Home
Sign In

Stockton Angling Ltd
Terms & Conditions



Introduction 

Stockton Angling Limited is a company limited by guarantee. It has no shareholders and is non-profit making, any surpluses being retained within the company for the benefit of its members. It is governed by a board of directors elected by the members. The directors manage the company in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Memorandum of Association, the Articles of Association, and the rules of the company. Copies of these documents are available from the secretary on request.

  • MEMBERSHIP 
    • There shall be two membership sections, namely the A Section and the B Section. 
    • The number of members of the company shall be limited to 250 in the A Section, and 250 in the B Section excluding life and concessionary members. 
    • Any application to become a member shall be treated as an application to join the B Section unless the A Section is not full, in which case the applicant may choose which section he/she wishes to join. 1 
    • Transfer from B Section to A Section membership shall, unless the directors decide otherwise, take place in strict rotation as and when vacancies occur in A section. 
    • Preference for membership on both A and B sections may be given to: 
      • Associates
      • Applicants who reside within a six-mile radius of Stockton Town Hall. 
    • The directors shall be entitled, at their absolute discretion, to refuse to accept any application for membership or any application for transfer from the B section to the A section and vice versa. 
    • Any person wishing to become a member of the company shall be proposed by one full member of the A section and seconded by another. 


  • CLASSES OF MEMBERSHIP 

There are the following classes of members: 

    • Full members (A and B Section) 
      • Members who are 18 years of age or over on the 1st March of the subscription year, or who come within the definition of concessionary member as defined in rule 2d) below, are classed as senior members.
      • Members who are 16 or 17 years of age on the 1st March of the subscription year are classed as junior members. 
    • Life members (both A and B section) as defined in article 6 of the Articles of Association, who were elected as such before 13th February 2020. 
    • Associates 
      • As defined in article 7 of the Articles of Association. 
      • For the purposes of article 7 other children means any child that a senior, life or concessionary member wishes to include in his subscription for a particular year and undertakes to be responsible for when fishing the company’s waters. 
      • Associates who are children shall be permitted to fish only when accompanied by a senior, life or concessionary member who undertakes to be responsible for them. 
    • A concessionary member is a member elected as such on or after 13th February 2020. Eligibility to become a concessionary member shall be as set out for a life member in articles 6.1 and 6.2 of the Articles of Association. 


  • No person under the age of 18 years of age shall be allowed to stay overnight in any of the company’s premises or shelters unless accompanied by a senior, life or concessionary member who undertakes to be responsible for them. 


  • SUBSCRIPTIONS 
    • The year for which subscriptions are paid shall be 1st March to the last day in February. 
    • Subscriptions shall be payable (subject to rule 6) in one instalment by no later than the second Thursday in April. 
    • Junior members will pay 50% of the senior entrance fee and subscription. 
    • New members to the A and B Sections shall pay an entrance fee as fixed at an annual general meeting. 
    • New members to the A section transferring from the B Section will pay the full annual subscription less any subscription already paid and less any entrance fee already paid. 
    • A member who becomes a concessionary member on or after the 13th February 2020 shall pay 50% of the full annual subscription. 
    • Life members as per rule 2b above are exempt from annual subscriptions.
    • Guest tickets

Any Senior or Life member of the A or B section may purchase a number of guest day tickets at a quantity and cost to be fixed each year at the AGM. Each ticket shall be valid for one day during the current season only. The tickets can be purchased via the usual ticket mechanism in place at the time (eg Clubmate). A guest must be accompanied on the same beat for the full duration of fishing by the member who purchased the ticket and abide by all rules of Stockton Angling Ltd. The member/guest must always be in possession of the ticket while fishing. This may be electronically or a paper copy. Guest tickets are only valid for the same section (A or B) as the member offering the ticket. Guest tickets are only valid for SAL waters (ATDAC waters are excluded).  Only 1 guest ticket per day may be used.


  • A member shall not be permitted to fish any of the waters of the company after the 21st March in any year unless he or she has paid his/her annual subscription for that year. 


  • Should a member satisfy the directors that, because of sickness, want of employment, or other satisfactory reason it is inappropriate for him/her to pay the annual subscription according to the rules, the directors may at their discretion: 


    • defer payment 
    • totally or partially exempt such member from payment 
    • allow such member to pay by instalments 
    • temporarily suspend membership 

If the directors agree to temporarily suspend membership as per (d) above, the member concerned shall not be entitled to fish the waters of the company for the period of the suspension. 

Only those members who have been full members for a minimum of two years, or who are concessionary members, shall be entitled to make application under this rule. 

Request for consideration under this rule must be made in writing and submitted to the secretary before the latest date on which subscriptions are due. 


    • Membership of ATDAC is compulsory for full members, excluding concessionary members, and a current ATDAC card must be produced or paid for at the time of payment of the company’s subscriptions. 
    • ATDAC tickets for associates are optional but may be taken out on payment of 50% of the current annual ATDAC subscription. Associates are not entitled to fish any ATDAC waters unless they hold a current ATDAC ticket. 
    • ATDAC tickets for members who have reached state retirement age on 1st January of any year are optional but may be taken out on payment of the appropriate amount as fixed from time to time by ATDAC. 

