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Felixstowe Sea Angling Society Rules (Revised 15/04/2024)
CONDUCT
1. No member shall sell or offer for sale any fish on the beach or in the vicinity of the Society’s compound.
1A. No member shall gut fish on the beach between 1st June and 30th September annually or when members of the public are on the beach or in the sea in the vicinity of the compound.
1B. Under no circumstances will any person be allowed to sleep or remain on the Society’s Headquarters premises overnight.
1C. Under no circumstances may bait be stored on the Society’s Headquarters premises.
1D. Vehicle accommodation within the compound shall be limited to the loading or unloading of equipment or to assist in the launching or landing of a boat.
1E. The facilities of the Society’s Headquarters Premises and Compound are restricted to fully paid-up members and their guests and any other such bodies which have either hired or given access to the facilities after approval by the Committee. No unauthorised person shall be allowed to enter the compound.
1F. Any keys issued to members shall remain the property of the Society and are not transferable under any circumstances. Loss of a key must be reported to the Secretary without delay. On termination of membership the keys must be returned to the Secretary when the deposit paid will be refunded. Members using the compound or Headquarters Premises at times other than at the Society’s matches or other functions must ensure that the premises and the compound gates are securely locked.
1G. Members are not allowed in the Scale Room unless an official is present.
1H. Access to the kitchen is permitted except on match days or Society functions when many people are present. At such times access is restricted to the organisers of the event.
1I. The Society will not be held responsible for any loss or damage to members’ boats, equipment or property within the Society’s compound or Headquarters premises or on the beach.
1J. No member of the Society shall use or interfere with the property of another member at the Society’s Headquarters premises or compound without authority.
1K. No personal equipment of any description may be stored within the Society’s Headquarters premises.
1L. Any member contravening any of the rules of the Society or otherwise brings the Society into disrepute shall be referred to the Committee who shall have the power to take disciplinary action as they see fit.
2) BOATS AND COMPOUND
- 2. Members will be responsible for maintaining a standard of general cleanliness at the Headquarters compound and premises and must ensure that their boat site is kept clean and tidy.
2A. No boats will be accommodated having an overall length greater than 6 metres. Boats with a cuddy may be accepted at the discretion of the Committee.
2B. Multi cell semi-inflatable boats over 6 metres in length are not permitted into the compound and club matches.
2C. There must be no more than two registered owners to one boat and both must be members of the Society.
2D. A boat site number will be allocated to each boat owner and that number must be displayed on the boat and its trailer.
2E. A register will be kept by the Senior Compound Steward of all boats within the compound and the names and addresses of their owners. It is the responsibility of the owner of a boat to inform the Senior Compound Steward of any change of address or ownership.
2F. All boat owners must comply with the requirements regarding their boat and equipment as listed in these rules. Before being allowed to keep a boat in the compound, or use it in any of the Society’s matches, the owner must present it for inspection by a Compound Steward.
2G. Each boat stored in the Society’s compound or used in any of the Society’s matches or events must comply to the recommendations of the current boat risk assessment document.
2H. A boat site cannot be sold with a boat. Boat sites will always be allocated by the Senior Compound Steward or by the Committee as appropriate.
2I. Inflammable liquids must not be left in the Society’s Headquarters premises or compound or in any boat within the compound without the authority of the Senior Compound steward. Motors with integral fuel tanks must not be left within the compound.
2J. The Floodgate will be closed between 1 St October and 30 th April. During that period, it must only be opened to permit launching or landing a boat. At all other times it must remain closed including the period when the user is at sea. The key is kept within the Society’s Headquarters premises and must be returned there after use. In no circumstances must a member retain the key while at sea, or leave it in the lock, or otherwise remove it from the Society’s premises.
2K. When closed, this gate forms a vital part of the sea defences of Felixstowe and the rules regarding its use must be strictly adhered to. Failure to do so could result in serious consequences for the Society and will result in severe disciplinary action against the offender.
2L. For the period 1st May to the 30th September the gate will remain open unless closed by an officer of the Environment Agency. In such circumstances the gate may not be reopened without authority and the key will be removed from the Headquarters premises.
3) COMPETITION GENERAL RULES.
- 3. The committee is authorised to arrange matches, prizes, and points system for all competitions. The committee decision on any matter arising from any competition is final.
