LDAC Members - please take a moment to look at - and vote for - the scheme which you think will help reinstate Salmon to UK waters.

The Fowey Rivers Association and the South West Rivers Association are very much behind Pitch #6 which is specifically aimed at our water in The South West.

See their post here - http://www.riverfowey.org/essays/2015/06/trout-salmon-save-our-salmon/

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted a new gate at the 'tarmac pull-in' off the A38, 1/2 way down Lewarne.

Following the clearance of roadside trees and improved drainage channels - the entrance had become a little rutted - so a new piece of tarmac was laid - however, this has increased the presence of non-club members and dog walkers.

The gate is to deter trespassing - but allow members to park safely. There is room to pull off the main carriage way - open the gate and park - please do the reverse on the way out, park & close the gate before (carefully) pulling out onto the A38.

The gate will be locked in the closed season.

As I write this, the 2014 season is coming to an end and with the river running clear and no sign of imminent rain, a late run of Salmon is looking less likely but we must remain optimistic.

The season overall has been unpredictable and although good numbers of Sea Trout came in to the system the long dry summer did not make fishing easy. However those of you who ventured out with the night time fly or those who managed to get on the river following the occasional heavy showers were rewarded with some good fishing.

As for Salmon, the beginning of the season brought some large salmon into the catchments of both the Fowey and the Lynher. The best spring salmon reported for many years (at 18lbs) came off the upper Lynher in mid-March, with several others well into double figures also reported during the same month.
The largest spring salmon reported from the Fowey was estimated at >12lbs (32.5” long), caught in May.

Despite these early catches the summer Grilse never really arrived in any great numbers. This appeared to be the situation generally on rivers throughout the South West.

Counter figures on the Fowey however, show that good numbers of fish are still coming into the system with a total of 8,385 Sea Trout and 1,373 Salmon/large Sea Trout being recorded up until the end of August.

On the conservation front, some vital gravel rehabilitation work was carried out, with Chris Janes organising tree removal and weed clearance on three consecutive Sundays up in the Draynes Valley. I would like to thank Chris and all those who turned up to help, for all their hard work. It is hoped that we can continue to improve these spawning areas and that will depend on your support next year.
Look at the website for further details nearer the time.

We are again facing the prospect of having to remove a large number of fallen trees that have come down during the year, obstructing both the river and anglers access. As most of you will appreciate, it is not possible for the club to pay contractors to carry out this work as the cost would be very high and would lead to an unacceptable increase in the price of membership.
Whilst we are lucky enough to have very capable people willing to give their time to such tasks, they are few in number and it is impossible for them to tackle all the problems that occur unless they receive far more help from club members.

A timetable of bank clearance dates is printed in this newsletter so please come along and help out.

Despite the challenges LDAC remains strong and with access to over 20 miles of fishing we have a club to be proud of and I would like to thank all the members of the committee for their continued hard work and support, without which this club would not be the success that it most certainly is. I look forward to seeing you at the AGM.

Rob Williams
LDAC Chairman

The Club continues to provide the largest choice of game fishing in Cornwall and the southwest.
We currently have access to six rivers with a total of 21 miles of fishing.

We rely heavily on the goodwill of our riparian owners for continuing to lease quality water to us – and it is good to report that our relationships with these key stakeholders remain firm.

Just before the opening of the season the Club was saddened to hear of the passing of Mr D Arbon, from Maenporth, Falmouth. Mr Arbon had been a strong supporter of the Club for many years and was always happy to lease Caradon Wood Beat to us on the Lynher. We thank him for the kindness he showed to the Club over the years. With the fishing rights of Caradon Wood now passing to a new owner (The Woodlands Trust) LDAC are (currently) unable to renew the lease and we therefore no longer have the rights to access or fish on Beat 13.
All remaining fishing was retained and we also extended the Ashford Beat (Beat 3, River Fowey) some 500m northwards. This was through the kind agreement of Messrs J and E Coodes, to whom we extend our thanks for their continued support. No stretches of local river(s) were offered for open sale during the 2014 season and the Club was therefore unable to add to the current inventory of owned waters.

2015 will also see the need for the Club to renew three of our beats on the Lynher and the Committee has approved moving forward with those new contracts. We hope to be able to report that they have been secured for future years in the next newsletter. To keep abreast of any changes to your fishing please remember to log onto the new-look/up-dated website at ldac.org.uk. Thanks to Richard Grieve for continued support in looking after all things IT.

Your Committee met four times during the year. Attendance by Committee members was good, at 87.5%. The Committee were pleased to be able to see (and now report to you) a marked improvement in catch/return rates for the 2013 season and I am particularly gratified to be able to say that all members adhered to the catch/release targets, particularly in the matter of Lynher salmon.

The Lynher catch/release rates rose from 50% (in 2012) to 83% (2013). We need to ensure that these figures continue to exceed 66% in the future to help support the prevention of commercial nets returning to the Lynher.

