Fly casting tuition day at Embsay reservoir.
To be held on Sunday 17 September at 2pm and will run till 5pm. Theres only 15 spaces available. Head over to our online shop (look in the donations section) to book your place. All money raised (£10 per head) will go towards additional stocking. If we are oversubscribed another day will be organised at a later date. You will get casting tuition, advice on tackle and flies, lessons on leaders and knots. David Henderson and his "volunteers" look forward to welcoming you. If you have tackle of your own then please bring it along and use it -after all it’s what you’ll be fishing with!Click on the link below to book your place
Book here
WIN A TEN POUND VOUCHER
A ten pound tackle voucher will be up for grabs every month throughout summer, for the best (not necessarily the biggest) fish caught on SAA waters.The ongoing competition is open to all junior members (under 12's).
To enter simply submit details of the catch and angler with a photo via the SAA facebook page, it's that easy!
One lucky winner will be picked by the committee on the second Wednesday of every month. Don't be scared to sumbit your catches, even the smallest of specimens could see you winning.
Annual River Aire Clean-up
Sunday 20th March 9.30amMeet at Walton Wrays crematorium gates, Carleton Road, Skipton, BD23 3BT
We start at 10am, picking litter from above and below Carleton Stone Bridge, roughly finishing between 12 and 1pm. Open to all, bring your family and friends along. You will need decent footware, suitable warm clothing and a good pair of gloves, maybe litter pickers if you have them.
Canal venue extension
Its official , after lengthy negotiations between our Secretary and the Canal Rivers Trust, I can confirm that SAA have secured an extension of fishing rights from Niffany corner (our previous limit) all the way up to the top lock at bank newton (41), offering just under 12km (7.5 miles) of canal angling.
There are further plans for the canal which I can not divulge at this point in time so keep your eyes peeled for an update.
2022/23 Match dates
Coming soon
2022/23 New stock
The first two large stockings of mixed game species have already been planned for Embsay, in addition to these club funded stockings, 200lb of brown trout have been very kindly donated by one of our members, for this we are most greatful. This will further improve angling at this already excellent venue.
Latest Covid-19 update
Use your common sense to keep yourself and others safe.
Free under 12's
Don't forget,Free under 12’s membership is available upon request (Offer only available when adult membership has been purchased. Max of 2 free under 12 membership, per adult membership) -For those wishing to take advantage of the offer please contact Lindsey Tipling at saamembershipsecretary@gmail.com
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please note, that with immediate effect there is a ban on any species of fish, except rainbow trout, being taken from any of Skipton Angling waters. New size limits have been implemented too, the minimum takeable size stays the same at 11" (28cm) but there is now a maximum weight limit of 3lb. All rainbows over 3lb must be returned safely.
This move has been made to help increase enjoyment by allowing more anglers to catch those specimen fish. Also to protect our beautiful native brown trout and the rarer hybrids such as the tigers and spartics. If you are not 100% sure the species you caught is a rainbow trout, then return the fish safely.
2020/21 season,recap
So an update of the website has been long overdue and since the weather outside isn't fit for ducks I thought I'd post a few of the many pictures of ctaches from this season. (all lifted from our Facebook Group Page).
This early stocking of Whinny Gill and the more recent one at Embsay has produced some marvellous and varied catches, you never know what's going to be on the end of your line.
Newsletter
Click on the link below to downlod last years Skipton Angling Newsletter New one out soon.
Newsletter
Theft of fish
Taking fish above bag limits or outside min /max size, fishing without a current membership or day ticket is simply a 'class one theft act' and its our law abiding anglers that suffer (as you are the ones that have paid for the stock). Our club funds are carefuly balanced, we can simply not afford to be replacing stolen stock on a regular basis.
To help protect your fish, our baillifs will be upping their patrols and may ask to not only check your book or day ticket but to also check inside any luggage, please do not be offended by this measure and assist in any way you can.
You can help keep your waters safe by reporting any suspicions of foul play to the baillifs (their numbers are in the membership book) and on the sign in the car park, please make a note of this prior to fishing
If theft of fish is suspected, police will be called and legal action will be taken, misunderstanding of the rules is not an excuse. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Embsay habitat developments
Some 400 trees have been planted along the banks of Lowburn Gill and near the entrance ditrectly behind the sailing club and consisted of grey willow, hazel, dogwood, hawthorn, blackthorn, downy birch, alder, holly and bird cherry.