3A. All the society’s competitions that are fished to size limits will be fished to the latest issued by SAMF.
3B. Edible Crab/Cart are not acceptable; all other baits are.
3C. Competitors will be held responsible for leaving the beach free from any rubbish, line, old bait, etc. Any person found leaving rubbish will be disqualified from the match and reported to the committee. Note, this rule will also apply to the club hut and compound.
3D. Any protest must be made to the Match Secretary before the completion of catch validation.
3E. All the Society’s cups and trophies will only be awarded for fish caught in Society matches. All trophies shall be returned to the Competition Secretary by the by the beginning of October, or as stated by the Competition Secretary.
3F. Junior Anglers, i.e., those under 16 years of age, will remain the responsibility of their parents/guardians at all times. The Society, its Committee and Members can accept no responsibility for the actions or behaviour of Junior Members either during Society competitions or at other times. An emergency contact number must be provided to the match organiser before participation in any competition.
3G. Bass catches to be in line with current IFCA legislation http://www.association-ifca.org.uk/
(Association of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities).
4) BEACH MATCHES
- 4. The boundaries of competition roving matches will include any beach or pier accessible to the public within the time allowed, unless stated otherwise in the fixture list.
4A. The following areas are out of bounds on all roving matches: - Any part of Felixstowe Dock complex and any part of Landguard Nature Reserve fenced off for nesting birds or plant life, any competitor found entering any officially fenced off area or damaging fencing or signs will be disqualified from the match and brought before the committee for bringing the club into disrepute.
4B. The boundaries for beach matches are:
zone 1 Pier to Regal. zone 2 Regal to southern end of promenade (Manor railings).
zone 3 Manor House to southern end of the Butts Sea wall. zone 4 Open beach (Landguard)
zone 5 The Dip (Deben ferry jetty (sea-side) to Jacobs Ladder)
4C. In fixed zone matches, competitors may leave the club hut, or other booking-in point, half an hour before the commencement time stated. Competitors must return to the weighing-in point no later than half an hour after the stated finish time.
4D. In roving and pegged matches competitors must not leave the club hut before the time stated and must return no later than the stated time. Before the match all vehicles must wait in the marked spaces in the car park. On pegged matches, competitors must not leave the car park before the time stated and must cease fishing no later than the stated finish time. Competitors must return to the weighing-in point no later than half an hour after the stated finish time. No vehicle shall leave the parking space until the Competition Secretary gives the signal. All vehicles must leave the car park in an orderly manner. Reckless driving/speeding may lead to all competitors in that vehicle being disqualified from the match.
4E. Members must book in at least 15 minutes before the time of leaving the club hut. Anyone arriving late must contact a committee member before they commence fishing.
4F Each competitor will be allowed to use one rod and line in all pegged matches Anglers are permitted to have spare rods set up with reels, lines and baited traces attached, but can only have one line in the water at any one time. Spare baited traces are allowed, no more than 3 hooks per trace, a treble hook count as three. Any matches where two rods could be used such as the Lowestoft species or Cod Rover will be specified in the fixtures list or via correspondence from the match secretary.
4G In the interests of safety, anglers will be notified if any casting restrictions are in place, however at all times anglers must cast safely, considering proximity of others, weather conditions etc. Anglers must use a suitable shock leader, working on the principle of 10lb for every 1oz of weight being used, line and end rig must have a minimum breaking strain of 10 lb, up to a maximum of 1.5 ounces e.g. 15lb breaking strain line. A 6-ounce casting would require a rig with at least 10lb breaking strain and a 60lb shock leader as a minimum. The leader must be of suitable length to achieve at least 6 turns on the reel and extend to include the rig being used.
4H. Assistance may be given to land a fish but no one other than the competitor may handle the rod. In pier competitions assistance to land fish with a drop net is permitted, as is hand-lining the fish up the pier or promenade wall, providing that it can be lifted clear of the surface and not pulled through the water towards the competitor.
4I. All fish must be brought to the scales within the time allowed in a suitable container. Any attempt to alter the size of a fish, including wrapping in paper, will lead to that fish being rejected and may lead to that competitor being disqualified from the match.
4J. An attempt should be made to keep all fish alive for return to the sea after weighing. (Except those wanted for personal consumption). Each member will be responsible for returning his/her own fish to the water.
