Constitution
There shall not be more than four Trustees of the association. The first Trustees shall be appointed by the Management Committee and the property of the association (other than cash, which shall be under the control of the Treasurer) shall be vested in them to be dealt with as the Management Committee shall from time to time direct by resolution (of which an entry in the Minute Book shall be conclusive evidence).
The Trustees shall be indemnified against any risk and expense out of the association property. The Trustees shall hold office until death or resignation, or until removed from office by a resolution from the Management Committee who may, for any reason which may seem sufficient to a majority of them present and voting at any meeting, remove any Trustee, or Trustees from the office of Trustee.
Where by reason of any such death resignation or removal, it shall appear necessary to the Management Committee that a new Trustee, or Trustees shall be appointed, or, if the Management Committee shall deem it expedient to appoint an additional Trustee, or additional Trustees, the Management Committee shall by resolution, nominate the person or persons to be appointed the new Trustee, or Trustees.
For the purpose of giving effect to such nomination, the Chairman is hereby nominated as the person to appoint new Trustees of the association within the meaning of Section 36 of the Trustee Act 1925, and he shall by deed duly appoint the person, or persons so nominated by the Management Committee as the new Trustee, or Trustees of the association, and the provisions of the Trustee Act 1925, shall apply to any such appointment.
Any statement of fact in any such deed of appointment shall in favour of a person dealing bona fide and for the value with the association, or Management Committee, be conclusive evidence of the fact so stated.
Association Rules
1. The objective of the Association will be to promote good fellowship with the art of angling and preserve good fishing in the area.
2. The Association shall consist of members who have undertaken to abide by the rules of the Association. Members must carry a current Environment Agency licence whilst fishing, appropriate to the species they are targeting.
3. Membership of the Association shall be open and not unreasonably restricted on the grounds of sex, race or of political, religious, or other opinions, to any person who is prepared to accept and support objectives of the Association.
4. Junior members shall not have the right to vote at meetings but are entitled to elect one representative who shall have the right to vote as a full member on the Management Committee of the Association.
5. The Annual General Meeting shall be held on the third Wednesday in February of each year at 7.00pm. The Management Committee to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting if required. Meetings of the Management Committee to be held monthly or as required.
6. The business of the Association shall be conducted by a Management Committee of up to ten members, and the following officers: President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, General Secretary, Minute Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Bailiffs, and The Junior Representative, six of which to form a quorum. All Management Committee members to have a vote, with the Chairman having a casting vote. The business of the Association at all meetings to be recorded by the Minute Secretary. Any Management Committee member failing to attend three consecutive meetings without being able to offer a reasonable excuse for absenting himself will render himself open to immediate suspension from the Committee. The Management Committee to have the power to co-opt any member of the Association when a current Management Committee member ceases to be a member of that Committee.
7. All members of the Management Committee as in Rule 6 above shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
8. No membership cards shall be issued until entrance and subscription fees have been paid with a suggested closing date for existing members to pay annual subscriptions. This date will be for guidance to the Management Committee in considering new members to be accepted and lapsed members for re-entry.
9. Only current members shall be entitled to vote at the Annual General Meetings of the Association.
10. The Membership Secretary shall receive all subscriptions and forthwith hand the amounts over to the Treasurer, who shall be empowered to defray expenses from the Association bank account on the signature of any two of the Chairman, Treasurer and General Secretary.
11. The accounts of the Association must be audited annually, and a report of such read at the Annual General Meeting.
12. Fair angling by one rod and line permitted and any member guilty of impropriety shall be excluded from membership on a majority vote of a special meeting consisting of the Management Committee. Any member guilty of unlawful practice whilst fishing or to farmland or property, shall be expelled from the Association.
13. No member of the Association shall be allowed to take a dog with him or her whilst fishing the Association waters.
14. Any member fishing the Association waters must keep to the banks of the river. Anyone breaking fences, walking through standing hay, crops, or leaving gates open, on complaints from tenant or landowner, in writing, will be liable to expulsion from
the Association.
15. If any dispute should arise which is not provided for in these rules, the same shall be laid before the Management Committee and their decision shall be final.
16. Membership cards to be shown on demand to an Association Bailiff, the Landowner or any other member of the Association who produces his or her Membership Card. Membership cards are not transferable.
17. The Association shall have the right to expel any member who endeavours to acquire, for his own purpose, any waters knowing such waters to be legally appropriated by the Association.
18. The Management Committee shall have the power to take appropriate disciplinary action against any member and shall have the authority to terminate the membership of any members guilty of misconduct deemed to be to the detriment of the Association.