Fencing works are also near completion, works to tributaries and planting of marginals will commence when the water level drops and the weather warms up a little.
Further tree/hedge planting will be planned towards the end of the year when we can get some more trees.
Just a quick update
As of next season, SAA will be entering into a 'shared ticket scheme' with Ilkley Angling Association. Which will allow two members from each club, per day, to book onto each others waters (catch and release only). Full details will be published later on in the year, but if you want to get an idea of how it works, check out IAA website as they already run a similar scheme with other clubs.Also new next season, we will be looking towards improving the angling experience for our younger members. There will be an annual trophy for the best fish caught by a junior, a junior club record fish table and we will also be looking towards a couple of free 'drop-in' style tuition event on the canal. It would be great to drum up enough intrest to maybe run a couple of junior matches too.
Ide record falls
Dave Fenns record Ide weighing in at 1.300kg. One of the less frequently seen species at Whinny Gill. Originally stocked way back in Jan 2010 at a very small size and in small numbers. The club will be topping up the stock at the end of the year by introducing 200 x 6-8" ide.
Double record in the same day
A double club record in one session for SAA Vice President Malcolm Mawson. Common carp @ 2.670kg and a blue orfe at 1.370kg. Caught at Whinny Gill.
Resident record breaker is at it again
Whinny Gill continues to give up its secrets as Michael Ickringill breaks two club records in as many days. First came the marvelous ghostie at 4lb 8oz 2dr followed by this stunning mirror carp of exactly 5lb 8oz 2dr. This sees Michael now holding no less than five club records.
Whinny Gill keeps on producing new records
Whinny Gill certainly produced last week with numerous large bags of tench and rudd along with the usual trout, roach and bream. Perhaps one of the more notable catches was by Darren Horton, who managed to catch the first ever Whinny Gill crucian weighing in at exactly 8oz. The records continued and a few days later at the taster-day, new member Lee wiseman landed a fin perfect 5lb 9oz Common Carp. Well done to both.
71 year old brown trout record smashed - updated 11.04.2017
John Nicholls (pictured above) with his 3 Kilo (6lb 10oz) brown trout. A new Whinny Gill and club record that R.Burton had previously held for 71 years. Well Done John. The beautiful beast was returned to fight another day. The same trout has since been caught again, this time by Michael Ickringill (pictured below)at a slightly heavier weight of 3.040kg (6lb 110z 4dr), knocking John out of the record book. With two other records for tench and rudd, Michael is surely one to keep an eye on
Restoration begins
Work on the new 'Wet Woodland' below Carleton Stone Bridge began on Wednesday 08.03.2017. 'Forest Of Bradford Volunteers' started the work by planting the mixed species native hedgerow along the existing fence line to the bypass. They will be back on site over the coming weeks to erect fencing and an access gate to the lower end of the land. The black poplars will also be individually fenced off and further trees planted throughout the field. Hopefully all this will be completed around the start of April.
In addition to this, over one hundred willow whips were planted by SAA 11.03.2017, along the spit of land immediately below Eller Beck, in order prevent losing the spit when the river is in spate. SAA will continue this work with further planting of willows in the river bankings, to protect existing stands of trees, help provide new habitat, stabilize the banks and help the formation of pinch points.
Whinny Gill Stocking
A large number of coarse fish were stocked into Whinny Gill on Sunday 20 November
Please respect the fishes welfare and refrain from fishing the venue until they get settled in.
Click here to see more photos
Successful bid!
It is with great pleasure that i can announce The Clubs recently submitted bid to Skipton Building Societies Grassroots Giving Fund has been sucessful. A huge thank you to all who took the time to bid for the association, we couldnt have done it without you. in case you missed it, you can still view the bid that was submitted, which includes details of what this means for anglers in the Skipton area.
Click here to read the succesful bid
New funding secured!