4K. In pegged matches, competitors must fish and cast only from the peg allocated or drawn. Any competitor fishing from anywhere but their own peg will be disqualified from the match.
4L. In the event that a competitor’s peg is already occupied, or there appears to be a valid reason why that peg is unfishable, the competitor should report immediately to the nearest committee member whose decision, in consultation with the Competition Secretary, will be final.
4M. When fishing a double peg, each competitor must fish from his/her own peg position.
4N. The sharing of rod rests is not permitted in any club competition. The only exception being if it is a double peg that is shared with a junior. Guest anglers not competing in the match should either fish outside the limits of the competition or at a reasonable distance from any other angler.
4O. Beach points are awarded in all Rose bowl, spring cup, away cup and any others noted in the fixtures list, all other matches count for the cups noted in the fixture list only, i.e., Tuesday night matches just count for the Tuesday night cup etc. (for further clarification please ask the Competition secretary).
4P. Where a match is designated “Measure for Weight” by the Competition Secretary, the match will be fished in accordance with the rules, and for the conversions, as shown on the cards issued by the Competition Secretary from time to time. The Competition Secretary may, in consultation with the Committee, amend the rules and/or the conversion table as deemed necessary.
5) BOAT MATCHES
- 5. The boundaries for boat competitions shall be within an imaginary line joining the end of Hall’s jetty (in the River Orwell) to the Fort Buoy and then through all the green buoys seawards, out to the Washington buoy, from there inland to the Cutler buoy and onto the central Martello Tower. It is permitted to fish in the River Deben up as far as a line linking the two jetties used by the Felixstowe / Bawdsey ferry. (See the chart in the clubhouse). When sea conditions are doubtful, the competition can be transferred by the Competition Secretary, in consultation with any other committee members present, to the Rivers Orwell, Stour or Deben.
5A. Boats may be launched before the match times, but must assemble in the area stipulated by the match organiser and not leave this area until half an hour before the commencement of the match. One Competitor from each boat must report, or cause a report to be sent, to the match organiser that the boat has returned safely or that the occupants are safe and intend to continue fishing, not later than half an hour after the stated finish time of the match.
5B. Each competitor will be allowed to use two rods and line or handlines unless otherwise stated. No more than three hooks will be used on any one rig. Treble hooks count as three. Spare rigs may be pre-baited. Spare rods are allowed in daylight matches but only two rods may have a trace attached at any one time.
5C. No other person may touch an angler’s rod, reel or line or give any assistance except that another person(s) may gaff or net fish when it is brought into range.
5D. The decision to hold a boat match when sea conditions are doubtful will be made by the match organiser in consultation with any other committee members present, before the match is due to start. When a boat match is cancelled then this can be fished from the beach and beach rules will apply.
5E. Any member not wishing to or is unable to compete in a boat match from a boat is at liberty to take part in the match by fishing from the beach.
5F. All fish must be brought to the scales within I hour of the time stated for the end of the match, in a suitable container. Any attempt to alter the size of a fish, including wrapping in paper, will lead to that fish being rejected and may lead to that competitor being disqualified from the match. In the interests of safety, no fish bags are to be handed over at sea.
| Revision | Author | Date | Notes |
| Draft A. | Phil Riches | 04/11/2019 | All rules are under review |
| Draft B. | Phil Riches | 09/09/2021 | All suggested rule updates added to document. |
| Draft C. | Phil Riches | 10/09/2021 | Rules 3A and 3B updated, 4C deleted section numbering updated. 4M and 4N updated. |
| Draft D | Phil Riches | 06/10/2021 | Rule 3B amended to remove the exclusion of Lures. |
| SAMF A | Phil Riches | 03/04/2024 | FSAS Rule 4F aligned with SAMF Rules 4 & 5. FSAS Rule 4M reviewed regarding Juniors. |
| SAMF B | Phil Riches | 12/04/2024 | FSAS Rule 4G added to reduce wording of 4F. All Beach Match rules re-numbered. |
| Approved by | Date | Notes |
| FSAS Committee | 06/10/2021 | Draft D Unanimous agreement by committee members to publish updated rules. |
| FSAS Committee | 15/04/2024 | Approved by members who attended committee meeting on 03/04/2024 by email. |