. The law requires a ‘reasonable excuse’ to leave your home or penalties will apply.- The government has recognised that fishing can be seen as exercise, which is expressly permitted under the lockdown rules, although outdoor recreation is not.- Organised sporting gatherings are prohibited so no match fishing.- The exercise is limited to once a day so no overnight fishing whatsoever.- To remain within the law you should follow the government’s guidance, and only fish locally within the district where you live. If you have no local fishing available then you will have to take your daily exercise in other ways.

We are once again able to enjoy the sport we love at a time when many others can not and we must ensure that every angler adheres to the rules.I would ask all anglers who are not members to join the Angling Trust and give us your support. We have worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome and that is only possible thanks to the support of our new and existing members. I would ask all anglers who value their ability to go fishing to make the same commitment as your fellow anglers have and join the Angling Trust. We are stronger together!Membership – Angling Trust https://anglingtrust.net/membership/

Stay safe and very best wishes

Jamie Cook

Our waters are now closed until further notice due to fishing being stopped as part of the latest Government and Angling Trust guidance. As soon as we get the green light to fish again we will let you know. Our Match Programme has also been suspended.

Our friend and Club member Lance Tucker sadly passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday 15th December. We decided to hold off a tribute until now as a mark of respect to his family.

Lance was a great supporter of Clevedon and District Freshwater Angling Club attending a lot of our events. He had a dry sense of humour and was always quick to respond to any banter directed towards him often getting the upper hand with his reply which in turn entertained others.  Lance was a great all round angler winning individual matches on Commercials and Natural Venues he also captained and ran the Sensas 88 Squad competing in various leagues across the West Country.
Most of us saw him on Sunday 13th December at our Christmas Match on the Kenn which he won with a lovely single bream weighing over 7lbs so his sudden passing a couple of days later was a real shock.

Lance will be sorely missed within the local angling community and our thoughts are with his family during this sad time.

Rest in peace Lance.

Results of our Christmas Match fished on the River Kenn 13th December.26 booked in 25 turned up.Overall it fished incredibly hard on a very wet and windy day. Lots of blanks due to the roach not feeding for some reason and for the first time in years a couple of Flounders were caught.

1st Lance Tucker, one bite one bream for 7lb 2oz peg 10 (photo below)

2nd Chris Ford two tench and two perch 6lb 8oz peg 36

3rd Julian Moss 2lb peg 34

4th Ivan Currie 1lb 4oz peg 47

5th Matt Davis 12oz peg 24

A sect Adie Baker, drawn out, B sect Paul Nichols drawn out, C sect Paul Randell 10 oz, D sect Lee Smallwood 11 oz, E sect Dan Hurley 8 drams

9th December – The Environment Agency has dropped the River Kenn to normal winter level. The average depth in the middle is approximately 3.5 foot. Please take care when standing in the mud. There are pegs that have firmer bottoms than others, use a bank stick to check if you can before getting down off the bank.

The River will remain at this level until the end of the season.

Ho Ho Ho Danglers if you are not booked in yet and are considering fishing our Christmas Match on the Kenn this Sunday 13th Dec please do so by Friday 11th at the latest as Santa’s little helper has to get enough prizes for everyone. Please book in by texting or phoning Adie Baker Match Secretary on 07988 736722Club members £20 non members £2508:30 Draw Kenn Rd Car PkFish 10:00 – 15:00The event will be run as per Government and Angling Trust guidelines.We aim to try and give everyone plenty of room and pegging will be from peg 2 up to the 40’s and possibly the Kenn Rd Car Park section if we are pushed.

Simon Carvallo fished peg 38 on November 26th. We had our first frost the night before so it was hard going on a low river. He only had 2 bites all day but one of them was worth waiting for ….. ” a cracking roach that weighed 2lb 10oz”, simply brilliant.

Keep fishing though out the winter the Kenn can produce some great catches. Click on the link below for some advice and tips…

https://ivansangle.blogspot.com/2020/11/winter-on-river-kenn-some-advice-and.html?spref=fb&fbclid=IwAR11eBXwfVvZoBtQ3YPFx0lYv9mI0eGVQr0kJqKZbMcfK4Su4olFdNKZQTU

Due to the latest restriction the match scheduled for the 15th Nov on the Kenn is cancelled. Lets hope our Christmas Match on the 13th Dec can still proceed. We will keep you informed.