The Association has recently been applying for funding from numerous different sources to ensure that our Whinny Gill venue can continue to hold successful taster-days, allowing attendees a greater chance of catching that all important first ever fish. It was important for the club to not only increase stock numbers at the venue but to also introduce new native species that have the potential to breed in the water, hopefully creating a legacy for years to come.
Our hard work has been recognized by local craven district Councillors Robert Heseltine and Andy Solaway, who support our views and have recently awarded £500 each of their allocated Members Ward Budget. This will be added to the £800 that the club has raised through events and other donations, so a huge thank you to them.
After much consideration, the committee has decided that the £1800 will be used to stock small numbers of Tench, Crucians, Rudd and Gudgeon in to the venue towards the end of the year. The funding applications are continuing and we hope others will support our efforts, enabling us to further increase stock.
Our various Matches also continue to raise funds and we hope the final taster-day of 2016 will futher to add to the stocking kitty and afford the club to add to the orders that are already placed. A big thank you to all that have helped, especially those who donate their match winnings back to the fund, people who donate their unwanted fishing tackle for sale at the taster days and of course everyone who helps make them the huge sucess they have become.
More evidence of illegal stockings produce new records
Two new records have been set by Michael Ickeringill in a single visit to Whinny Gill. Along with around 20 skimmer bream and a good sized perch, a rudd of 4oz 6dr was landed, closely followed by a tench weighing 1lb 6oz. The club were aware that a solitary rudd did indeed get mixed in with the roach and bream at the last stocking but the news of the tench came as somewhat of a surprise as they have never been stocked by the club.
Although Michael is to be congratulated on his fine catch, It is important to make clear the clubs viewpoint on any stockings of an illegal nature. Illegal stockings are just that – illegal. They carry a very hefty fine and a criminal record to anyone caught stocking in this manner. Not only is it important to consider the legalities of such actions but the implications on the gene pool of existing fish, introduction of pathogens, parasites and invasive species. Illegal stocking puts at risk the existing stock, the delicate ecological balance of the water and the club in general. Any information relating to such stockings shall be investigated by the club and handed to the Environment Agency.
Ide record broken
I can now officially announce that Alan Wades Whinny Gill Ide record was broken last week by Craig Hartley. The fish weighed in at 2lb.13oz and is pictured here next to Craigs size 12 shoe. It was an estimated length of between 16-17 inches. On the same visit Craig also landed a number of decent trout good sized ruffe and a smaller ruffe, but these were unweighed. Well done craig.
Phillip on form
One of SAA long standing members and regular visitor to Embsay, Phillip Mawson, was lucky enough to land this beautiful rainbow trout recently. The trout which tipped the scales at 7lb 8oz and measured 26 inches, smashes the previous record. Maybe Phillip will be looking to catch an even bigger one on his next visit.
Huge success at Skipton Anglings taster-days.
As part of its policy to encourage young persons to take up the sport of angling, Skipton Angling Association held a ‘Taster-day’ on Whinny Gill Reservoir on Sunday 24 April. Despite the cold weather, a pleasing number of persons attended the event. A count during the afternoon indicated that there were upwards of 30 persons on the banks of the reservoir. This included 12 youngsters receiving free tuition, parents, club members and club officials.
All the anglers, including those who fish the water on a regular basis, found the fishing difficult due to the cold weather on the day and during the previous evening. All the fish landed were specimen brown trout between 2 ½ to 3 ½ lb range. At the conclusion of the event the ‘Junior Fishing Trophy’ was presented to Joshua Ickeringill by Martin Emerson, Deputy Skipton Town Mayor. A prize of a beginners fishing kit was later presented to James Dagget for his 3 ½ lb brown trout. All the children who took part received ‘goody bags’ compiled by the Association, containing feeders, disgorgers, line and other useful items such as DVDs that had been donated by Angling Times, Maxima and Enterprise Tackle.
An innovation at this event was the introduction of a special stall selling pre-loved fishing tackle that had been donated to the Association. It proved very popular and together with other donations, a significant amount was raised for the Associations stocking fund. The Association wishes to extend its thanks to all those who gave up their time or donated prizes to help make the event a huge success. Other prizes and bait for the event were donated by KL Tackle, Keighley and Sunny Bank Bait Farm, Bradford.