NB. Please note that the directors have no power to: 

    • exempt a member from payment of ATDAC subs or
    • permit a member to defer payment of ATDAC subs or
    • permit a member to pay his/her ATDAC subs by instalments. 



  • COMPETITIONS
    • Competitions shall be held on company waters as decided by the directors. 
    • The venues and conditions of any such competitions shall be fixed by the directors except that no competitions shall be held on the company’s waters on the river Tees upstream of the bottom limit of the water at Gainford. 
    • No unauthorised competitions shall be held on company waters. 


  • Members exempt from payment of subscriptions under rule 6 shall not participate in any such competitions. 


  • Members shall not fish on waters pegged out for competitions unless participating. 


  • FISHING RULES


    • The following bag limits are the maximum numbers of sizeable fish, in each category, that any member may take from the company’s waters per day: 
      • two brown trout and two grayling. 
      • one migratory trout. 
      • one salmon. 
      • one pike. 


    • All hen salmon and sea trout must be returned alive to the water. 
    • No salmon, migratory trout, trout or grayling shall be kept alive in nets by members fishing any of the company’s waters, at any time whatsoever. 
    • Members shall not take fish of the following species from any company waters that are:
      • brown trout and migratory trout: below 28cm 
      • grayling: below 30cm or above 38cm. 
      • pike above 65cm

(Measured from the snout to cleft of the tail).

    • It is not permitted to kill any fish caught of any species other than those specified in rule 11 d) above. 10 
    • Rule d) and e) above shall not apply to mature salmon. 
    • Kelts and unclean fish (either salmon or migratory trout) must be returned to the water immediately. 
      • Except as provided in ii) below, members must comply with all Environment Agency byelaws in force from time to time. 
      • Where there is conflict between these rules and the Environment Agency byelaws then these rules shall apply except where that would render a member liable to prosecution. 
  •  
  • This rule only applies to members fishing for coarse fish on B section waters, except for competitions held pursuant to rule 8. 
  • A member may have in use up to 2 rods at a time, which must be placed close together so that the distance between the butts of the rods does not exceed 3 metres, and which must not be left unattended at any time. 


  • Except where rule 12 applies, a member may only have in use one rod at a time, which must not be left unattended at any time. 
  • Where either rule 12 or 13 applies, a member may have additional rods assembled but not in actual use. 
  • Any member shall have the right to examine other members catch and tackle and shall report to the secretary any breach of these rules giving fullest possible details. The offender will be dealt with as the directors deem appropriate. 
  • For the purposes of this rule “spinning” means any method of fishing using natural or artificial minnows or other species of fish as bait, as well as spinning of any other description. 
  • Spinning is prohibited: 
    • on the company’s waters on the river Tees, upstream of the bottom limit of the water at Gainford, for brown trout between 1st October and 31st May inclusive. 
    • on the company’s waters on the river Tees, upstream of the bottom limit of the water at Gainford, for salmon and migratory trout between 1st November and 31st May inclusive. 


  • Only one treble hook may be used per tackle except when dead baiting for pike when up to 2 treble hooks are allowed. 


  • Any member may claim, by staking or otherwise, 30 yards of fishing ground and whilst that member is fishing no other member may fish on that ground or in the water immediately in front of it without permission. 


  • A member may be subject to disciplinary action, including expulsion from the company, if his conduct is, in the opinion of the directors, injurious to the character of the company or objectionable in any respect. Examples of such conduct include leaving litter, damaging crops, fences etc, taking dogs or guns on to the water, leaving gates open, or being discourteous to or annoying landlords and tenants, digging banks or taking digging tools to the water, or otherwise acting contrary to the interests of the company. 


  • Members must always carry with them whilst fishing the company’s waters: 
  • a current company permit and rule book, 
  • a current Environment Agency licence. 

Failure to do so will result in the member being asked to leave the water. 

  • Members are expected to challenge anyone unknown to them who is fishing the company’s waters and are hereby empowered to demand to see their membership card(s). Fullest possible details of any person suspected of poaching or otherwise being in breach of these rules should be forwarded to the secretary as soon as possible. 


  • Members must not communicate with the press or media (including social media) on any matter relating to the business or interests of the company, (which for the avoidance of doubt includes the reporting of catches on any of the company’s waters) without the prior approval of the secretary. 


  • Any member who is required to resign or is expelled from the company shall forfeit all rights of membership, fees, subscriptions or levies paid to the company and shall immediately give up to the secretary any permit, key or property belonging to the company. 


    • A section members shall be entitled to fish all waters controlled by the company. 
    • B section members shall be entitled to fish all waters controlled by the company except for the company’s waters on the river Tees upstream of the bottom limit of the water at Gainford, and any other waters which the directors decide shall be restricted to A section members only. 


  • A membership sticker must be displayed on a member’s vehicle, in such a position as to be clearly visible from outside, whenever that vehicle is parked on private land away from the public highway. 


  • LOCATION OF WATERS The location and extent of the waters controlled by the company are as per the maps available from the secretary. 


IGNORANCE OF THESE RULES IS NO EXCUSE FOR BREAKING THEM. ANY MEMBER DOING SO WILL LAY THEMSELVES OPEN TO DISCIPLINARY ACTION.