19. There shall be the right of appeal to the Management Committee, against any decision made by an officer of the Association. The appeal should normally be considered within 14 days of it being received.
20. In the event of the Association ceasing to exist and following the discharge of all debts and liabilities, any assets at the time of dissolution shall become the property of clubs having similar objectives as ourselves. No member shall obtain any asset of the Association.
21. Any angler fishing any part of the river, if requested to move after a period of 30 minutes of fishing the same part, must do so.
22. Membership is limited to 150, excluding Juniors. There will be no limit on the number of junior members, and they will be allowed to become full members even if the limit of 150 has been reached. After the 31 March each year a waiting list will be set up when the limit of 150 has been reached and prospective members will be added to the list as and when their application is received.
23. In addition to Natural Resources Wales byelaws the following rules apply:
• Catch and release of sea trout from 1 September to the end of the season.
• Catch limits for sea trout are two in a period of 24 hours.
• Use of a float in conjunction with any lure or bait is not allowed.
• Use of shrimp or prawn is not allowed. No live or dead fish may be removed from any waters within the Agency’s area except legally by rod & line, other than with special written permission obtained in advance from the Agency.
24. The bank account of the association shall be produced by the chairman of the management committee for inspection, and be initialled by him at least once every six months. 25. All the above rules will be subject to any alteration only by the Association’s General Body.
The Natural Resources Wales byelaws and Pontarddulais and District Angling Association rules are summarised as follows:
River Loughor
Salmon
• Season opens 20 March and ends 17 October.
• All salmon must be released with minimum injury and delay.
• No worm fishing for salmon.
• Fly and spin only.
Sea trout
• Season opens 20 March and ends 17 October.
• All sea trout must be released with minimum injury and delay before 1 May.
• Fly and spin 20 March to 17 October.
• Permitted baits only 1 May to 7 October.
• Catch limits are two in a period of 24 hours.
• All sea trout caught from 1 September to 17 October to be released.
• All sea trout greater than 60cm (approx. 5lb12oz) must be released with minimum injury and delay.
• Tandem and ‘secret’ weapon flies are allowed – up to a maximum of 4 points (one treble and one single), trebles must be less than 7mm (size 8).
• Bait fishing for sea trout allowed only outside catch and release period (1 May to 31 August) , with small hook gape size 8mm (approximately size 8) and a single worm.
Brown trout
• Season opens 3 March and ends 30 September.
• Only one hook is allowed with lures and bait unless the gape of the hook (measured from the shank to the point) does not exceed 10mm (0.375 inch) with the exception that the gape of hooks attached to a plug bait may be up to 13mm (0.5 inch) and
the plug is used without any weight.
• In no case shall any bait or lure have more than nine hooks and no weight or sinker can be attached below the lure or bait.
• Minimum size is 23cm (9”).
Hooks
• All hooks for salmon, sea trout and brown trout must be barbless or debarbed.
• Fly refers to unweighted artificial fly of less than 5g in weight.
• No trebles on spinners, spoons, or plugs (singles only with a maximum 13mm gape)
• Up to 3 barbless singles may be used on a plug.
• Flies – small trebles allowed up to 7mm gape (approximately size 8).
• If larger singles or doubles hooks are used on flies they must be debarbed/barbless.
General
• Fish foul hooked i.e., hooked other than in the mouth or throat must be returned immediately.
• Ground bait or feeder bait, shrimps or prawns, crayfish and fish roe are not allowed.
• It is an offence to sell, barter or exchange for goods or services rod caught salmon and sea trout.
• Maggots, pupae, or non-aquatic larvae are not allowed.
• Using a float in conjunction with any lure or bait is not allowed.
• Landing nets must not have any knotted meshes or metallic material.
• Gaffs and tailers are prohibited.
• You must not leave a rod unattended with its bait or hook in the water.
• No live or dead fish may be removed from any waters within the Agency’s area except legally by rod and line, other than with special permission obtained in advance from the Agency.
River Teifi
As above, but the season for salmon and sea trout is from 1 April to 17 October, and the trout season is from 1 April to 30 September.
SAFETY – don’t cast your life away.
Fishing near overhead power lines can be extremely dangerous and has resulted in serious injury or death to anglers. Even if your rod does not come into contact with a power line, electricity can arc across and deliver a potentially lethal charge to the angler.
Look up before you tackle up.
You need a valid rod licence if you are aged 13 or over and fish for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt or eel in Wales, junior licences (age 13–16) are now FREE, but you must register.
More detail can be found on the following link:
https://naturalresources.wales/guidance-and-advice/business-sectors/fisheries/angling-byelaws/?lang=en