There has already been interest shown for the next taster-day by those who unfortunately could not attend on Sunday. This will take place on 26th June and again on the 21st August when hopefully we will be breaking out the sun cream opposed to the woolly hats. Once again there will be prizes to be won, pre-loved tackle bargains and of course the all-important free angling tuition and reduced membership offers. It would be great to see as many turn up for the next event.
M.L.Mawson (Events Secretary).
Mawson sets the bar
Plenty of trout have been coming to the net at Embsay this season with many reports of individual sessions bringing well over 10 fish to the net, most are browns and rainbows around the 2lb mark but plenty of the new tigers have been caught too and more importantly, released again. April has seen the record for the tiger trout set at 1lb 8oz by the clubs Event Secretary, Malcolm Mawson. There are also reports of a rainbow being landed at a shade under 8lb (also released), however not enough details have been received in order for this to officially break T.Fryers current record of 6lb 6oz set in 1991. Get out there, get fishing and break records!Double Stocking for Embsay
Well it could not have been a nicer day for an extra stocking in time for the start of the new season - The planned 200 tiger trout, turned into 150 due to a supply issue but the missing 50 fish were replaced by a mix of 50 fantastic large brownies and rainbows, some of which were easily 7lb in weight. A few ecepetionaly blue trout were thrown in the mix for good measure too. All this only a fornight after the last stock went in.
As for the tigers, well they were every bit as stunning as expected however getting photos was tricky as they were like pirahnas on a feeding frenzy -
unbelievably lively! We should have perhaps issued them with ASBOs before releasing them. What a fantastic season this is going to be.
Be sure to submit your photos if you catch them. As usual, you can see more photos on our Facebook group page.
CAN YOU HELP SUPPORT US?
The taster-day events Skipton Angling Association run are primarily hosted to ensure the past-time of angling does not disappear into the realms of history. Unfortunately we now live in a society where kids (and adults) would rather sit playing on an X-Box rather than a tackle box. We believe it is much healthier and much more rewarding, to spend a day on the river bank, learning and appreciating the wildlife and your surroundings, rather than shooting zombies in a computer generated post apocalyptic world, on the latest curved OLED 3D TV. If you share our in beliefs, then we invite you to help us pass on our knowledge of angling and appreciation of the naturalistic environment it offers, to the next generation.TIME & KNOWLEDGE: Without volunteers passing on their knowledge, the whole event collapses. If you know how to cast a fly line, stick a worm on a hook or tie a knot, then we ask if you could donate an hour or two of your time to teach others what you know. You don’t have to be an expert! We can assure you that, not only will your help be greatly appreciated but you will find it extremely rewarding to have helped someone learn a valuable new skill. Turn up on the day, or contact us for more information on how you can help.
PROMOTION: If you are unable to help in any other way, then we ask you to help us by getting word out. Are you able to help by putting a poster up at your place of work or in your school or social club? Can you help deliver a few leaflets? You can still help without leaving the comfort of your chair by sharing this and other posts on social media. We need to spread the word far and wide, not just in Skipton, so this is particularly helpful if you live outside the immediate area. Contact me if you would like leaflets or a poster, alternatively you can download a poster from the juniors page.
PRIZES: Everyone loves to win a prize, which is why we try to ensure that all juniors who attend our events go home with a small prize in recognition of their achievement. These prizes are all supplied by donations from generous members and hopefully awarded this year by the town mayor. With this in mind, we ask that next time you find yourself in a tackle shop, that you consider purchasing a little something extra, whether it be a couple of floats, a small tackle box or a basic rod/reel combo, it all helps and ensures that we don’t send any of the youngsters away empty handed.
USED FISHING TACKLE: This year we will be running a second hand fishing tackle stall at our events, so if you have a little too much fishing tackle, (I think we all have a bit of something) that is in a reasonable, clean condition, then please consider donating it to the club. Likewise, if you’re looking to purchase a bargain, then come and have a browse. All proceeds will go towards the stocking of coarse fish in to Whinny Gill, ensuring that new anglers have a greater chance of catching that most important ‘first fish’. We all remember our first fish, right? Donations can be made on the day or in advance to any club official. We can even arrange collection if required.
