7th
January 2025 - Winter Newsletter & 2025 Membership
Dear Members,
Happy New year.
It is just two
months before our season starts again at Piplye
on the 1st March. To that end, to renew your
membership for 2025, the Renewal Form can be
downloaded
here.
Our stocking
costs are set to increase again this coming
season and the rent on the lakes has also
increased. The Committee has decided that we
have little option but to put up the membership
fee to cover the increase in costs. The Full Rod
membership this season has increased from £315
to £325, which I am sure you will agree is
reasonable and still very good value for money.
Those members that joined part way through the
last season benefiting from a half rod will be
expected to take up a full rod this coming
season.
For those
members that have historically had alternative
arrangements to a full rod, please contact
Robert Nathan or myself for membership fees.
Could you
please renew your membership before the 1st of
March as we have a large waiting list of
potential memberships and need to know if there
is sufficient space for them to join. If you do
not intend to renew your membership can you
please let us know as soon as possible by
responding to this email or by phoning either
Robert Nathan or myself.
Our January 2025 Newsletter can be viewed or downloaded
here.
Looking forward
to seeing you at the lakes soon.
Best regards and
Tight Lines
Kevin Reeves
Chairman Tel:
07789 796498
27th August 2024 -
Dredging of the Top Lake at Piplye
Work started today to dredge the silt and weed from top lake
at Piplye, later than planned due to weather circumstances
beyond our control, however good progress has already been
made.
Piplye will be closed until the work is completed as there
will be heavy machinery in action.
16th August 2024 -
Dredging of the Top Lake at Piplye
The desilting of the top lake at Piplye has been
delayed by one week and is now planned to start on
Tuesday 26th August, the delay being caused by the
variable weather conditions preventing the farm from
harvesting the field where the removed silt is due to
be spread.
As a result, Piplye will now be closed for 10 days
from the 26th August.
There is some preparatory
work needed to move some of the larger
stones and bricks up to the lip of the lake
so that they do not go through the spreader
machinery. Anyone available to help over the
weekend before, please contact Kevin Reeves.
Only those able to cope with the steep banks
should volunteer.
Members may fish the middle and bottom lakes up
until the 25th August. Alternatively, instead of
fishing at Piplye, as previously advised,
Cinder Hill may be fished twice per week.
The conditions of the lakes are much improved with
clarity returning. The water temperatures are still
slightly high but we are expecting cooler weather,
particularly at night, which will help reduce
temperatures, so, hopefully, in a few days we will
be able to introduce fresh stock.
Thank you for your understanding
Kevin Reeves,
Chairman, Tel: 07789 796498
4th August 2024 - Flooding at Cinder Hill
Although many areas in the district had relatively
little rain on Thursday the 1st August, the area around
the Cinder Hill lakes experienced a cloudburst of
biblical proportions resulting in flash flooding of the
site. To give some idea of the
level of flooding, the high water mark at the watersplash was 5 feet above the normal level. The water
went over the sleeper bridge near the hut and the hut
floor was under 9 inches of water. It also overflowed
the dam on the middle lake and the water was so powerful
that it breached the dam on the bottom lake. As a result
the lakes at are are extremely muddy and will take some
time to clear.
It is all drying out now but the lane from Birchgrove to
Cinder Hill is quite treacherous with very deep ruts on
the sides and there is lots of stone, mud and wood
debris in the road.
Piplye fared slightly better, but the middle and bottom
lakes are fairly muddy and there is currently a brown
scum over most of the bottom lake.
We are monitoring the situation and once the lakes
settle down and conditions improve we will try and
restock if the water temperature and oxygen levels are
O.K.
20th July 2024 -
Desilting of Grubbero Pool
As planned, the
outlet valve on Grubbero Pool, the top lake at
Piplye, was opened on the 17th July, and the water
allowed to drain out of the lake to facilitate the
mechanical removal of the silt and weed that had
built up over the 13 years since it was last
done in 2011.
