Club Bailiffs
Lymm Angling Club is fortunate enough to have an excellent team of bailiffs to regularly patrol its waters to ensure they are not being poached and that members are fishing in accordance with club rules. The bailiffs are pleasant and approachable volunteers. They are often very familiar with the waters they patrol and will freely offer on-the bank advice on the swims that are fishing well and the best baits to use.
Lessons Learnt
Our experience tells us that the two main rule-breaking offences committed by members are unattended rods and litter. Often, members seem to think it is okay to leave their baited lines in the water go and chat to a friend at a half-way point between where they and their friend , who might be in a swim some 20 or more yards away, are fishing.
The Three B's
Unfortunately, this is not the case as the club follows EA guidelines to enforce a strict “maximum of three metres from baited rods” rule. So if you do fancy a chat with your mate in the next swim, either use walkie-talkies or reel in and go and see him. It will save you an endorsement on your card! On the litter front, members must ensure they take all of their litter home with them as the club do not provide bins on any of its waters.
Foul litter is also regarded as “litter” and members fishing overnight must be able to demonstrate to the bailiffs that they have suitable toiletry provisions in other words the three B's Bucket, Bin Bag, Baby Wipes. It’s a hot summer’s night, so a few cans of beer and maybe a barbeque wouldn’t go amiss would they? Well, no they wouldn’t but not on Lymm Angling Club waters! Alcohol is not allowed and neither are barbeques, so if you want either, do so at home and not on the bank. Drugs are also banned of course, except for those issued on prescription.
Sound Advice
The advice from the bailiffing team to all members is to read the rules in your membership card before you go fishing and then check the venue’s local notice board on arrival for any rule changes introduced since the membership card was printed. Failure to do so could lead to embarrassing and/or confrontational situations which none of us wants. Also ensure that you fill-in and arrival slip before you fish and a catch return slip when you have finished. Besides providing the club’s fishery management team with valuable data about fish stocks, the arrival/return slips can be useful in knowing who was fishing a water when an incident occurred on it.
Please contact us at anytime about any issues of rule-breaking or possible poaching you see or if you see fish or wildlife in distress however please refrain from calling us at unearthly hours on less important matters, such as whether a particular venue is fishing well or whether a water is iced over, as that it not what we’re there for and we’re all unpaid volunteers!!
Disciplinary Procedures
Club rules are put in place to protect the club’s assets, its fisheries and fish stocks, along with its members and officials and the good name of the club.If a bailiff determines that a club member has broken club rules the bailiff may decide to issue a verbal warning, a written warning or remove the offender’s club card.
In all cases the bailiff will give the member details of the rule that has been broken and the level of action being taken. A verbal warning is usually issued where the offence committed is, in the opinion of the bailiff, not considered severe or intentional enough to warrant a written warning. A note may be recorded in the member’s card briefly describing the offence and the time and date it occurred.
Card Marked
If a member again infringes a rule after previously receiving a verbal warning, the bailiff may issue a written warning. A written warning can also be issued if the bailiff decides that the offence committed is more serious than that covered by a verbal warning. The bailiff will record details of the written warning in the member’s card and will report details back to the club where it will be retained on file for two years. The warning will be taken into account if other warnings or disciplinary action is taken against the member within that time.
If a bailiff considers the rule infringement carried out by a member is particularly severe, or if a member receives two or more written warnings within two years, the bailiff may remove the member’s card. The member will be asked to stop fishing, pack up and leave the venue. If the member does not do so or breaks further rules (e.g. is abusive or threatening) the bailiff shall report this back to the club who will increase any penalty against the member accordingly. When the committee have been advised of the incident, a date will be set for the member to attend a disciplinary hearing, so that the case can be heard. Both the bailiff and the member will be contacted for their accounts of what occurred before a decision is made. If the member is deemed to have committed the offence(s), then either a suspension or an expulsion will apply.
No Fishing
A suspended member may not fish or be present on any club water for the suspension period. They are also prevented from attending the club’s AGM if it should fall within this period. An offence committed at any time after the offence for which the member was suspended is likely to lead to expulsion from the club. An expelled member is subject to the same restrictions as a suspended member. At the end of the expulsion period, the former member must apply in writing to re-join the club and it is left to the discretion of the committee at the time whether the application is accepted.
