News – December 2024

Annual General Meeting

Despite our best efforts to encourage members to attend the AGM, only 20 turned up on the night. That is poor in view of the number of members. However, we have reduced the quorum to 20 so we were able to deal with the admin matters of the club. A copy of the minutes are on the website if you want to see what went on.

Badgers Wood Event

On a more positive note, the Sussex Masonic Lodge had the use of Badgers Wood at the end of September so that they could bring along a number of pupils from two Special Needs Schools, Oak Grove, Worthing, and Woodlands Meed, Burgess Hill. This is the second time we have hosted the event and once again from the feedback we have received the students had a great time. 

“My son Ryan and his class mates from Oak Grove College came fishing with you today and I would just like to say Thank you. He has had an amazing day, caught 9 fish! ………. What a wonderful day you have provided and made them so happy!”

And one of the teachers was just as impressed 

“I just wanted to express how much of an honour it was to bring six pupils to the fishing event held …… today. The pupils gained so many valuable skills from the experience, including patience, resilience, sportsmanship, and engaging with others. It was fantastic to see their growth, and despite the wind, rain, and the surprise of a rainbow, the day was truly amazing!”

The Masons , who did most of the organising, sent us the following

“Grateful thanks to Hassocks Angling Club for their support on the day as well as Bodle Angling, Burgess Hill who very kindly supplied all the bait free of charge.”

Unfortunately we are not able to show any photos of the day, but it was clearly a success. Thanks also to the members who came along to help.

Decoy Lake

As has been reported previously Nigel Jackson and a small band of helpers are working on the causeway at Decoy. The initial work is now complete and we have taken delivery of four lorry loads of bonding clay which needs to go into the margins to fill in the undercut all along the causeway. Nigel hopes to start this in the new year and is subject to getting the necessary permission from the local authorities. However once this is received, he will be needing assistance so if you fancy a day’s labouring please contact either Nigel Jackson or Steve Pead via the club website. If you can leave a contact number or email and once we have fixed a date for the next phase somebody will contact you. We are also on the lookout for a mini digger and a dumper truck to move the clay to the disabled car park so if you can help or know someone who can, again, please let Nigel know.

Badgers Wood again

As the aerator is running well we have decided to try again with some more barbel. A total of 130 fish have been stocked recently up to 12 inches and hopefully they will survive the winter predation by cormorants. 

They may only be small but they were very lively.

On the matter of cormorants the numbers are starting to increase at George Cragg and Badgers Wood with as many as eight seen circling one morning last week. The only thing that seems to put them off is human presence. I stopped off last week and all I had to do was get out of the car and rattle the gate and they were off. So, if you are driving past, please take a couple of minutes to stop and make a racket to drive them away. That way we may have some fish left by next Spring. And before you say it, we have tried everything we know to put them off, strings, scarecrows, fish refuges, in fact everything apart from shooting them (illegal without a licence).

Carrying on the stocking theme the Environment Agency contacted us at very short notice as they had a few crucian carp available. They are keen on developing Frylands pond as a dedicated crucian pond so the fish were put in there and we are hoping to get together with the landowner in the New Year to see what can be arranged. We are hoping that it would include dredging the pond to remove the silt so watch this space. 

They were 2/3 years old so if the conditions are suitable the Environment Agency believe they may spawn next summer. Once again, we are grateful Environment Agency for their donation. 

100 Club

The draw for November was won by Nigel Jackson.

I read something amusing last week….The definition of an angler ?

“An individual who spends an inordinate amount of time and money trying to outwit an animal with a brain the size of a pea”.        Sounds about right.

On that note, on behalf of the Committee, Merry Fishmas and a Happy New Year.