Then followed an exhaustive four days by a team led by
Kevin Reeves,
our Chairman, to rescue and transfer
any remaining
fish into the middle lake. We were
amazed to find
around 50 plus trout surviving in the
remaining water,
thankfully a large number were saved
although sadly
some expired in the heat.
The lakebed will
then be left to dry out for 4 weeks, to
make the silt
and weed removal by digger
that much
easier, which is
scheduled to take place around the
middle of August
with the work expected to take 7 to 10
days. Once
complete, the lake will then be allowed to
refill,
hopefully we will have some rain to boost the flow
flow of the
feeder stream, .and if the lake fills up in time,
some fresh stock
will be introduced for some end of
season sport.
6th July 2024 - Dredging of the Top Lake at Piplye
Grubbero Pool, the
top lake at Piplye, was last drained and de-silted back
in 2011. Since then the silt brought down in the feeder
stream and the weed growth, despite all our attempts to
control the latter, has built up to the extent that, as
previously advised at the AGM, the decision was taken to
again drain the lake and mechanically remove the silt
and weed during the summer. The draining of the
top lake is scheduled to take place on the17th /18th July which is
earlier than originally anticipated due to availability
of the contractor.
The detailed plan is as follows:
1. The lake will be drained
over two days on the 17th & 18th of July, where we will try
and save as much of
the trout stock as possible by netting and then transporting
in bins to the middle lake.
2. The lakebed will
then be left to dry for 4 weeks. This is to dry out the
silt to make the removal by digger
that much easier.
3. On the 19th of
August the machinery will start digging out the silt and
spreading it on the adjacent field
the other side of the track that runs through the trees.
The work is expected to take 7 to 10 days.
4. We will also take
the opportunity to do other maintenance and remove
further trees from around the lake
whilst it is empty.
5. The valve on the
outlet of the lake is expected to be closed at the end
of August to allow it to fill up again.
The time taken to refill the lake will be entirely
dependant upon the amount of rainfall we get.
6. If the lake fills up
in time, we shall re-stock it for some end of season
sport.
What
does this mean for members?
a. From now until the
16th July we would like our members to try and catch the
trout in the top lake. If you
are
fortunate enough to catch your limit of 3 from any of
the Piplye lakes, you may carry on fishing to get
another as long as it is from the top lake at Piplye
only.
b. From the 17th July
to the 18th August you may carry on fishing the middle
and bottom lakes at Piplye.
c. From the 19th August
to 29th August Piplye will be closed for fishing for
safety reasons.
d. From the 30th August
you may fish the middle and bottom lakes at Piplye
again.
e. From the 17th July
until you are advised of the date that the top lake at
Piplye is open for fishing again
you
have the option to fish Cinder Hill lakes twice per week
to compensate for the loss of fishing at
Piplye top lake.
This calendar of events
has also been produced in diagram format. To view or
download a copy, please click
here.
If you have any
concerns or questions please contact me.
Many thanks for your
cooperation,
Kevin Reeves,
Chairman, Tel: 07789 796498
22nd
April 2024 - Catch & Release Rules
There seems to be some confusion, or
misunderstanding by some members of the rules relating
to Catch and Release and the number of fish allowed, so
I have provided them here together with an explanation;
Catch and Release
A catch and kill limit
of 3 fish
per visit
will apply for all visits. (This means
per visit per venue)
Limited catch and release is
permitted from the start of the season up to the end of
June.
Please note to which lakes this
applies as Catch & Release is not permitted on all
lakes:
Piplye Ponds - top lake and middle
lake only.
Cinder Hill -
top lake and bottom lake only.
(The top lake in each case is the one
nearest the hut)
Catch and release is subject to water
conditions and the following provisos:
1. Members may catch and release a
Maximum of 2 fish
provided
they have not yet killed their
3rd fish. This
is 2 fish per visit per venue, not per lake.
