Andover Angling Club

Welcome to Andover Angling Club

Foxcotte is a 45 peg, 2½ acre lake that has been controlled by the AAC since the mid 1950s. The lake holds stocks of mirror and common carp up to 27lb, crusians up to 3lb and pike up to 25lb. There are currently smaller numbers of bream and tench due to the toxic algae bloom in May 2005. Perch go to around 2lb and the lake has a good head of roach to 2lb. There are also eels.

Many pegs have wooden platforms that make easy access for disabled anglers, and car parking for 20 cars is adjacent to the lake. There is also a cafe (with toilet facilities) that is open all year round. More information can be found here. See Foxcotte on Google Earth here.

Information on Membership and day tickets can be found here.

Work Party at Foxcotte (22/06/10)

After the new boat was delivered on Monday, Terry drove to New Milton on Friday to collect the new motor and we were ready for action.

 

Just after 6pm, Paula Deverill (Testway Transform) and photographer Andy Brooks came to do a photo shoot for Testway's July issue of their magazine. It was thanks to their generous grant the club was able to purchase the new boat and motor for weed cutting.

 

With the photos out of the way, Roy Rolfe wanted us to try a new weed clearing method, using both boats with a rope suspended between the two on the surface of the water. This was tried but the rope was not able to cope with the amount of weed so plan B was put into place.

 

Charlie Topping and Phill Harland had to modify the new boat to fit the weed cutting tool onto it and while this was being done Nick MacCartney went out on the old boat to break up surface weed.

 

By 7pm both boats were out on the water. Phill Harland and Mike Berntsen were in the new boat cutting and Nick Mac and Terry Whenman in the old boat clearing weed. Mike had fitted hessian sacks onto the prongs of the cow catcher to make weed pushing easier in the old boat. The hessian sacks will stop blanket weed and slime from slipping through the prongs.

 

Mike and Phill cut the whole of the bottom bank, the bottom sluice area and up through pegs 41 and 42. Nic Mac and Terry cleared weed in the bottom sluice area and all along the bottom bank, pushing weed into pegs 2/3 for the barrow clearing team to remove.

 

Pegs 41/42 and along the bottom bank are now mainly clear and pegs 1-17 have plenty of clear spots to fish. There may still be floating surface weed but next week work parties are on Tuesday and Thursday to concentrate on clearing surface weed.

 

The final run of the day saw the cutting boat cut a channel 5ft deep all down bungalow bank, this will enable floating weed and debris to flow freely down to the bottom outlet sluice.

 

Photo's of the new boat and latest work party can be found in the new gallery.   

 

End of Season / AGM report

With highs and lows, the 2009/10 season came to a close at the end of March. Weed dominated the committee discussions on a monthly basis last summer, culminating in a series of Tuesday evening work parties to cut and clear. The purchase of a new weed cutter was a major help in keeping weed under control.

Last November the committee applied for a grant from the Test Way Money Box fund for a new boat and motor. If granted, we will be able to have two boats on the lake, one cutting and one clearing weed. In March we were given a grant of £1800 from the fund and we now have a new boat on order for delivery in about four weeks. The motor will be delivered around the same time.

We are also applying for another grant for small works. If we are successful in our quest we will be able to use the funds for some new wooden platforms to be fitted.

We will continue with work parties again this season with the next planned all day session being on Sunday 9th May, for a general tidy up and weed cut.

The EA allowed us to have 2 stockings of fish during the season. Firstly, we had some little Carp and Tench and more recently we had Bream and Tench to 2½lb. These fish have now begun to show in catches. We hope to be able to stock some Perch later in the year.

Although membership was a little down last season, anglers that fished the lake had good catches of Bream, Roach and some fantastic Perch. The biggest recorded Pike was 22lb and biggest recorded Carp was 22lb 1oz.

The match group had a successful season with the highlight of the year being the National Championships - the ten man team fishing an unknown canal came 27th out of 69 teams, a fantastic achievement for Andover in division one. Once again the match calendar had a selection of venues to suit all anglers and with the exception of the first match, the HCC was fished on Foxcotte. The MCC was fished over six away venues with old favourites like Todber Manor and Greenridge farm included.

AGM Report

The recent AGM saw all the committee and officers of the club re-elected for another season. Minutes were read and agreed and matters arising were discussed. There has been some trouble with Otters and the committee are monitering sightings and keeping the EA informed of any movements.

Club member Colin Butler asked how we were going to promote the club and try to gain new members. Tracy and Terry have advertised the club on various leisure time web sites.

Terry is to run a stall in the town centre on Sunday 25th April, part of the Test Way Transform project. There will be information on joining the club, pictures of fish caught and work parties that have been done in the last season.

We are also running a charity match this year in aid of Naomi House - more information and sponsorship forms will be available soon.

One rule change was discussed and passed - this was re. all anglers booking in for matches by a certain time, and a pegging fee being charged to those who do not cancel their space if they cannot make the match.

The Trophy presentation was done by Match Secretary Barry Giles, with Dave Tucker taking the Home Club, Knockout and Supreme Champion trophies. Barry won the Away club and Stu Dabbs and Nick McCartney won the pairs cup. Junior angler Ryan Clarke was presented with a specimen cup for his 22lb Pike.

This season sees the return of the evening league to Foxcotte, which will be fished on Foxcotte and Peril lakes on alternate weeks, beginning mid-May.

The new Match list will be available from the end of May from Challis Tackle and John Eadie Sports.