News 

14.09.20 "I hear that we are taking all the carp out"  - NO, WE DEFINATELY ARENT !

A number of members have expressed some confusion regarding the removal of SOME of the carp from Jackson's. We would like to make it clear that only a select few carp are to be removed. This is part of the regeneration program that has been widely discussed at general meetings (October and November 2019)and reiterated at the AGM in December 2019.

It shall be recounted now for clarity for all. 

In order to improve the overall fishing on Jackson's, the club will implement a series of plans to improve the environment within the pond. Firstly, the application of siltex which will address the issues surrounding the silt. The silt in Jacksons is inert. It does not support any plant life and very little of the natural food that would usually be expected to be present in a water like ours. Essentially, the siltex activates the silt in such as way as to stimulate the growth of pond weed, micro-organisms, crustaceans etc. 
The siltex will be applied twice in the first year, at least once the second year, after which a view will be taken on its effectiveness and whether more will be applied yearly, every other year, or not at all. 

Pond weeds will be planted of varying types in appropriate places so as to create weed beds in suitable positions. These weed beds will create badly needed cover for the fish and other fauna and oxygenate the water. We have consulted with leading pond weed company Aqualife regarding the types and placing of appropriate plant life and are excited about the improvements that this will bring.

Finally, we will slightly adjust the balance of the fish stocks. Jackson's is capable of holding a finite total biomass of fish. The Environment Agency continually tell us that we have too many carp in the pond. Many of us will recall the last time we followed the EA's advice which resulted in us losing a lot of carp, along with a lot of members.  We are totally committed to NOT allowing that to happen again. 
In order to reduce the total mass of carp, and thereby free up space for new fish to be added; we will SELECTIVELY remove a number of carp in the 10lb range. ALL, the biggest carp will remain, along with all the carp of 9lb and below. We all like to land one of big brutes and there are a good number of fish 12lb and above, whilst there are  a lot of carp in the 4-8lb range. Again, we reiterate that ALL these fish will stay in Jackson;s. 

The fisheries officer has ordered a a delivery of new fish which will be introduced in October this year. The order includes

40x 10-12" Barbel (the last batch have proved very successful)
40x 1.5lb Bream, 
30x 8oz common carp
30x 8oz mirror carp
60x 1lb F1 Carp, 
40x 8-10" chub 
and a handful of large tench.

We hope that this makes the position clearer.

02.09.20 Treemendous work.

Temporary peg closures. 
On Monday the 7th September pegs 10 to 25 will be closed for the cutting of trees. Its a major task and will involve a team of tree surgeons.
Members must use only pegs 1 to 9 or 26 to 31 so that the work can be carried out safely.

26.08.20 None RAC match incident

Some of you may have heard of an incident that took place recently during a trip that some of our anglers made to Shropshire. The trip was not an offical club event. The committee has discussed the events that took place and conclude it now closed.

26.08.20 Trees

A number of the trees surrounding the pond are in a potentially dangerous state. They need urgent attention. Banks Office Laurie has been consulting with an number of tree surgeons and there will be some major work undertaken ASAP. The branch that fell earlier in the week could easliy have resulted in death or serious injury and must not be allowed to happen again. 

Following on from the immiediate essential work, Laurie will be putting together a plan that should result in the safe maintenance of the trees which should result in a lower overall cost. More details will follow when the plan has been finalised.

26.08.20 Reduction in rodents noticed

Laurie has been monitoring the reported sightings of rats and it does appear that his efforts to tackle the problem are resulting in a reduction in the number of them. The methods he has used are relatively inexpensive, envrionment friendly and best of all - working. 

25.08.20 Pegs 12-18 closed

A large willow tree branch has blown down. That stretch will be closed until it can be safely removed and the other trees checked to ensure that they are safe.

18.08.20 Help with boat repair ?

The fiberglass boat that we use on the pond is in need of a little TLC.

If anyone has experience of patching up with fiberglass please get in touch with Banks officer Laurie, it would be a great help.

17.08.20 New car park gate

Unfortunately, a members key broke in the lock on the car park chain. Temporarily we fitted another lock that uses the exisitng key. Nobody really liked the chain as a security solution to the car park access, so we are in the process of replacing it with a balanced lift up barrier. This should prove much easier for people to use.

01.08.20 Rat Trap

We are addressing the proliferation of unwanted rodent life by setting a number of traps around the banks. Please do not disturb them, they will be checked regularly by the Banks Officer.

31.07.20 Bee-Gone

The bees that were behind pegs 1 and 2 have buzzed off, so those pegs are back in use.

25.07.20 Bees !

A bee hive has formed behind pegs 1 and 2. The pegs are closed for the time being.

25.07.20 Car Parking

Members are reminded that the club rules state that members car must be parked on the club car park when visiting Jackon's pond. It is essential that we maintain our good relationships with residents in the area.

15.07.20 On Wednesday 15th July we were able to hold our first committee meeting since February.

Observing covid rules, we used nearly half of the room in Houldsworth working mens club. As such it simply isnt possible to resume general meetings safely. We will, as soon as it is safe to do so, although nobody has any idea when that might be. We will give members as much notice as possible when meetings do resume. 

With that in mind it wont be possible to read out notices of motion etc three times before the usual AGM in December (even if it actually takes place then). Once general meetings resume, we will read out any Notices of motion at the first meeting, and then hold the following meeting as the AGM. If any member has a notice of motion that they would like to propose, please contact Club Secretary Mike Bickley (email address is on the contact page). The notice will then be published on this website and read out at the first meeting.

Due to the lack of general meetings and the reduction of information flow between members and the committee, we will be posting news updates on this page as regularly as possible. If anyone has anything that they would like to be mentioned, please contact the relevant committee member and we will post on here where suitable. 

CCTV system.

The CCTV system on Jackson's is in need of a major upgrade. Work will commence on the system almost immediately. The upgrade will allow bailiffs greater flexibility in its use, which will in turn enhance members safety and increased protection to the fish stocks and the premises in general. Access to the CCTV system will be very strictly limited and the persons with access will be CRB checked before they can use it.

Club Rules.

Baliffs have reported an increase in incidents of a minority of members acting in serious breach of club rules. We will be addressing this in two ways. The upgrade to the CCTV system will act as a preventative measure, but will also allow us to clearly record any problems that may need addressing. Additionally, from the next period of membership, all members will be required to sign that they have read and will abide by the rules. No new memebers will be joined to the club until they have read the rule book, so that there can be no misunderstanding about what is expected of them.

Waste bait & litter

There have been a number of instances of unused bait being left on pegs. This is strictly forbidden. Waste bait greatly encourages the prevelance of rats which pose a major health hazard to anglers as a vector for Weils disease and other illnesses.

There has also been a fair number of cans left discarded on and behind pegs. Cans are not permitted on Jackson's (put corn, meat etc into a bait box before entering the pond) and please, please take all litter away with you.

Car park keys

Some members have reported problems with keys not working in the car park padlock. Any member who has experienced an issue should mention that to Head Baliff Archie Davies who has a limited stock of replacement keys that have all been pre-tested. 

Pegs 7,8,9

The above pegs which were previously closed due to the 2m social distancing rule can now be used following the relaxtion of the social distancing to 1m+

Committee reshuffle

There was some movement of places on the commitee. Danek Imoleck was co-opted as Chairman. Mike Bickley moved to the post of Club Secretary, while Helen Stanfield moved to Minutes Secretary. Paul Henderson was co-opted as Match Secretary.

Each will need to be ratified at the next AGM.