2.
All fishing must cease when they have killed
their 3rd fish.
This means that a maximum of 5 fish
may be caught per
visit to either venue, being up to 2 fish catch &
release and up to 3 fish catch & kill.
3. A member may fish catch & release
only for a maximum of 2 fish subject to proviso 6.
4. Use only
Barbless or De-barbed hooks
when fishing catch & release.
5. Fish intended to be released
should be played to the bank as quickly as possible and
if possible, the
hook removed without
removing the fish from the water.
6. All fish that are badly or deeply
hooked, damaged, or fail to recover,
must be killed
and count towards
the 3 fish catch &
kill limit.
In summary, it does not matter in
which order you fish for catch & release or catch & kill
as long as only 2 fish are released and you stop fishing
when you have killed your 3rd fish.
You cannot kill 3 fish and then
fish catch & release because of proviso 6.
Thank you for your cooperation
Kevin Reeves, Chairman
17th
April 2024 - Annual General Meeting
The 9th Annual General
Meeting of Cinder Hill Fly Fishing took place on Friday
the 5th April 2024 in Wivelsfield
Village Hall, with a reasonable number of 17 members in
attendance.
The Accounts and
Officer's reports for 2023 were accepted by the meeting,
with all the Officers, namely: Chairman Kevin Reeves,
Secretary/Organiser Mark Orchin and Treasurer Les
Everard being re-elected unopposed and there were no contentious issues
raised.
The minutes of
the meeting and the Chairman's report for the 2023
season may be viewed or
downloaded by clicking on the relevant text
below.
2024 AGM Minutes
2024 Chairmans Report
5th
January 2024 - Winter Newsletter & 2024 Membership
Dear Cinder Hill
Fly Fishing Members,
A Happy New year to
you all.
Our Winter
Newsletter can be viewed or downloaded
here.
It is just two
months before our season starts again at Piplye on
the 1st March and to renew membership for 2024, the
Renewal Form can be downloaded
here.
As noted in the
Newsletter, our stocking costs are set to increase
again this coming season and the rent on the lakes
has also increased. The Committee has decided that
we have little option but to put up the membership
fee, although we are not passing on all the increase
in costs, partly due to the fact that we plan to
drain and de-silt the top lake at Piplye in August /
September. The Full Rod membership this season has
increased from £310 to £315, which we feel is
reasonable and still very good value for money. Any
members who joined part way through 2023 purchasing
a half rod will be expected to take up a full rod
this coming season.
For those members
that have historically had alternative arrangements
to a full rod, please contact Robert Nathan or
myself for membership fees.
Could you please
renew your membership before the 1st of March as we
have a large waiting list of potential members and
need to know if there is sufficient space for them
to join. If you do not intend to renew your
membership in 2024, can you please let us know by
email or by phoning either Robert Nathan or myself.
Best regards and
Tight Lines
Kevin Reeves
Chairman Tel:
07789 796498
10th
June 2023 - Catch Return Sheets
The catch return
sheets in the huts are an essential part of the
management of the fisheries, enabling us to schedule
restocking at the correct levels in order to provide
the best quality fly fishing for our members.
However, in order
to do this successfully, we need to be able to
decipher the information provided, but unfortunately
this is sometimes not always very easy from the
ineligible squiggles on the sheets.
So, members,
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, make our job easier by
making sure all your entries on the sheets are
clearly written, in capital letters, in ball
point pen if possible.
Thank
you for your cooperation.
6th
May 2023 - Catch and Release
There
seems to be some confusion, or
misunderstanding by some members of the
rules relating to Catch and Release and
the number of fish allowed, so we have
clarified them here together with an
explanation;
A catch
and kill limit of 3 fish per visit will
apply for all visits. (This means per
visit per venue)
Limited
catch and release is permitted from the
start of the season up to the end of
June. Please note to which lakes this
applies as Catch and Release is not
permitted on all lakes as follows:
Piplye
Ponds - top lake and middle lake only.
