RULES
1. The Club shall be known as the SPECIMEN ANGLING GROUP OF PLYMOUTH.
The aims of the Group are to promote the sport of Sea Angling for
specimen fish,improve on the techniques used for different species and
to discourage the taking of immature fish.
2. A management committee not exceeding ten shall conduct the business
of the Group. The Chairman and four members including the Secretary or
Treasurer shall form a quorum.
3. Vice Presidents and Members elected to the Committee at the Annual
General Meeting shall serve for a period of three years after which time
the members shall retire and the office made available for nominations
and re-elections. Retiring members shall be eligible for re-election.
The Secretary must receive nominations to the Committee accompanied by
the names of the Proposer and Seconder at least ten days prior to the
Annual General Meeting. The Committee shall be empowered to co-opt any
member it deems necessary.
4. The Annual General Meeting will be held in Plymouth at a venue and
date to be decided by the Committee. It will be as early in the year as
possible.
5. The Headquarters of the Group shall be at the premises selected by
the Committee.
6. To achieve membership of the Group, an angler must have caught three
fish, of different species, or three fish of the same species but of
different categories (ie Wreck, Reef, Shore) that equal or exceed the
Specimen weights as listed in the Group's Bye-Laws. Proof of capture
will be accepted from the Records Officer or Secretary of the applicants
Club or by the signature of two reliable witnesses. Acceptance will be
on the approval of the Committee.
7. The Committee shall be empowered to suspend, any member, who
infringes any rule or Bye-Law, or whose conduct in the Committee's
opinion has been prejudicial to the Group. The said member to have the
right of appeal.
8. The Annual Subscription shall be decided at the AGM and will be
payable on January 1st each year. Life Membership shall be 10 years
subscriptions. Members more than three months in arrears will be deemed
to have resigned.
9. The funds of the Group shall be placed in accounts with a Bank to be
authorised by the Committee. Withdrawals to be authorised by the
Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer.
10. Members of the Group may call a Special General Meeting at any time
by requisition to the Secretary, signed by not less than ten members and
stating the business to be discussed. The notice must be sent by post to
the Secretary at least 21 days prior to the meeting and only the
business stated thereon will be transacted.
11. For Annual Prize and Trophy purposes the season will start each
year on January 1st and end on the 31st December each year.
12. Any person that is known to use or hire another person to use on
their behalf, those nets, known as Gill nets be barred from membership
to the Group. This method of fishing being considered as detrimental to
all anglers.
13. The Committee has the authority to increase subscriptions by a
maximum of £1.00 per year, if an increase is deemed necessary.
14. Proposed alterations to these rules or Bye-Laws must be notified to
the Secretary 21 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. Such
alterations will not be sanctioned unless receiving a majority vote
exceeding two-thirds of the members present.
BYE-LAWS
1. If you know of someone who would like to apply for membership of the
SPECIMEN ANGLING GROUP OF PLYMOUTH and can produce positive proof that
he or she has caught THREE specimens over the Groups set standard (see
rule 6), contact the Secretary who will be pleased to send an application
form.
2. Fishing Limits : Fish will be accepted from anywhere in the British
Isles and Southern Ireland providing weighing slips are produced from an
official source.
3. All the Groups trophies will be awarded by the selection of the
anglers best 6 Specimens from the number they record with the Groups
Record Officer. These 6 will be recorded on a percentage basis against
the Groups Specimen Weights and the member with the highest aggregate
percentage will be awarded the nominated trophy. In the event that more
than one angler has an equal aggregate percentage, the trophy will be
awarded to the angler who's aggregate contains the single highest
percentage fish, and continued on a count-back basis for all 6 fish if
necessary.
4. Species to qualify for the Groups nominated awards will be as per
the Specimen Weight List and only fish above the Specimen Weight will be
eligible.
5. Only TWO rods, reels, line and THREE hooks in total may be used for
the capture of boat or shore fish. Hand lining is prohibited. Another
person may take hold of the trace after the fish has been brought within
reach for the purposes of netting or gaffing.
6. During the playing of a fish, the angler must not rest the rod on a
boat gunwale.
7. Trophies shall be competed for annually by fully paid up members of
the Group only.
8. For the purposes of Group Records, one or other of the Marine
Biological Stations must positively identify Lesser Spotted Dogfish,
Spotted Ray and any other Ray not included in the Specimen List.
9. Exceptional Merit Awards will run for the whole year and will be
awarded for all fish over 150%. In the event of a member catching more
than one specimen of the same species in the same category (wreck, reef,
shore) only the best would receive an award.
10. The Ron and Audrey Salcombe Estuary Cup is for organised trips
decided by the Committee, boat or shore, within the Salcombe /
Kingsbridge Estuary with minimum weights to be set by the Committee.
11. All members are responsible for ensuring their "weighing slips"
reach the Records Officer within 21 days of capture if they want a
Specimen to be considered for the Groups Trophies. Any fish weight
phoned-in and not confirmed by the submission of a certificate will not
be recorded.
12. All fish submitted for Group awards must be weighed on certified
scales and independently witnessed. Fish may be weighed at sea if
conditions allow an accurate weight to be obtained. Fish submitted for
new Group records must be weighed on shore.
13. Shark and tope weights can be estimated using the approved length /
girth ratio tables.
(Girth x Girth x Length) / 800. All measurements in inches.