Several members have contacted me to discuss the issue of fallen trees and difficult access on some beats during the 2104 season. As you are aware all the beats are the subject of planned work parties at the beginning of each season (see page 2 of this newsletter for relevant dates and locations).
These provide the opportunity to carry out maintenance after winter storms and floods have had their way with our rivers and footpaths. Members need to continue to come forward and support the workparties before the season starts, to report any areas that they consider require attention and then to support requests for additional work during the season.
We would urge members to carry out their own (sensitive and sensible) clearance of undergrowth across and along footpaths as they pass through whilst fishing during the season. We ALL have a part to play – please do so. If you want to or can help make sure we have your up-to-date contact details so we can contact you directly.

Your Committee members also attended Fowey River Association (FRA), Lynher River Association (LRA) and Tamar and Tributaries Fisheries Association (TTFA) meetings and AGM’s to ensure the Club interests are fully represented in these forums. Information from these is shared via the Club newsletters/website if appropriate.

The Club website is enabling us to reach more members than ever before, more cheaply and more quickly – we now have 70% registered, 5% up on 2013. The target remains 100% and we are slowly getting there…….. Remember: If we don’t have your (latest) email address please do send it to sec@ldac.org.uk when you read this newsletter.

The mid-year newsletter was once again published, being distributed to all members in August 2014; mostly by email. I hope you found it useful. If you have any views or ideas on it’s future content please do contact the Secretary on sec@ldac.org.uk to discuss.
This year we are again distributing the Annual Newsletter, attachments and the FRA newsletter by email wherever possible. This has a major impact in lowering our printing costs and postage bill. That means we have more money to spend on improving our fishing – far better than spending it on other non-fishing related matters?

Paul Jordan
Hon Secretary

Whilst the underlying financial position of the club remains sound we continue to find ourselves under financial pressure to ensure that the club does not run at a loss.

As discussed at the last AGM the membership levels are key to the future of the club.

I am therefore pleased to be able to report a small increase in adult membership for the year; rising from 185 in 2013 to 191 in 2014. At this level the Clubs finances are just in balance. However the cost of our rented beats will inevitably rise in 2015 (some in line with RPI and some under new lease agreements) and this requires that the Club raise season ticket prices to cover costs for next year.

The Committee has therefore agreed to increase fees to £90.00 pa for both adults (+2.8%) and senior members (+9%) but to maintain levels for disabled and junior members (see Item 2 on page 2 of the newsletter for full details).

The decision to raise senior member ticket prices to the same level as adult members has been an aim of the Committee for several years and is predicated on the fact that such (retired) members have significantly more opportunity to use club waters than others.

Despite these increases the costs are still highly competitive with game fishing costs elsewhere in the county and wider afield.

Please note that visitors’ day/weekly ticket fees are also rising above inflation – reflecting the quality and quantity of fishing we offer.

Trevor Sobey
Treasurer

The Feb 2015 AGM minutes were adopted by the LDAC Committee on 14th April 2015.

Any comments should be forwarded to the secretary at sec@ldac.org.uk

Download the AGM Minutes here

Members should always keep themselves up-to-date with The Environment Agency - Rod & Line - SouthWest Bylaws - download it here -

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-agency-rod-fishing-byelaws-south-west-region

** Reminder ** A 'Migratory Fish' license is required to fish LDAC water.

Buy or renew your Salmon & Sea Trout Rod License on the Post Office website -
http://www.postoffice.co.uk/rod-fishing-licence

The LDAC Club Trophies were awarded at the AGM.

See details and download the Trophies History list back to 1951 here

The LDAC Committee have published the Subscription rates for 2015 - download and application form here

In addition you can also download a Catch Return form with the Application Form included in one document here

The Liskeard & District Angling Club 2014 Newsletter is published - download it here

Members on e-mail will have received the 2014 mid year newsletter in their inbox this morning. Members with postal addresses only will get a hard-copy in the next week.

View it online here or on the Downloads page

Here is a useful document published by the Environment Agency.

It details many dates, methods, bylaws, minimum sizes and a host of other details for all the rivers in the South West - view it here

The Feb 2014 AGM minutes were adopted by the LDAC Committee on 15th April 2014.

Any comments should be forwarded to the secretary at sec@ldac.org.uk

Download the AGM Minutes here

If you are reading this - you will have already noticed the LDAC website has had a revamp.

Feel free to send any comment and/or omissions to Richard, details here

We regret to advise that LDAC has been unable to renew the fishing lease on the Caradon Wood Beat (13) on the River Lynher for the 2014 season.

This is due to a change of ownership. 

With immediate effect (and for the season start on 1st March 2014) LDAC members may not access or fish the Beat.

If you are unsure please download the updated maps here

At the recent LDAC AGM - winners of Trophies were given their cup for the year - but also these rather nice keepsake LDAC Paperweights - very nice.

The Club is pleased to advise that the Coode Beat (3) on the River Fowey has now been extended 500m northwards beyond the two fields above Ashford Bridge.

Access remains the same - from Ashford Bridge - and the [End of Beat] sign has been moved accordingly.

As of 1/2/14 Members no longer get complimentary 3rd Party Liability Insurance - this is due to a change in the Club's insurance company.

The Environment Agency are asking anglers to report any disease they encounter in Salmon and Sea Trout - a problem throughout Westcountry rivers - e-mail the Secretary here.