Cinder Hill - top lake and bottom lake
only.
(The top lake in each case is the one
nearest the hut)
Catch
and release is subject to water
conditions and the following provisos:
1.
Members may catch and release a maximum
of 2 fish provided they have not yet
killed their third fish.
This is 2 fish per visit per venue, not
per lake.
2. All
fishing must cease when they have killed
their 3rd fish. (this means that a
maximum of 5 fish may be
caught per visit to either venue, being
up to 2 fish catch and release and up to
3 fish catch and kill).
3. A
member may fish catch and release only
for a maximum of 2 fish subject to
proviso 6.
4. Use
only Barbless or De-barbed hooks when
fishing catch and release.
5. Fish
intended to be released should be played
to the bank as quickly as feasable and
if possible, the
hook removed without removing the fish
from the water.
6. All
fish that are badly or deeply hooked,
damaged, or fail to recover, must be
killed and count towards
the 3 fish catch and kill limit.
In
summary, it does not matter in which
order you fish for catch and release or
catch and kill as long as only 2 fish
are released and you stop fishing when
you have killed your 3rd fish. You
cannot kill 3 fish and then fish catch
and release because of proviso 6.
Thank
you for your cooperation
Kevin
Reeves, Chairman
25th
April 2023 - Health and Safety, Risk Assessment
We have
updated our Cinder Hill Fly Fishing Risk
Assessment document Please read it and
ensure that you and any Guests are aware of
potential hazards and the existing controls.
A copy of
this document may be viewed or downloaded
here and is displayed in the huts on
site for your and your Guests reference.
Many thanks
for your cooperation,
17th
March 2023 - Annual General Meeting
The 8th Annual General
Meeting of Cinder Hill Fly Fishing took place on Saturday
the 11th March 2023 in Chailey
Village Hall, with a reasonable amount of 20 members in
attendance.
The accounts and
Officer's reports for 2022 were accepted by the meeting,
with all the Officers, namely: Chairman Kevin Reeves,
Secretary/Organiser Mark Orchin and Treasurer Les
Everard being re-elected unaposed and there were no contentious issues
raised.
The minutes of
the meeting, the Chairman's report and the
stocking / catch data for 2021 may be viewed or
downloaded by clicking on the relevant text
below.
2023 AGM Minutes
2023 Chairmans Report
2022 Stocking / Catch Data
21st
October 2022 - Recent Stocking
Some
interesting stock fish have recently
been introduced. There is a Sparctic
trout in the top lake at Cinder Hill and
a 4lb plus Brown in the middle lake at
Piplye. (For the uninformed, a Sparctic
is a cross between an American Brook
trout and an Artic Char.). Any member
fortunate enough to catch one of these
specimens, please try and take a photo
and let us know. There have also been a
number of Browns stocked at both sites.
8th
May 2022 - Annual General Meeting
The 7th Annual
General Meeting of Cinder Hill Fly Fishing took
place on Saturday the 30th of April 2022, at Chailey Village Hall,
with 13 members attending.
The current
management team were re-elected for a further
term and there were no contentious issues
arising.
The minutes of
the meeting, the Chairman's report and the
stocking / catch data for 2021 may be viewed or
downloaded by clicking on the relevant text
below.
2022 AGM Minutes
2022 Chairmans Report
2021 Stocking / Catch Data
3rd
May 2021 - Annual General Meeting
The 6th Annual General
Meeting of Cinder Hill Fly Fishing took
place on Thursday the 22nd April 2021 at 7:00pm, when, due
to Covid
restrictions prohibiting holding a gathering indoors, the
meeting was conducted online via Zoom, with 15 members
participating.
The Agenda for the meeting
can be viewed or downloaded
here and the Minutes of the meeting
viewed or downloaded
here
or at the foot of this page.
