One of the interesting factors about the membership of Bainton is that well over half of the membership is recruited via the Internet. These members are not immediately local and often travel well over 100 miles to fish. These anglers use Bainton as a "weekend away" fishery. In comparison to their local waters Bainton prices are cheap, the angling pressure light and the bank side camaraderie of the highest order.

For those of you recently on the Internet either at work or at home, there is an e-mail discussion list that all members can be subscribed to. It is a useful forum for catching up on what has been caught and arranging meets. If you want to be subscribed then please contact me.

In the autumn of 2000 there were two commercial stockings. Nearly all of the operating profit of the fishery was spent on this. The first was 7 carp between 15lb and 20lb, which went into the New Pit, these were obtained from Northants County Council on a routine netting done by the Environment Agency. The Council crop the carp each year to sell, in order to pay for winter food for the wild foul. The fish were of excellent quality and a real bargain at only £300. I am pleased that the Environment Agency have confirmed that they plan a similar netting this season and given the chance I will get some more.

7 small catfish of about 3lbs each were stocked into the Match Pit also during the autumn. Although a modest start they will grow on a diet of small fish. I have also had some other offers of fish which I am keen to pursue during the summer and autumn.

Bainton Fisheries has recently been granted a full license to keep catfish under the Import of Live Fish Act (ILFA) under the understanding that the fishery is to make itself available to help non licensed fisheries dispose of their catfish.

There has been a lot of controversy lately that Catfish from non-licensed sites would have to be killed. This is something that many fishery owners would not adhere to. But in correspondence with the Catfish Conservation Group (CCG) MAFF have stated that fishery owners who have been turned down to keep catfish "might believe a ban on returning the fish amounts to a requirement to kill any fish caught. In fact the fish may be transferred to other licensed sites". The MAFF official further suggests that the Environment Agency (EA) is actively involved so that the disposal of fish can be discussed, either as or when caught or all at one time.

"The EA is considering making arrangements for a number of secure sites to become receiving sites for fish" MAFF further stated.

Working parties this year have not been very well organised, this is mainly my fault. But also the best time to do some maintenance work is during the traditional close season. This was a period of time that I did not have a lease on the site and by the time I was in control of the site, it was June the 16^th and we all wanted to go fishing. Me included. I have bought a petrol brushcutter and chainsaw this year that has helped keep the vegetation down enormously and constant attention is required to battle the brambles and hawthorn on site.

This year there will be three working parties as follows:-

Sunday 20^th May from 9am.

It is a condition of membership that everyone attends one working party. Clearly I do not expect disabled or elderly members to attend and some people have to work at weekends also. But every able bodied member can help out in some way even outside of an organised working party.

In terms of arranging a plan of action for the working party days I would be grateful if members could either e-mail or ring me before hand to say they are coming. This will enable me to plan the tasks ahead for the day. Items that are particularly valued for working parties are bow saws, loppers, spades, pickaxes, 4x4 vehicles with trailers, chainsaws, hardcore, timber and a huge sense of humour.

I am pleased to announce that most of the permit costs are the same for the new season. There has been a 7% rise in the running costs of the fishery mainly due to a rent increase. I believe another approach is more appropriate than an automatic permit rise on all tickets. The other price adjustment is that keys for new members will now cost £6, as the cost has increased to get them cut from the previous year.

I believe that I need to review the membership on this lake, for a variety of reasons. The angling pressure on this lake has been very light. Originally I set the membership to 15 anglers on the assumption that at least half of them would be fishing most weekends. The reality is that the most I have seen fish at once is 4people and very few sessions have been had over the winter. I feel that more angling pressure will create regular feeding spots in the lake for the carp (and ducks) which will help to keep the weed clear for bait presentation.

With the increase in the running costs of the fishery and a waiting list of 15 anglers I want to increase the syndicate size anglers for 2001 – 2002. It was agreed at the members meeting that this would be increased to 20.

The lease agreement for the 2001 – 2002 season will allow the provision of an inclusive perimeter of land all around the lake. This means that complete vehicle access has been agreed all around the lake, subject to weather conditions.

The perimeter belonging to Bainton Fisheries will be between 10 and 5 metres from the top of the bank, outside of this limit the local farmer will maintain the land. Do not drive outside of this perimeter. The diagram on this page should make things clearer. Increasing the membership will also mean that at least one of the working parties will have to be dedicated to creating or enhancing swims so

Members agreed that a modest increase in membership of the carp syndicate to 20 but felt that 25 would be too many.

Stocking for the future year would be geared towards pleasure angling, trying to obtain more tench and bream particularly.

The big pit would receive a stocking of carp hopefully from Northants County Council again.

The EA have also agreed to provide transport and netting to receive some unwanted rudd from another fishery.

As for working parties:-The Match pit will receive some attention to increase the number of swims that are fishable with higher water levels.

The Orchid lake will have some swim clearance along the Maxey cut bank to establish more swims.

The L shape will have swims along the South and West end built up so they are less muddy and dangerous and to provide room for cars to park without blocking the road.

The Carp lake will need some swims developing so that it’s carrying capacity for parked cars and bivvies is increased to pick up the increased membership.

It was agreed that I would survey the lakes and draw up a plan of action for each of the days. In conclusion I would like to use Sunday 20^th May for a Cap lake dedicated working party. Sunday 26^th May for the Match pit and Orchid lake. Sunday 10^th June for the L Shape. It was felt that the New pit and Big pit needed no attention.

The ability to extend pike fishing to the Carp lake during the winter season was agreed. This however is on the agreement that no fish are removed from any of the other lakes to be used as bait in the Carp lake. Therefore artifials, sea baits, trout or baits caught from the carp lake can only be used. This is to protect this valuable stock from potential carp disease that stockings elsewhere on the complex could potentially introduce.

There was concern expressed that LeFage may be planning to start gravel extraction to the north of the site in the short term. No detailed information on this is known but I have agreed to find out if there is any likely impact on the fishery if this does take place.

My current understanding is that LeFage will make all efforts to protect the Natural life of the site and would prefer to use alternative routes to extract any gravel than have lorries on the site. I also believe that other sites locally will be worked out first before LeFages attention switches to extracting gravel to the north of the east coast railway line, north of the carp lake. The long term view is that we ultimately may have another 100 acres of lakes to fish!

There was concern that a chicken waste disposal site might contaminate the groundwater, Nigel Hewlett of the EA has agreed to progress this as a matter of urgency.

Finally, dog-walkers. I have agreed to construct a sterner notice to remind dog-walkers that they should respect angling

It was felt that the meeting was useful and that they should continue in future years.

Last year, two twenty pound fish were caught along with about 17 other smaller pike, 27 anglers attended. The event will be limited to 35 anglers on the day.

A big thank-you for all your support in my first year. We are on the beginning of a long journey but it will be worth it.

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