Latest Club News
As promised, here’s another periodic update on a few things just so you’re informed. We’re happy to see so many new members joining us and exploring the wide array of fishing we offer, and are aware of some very decent catches from across our venues – we’d love to see more though so if you do catch something notable please let us know – ideally with pictures either by WhatsApp (01444 500195), email (info@midsussexangling.com) or via Messenger or Instagram (preferably with pictures)
Thanks for reading, tight lines and we hope to provide regular updates in the future.
Your MSA Committee
July 2026 Update
You should all have received an email informing you of our inaugural post-merger AGM on Thursday 4th September, 7pm for a 7:30pm start at Balcombe Social Club. Please come along if you can to learn about our activity and plans, and also to have a hopefully fruitful open floor discussion.
In addition to the existing CCTV installed at Little Rowfant, we have now installed a camera at Balcombe Lake which covers the car park, entrance gate and storage container. This is primarily in response to member feedback about anti-social behaviour (not necessarily from our anglers). The camera records 24/7 and all footage is stored in the cloud. Hopefully this will give members more peace of mind and security and act as a deterrent to some of the less acceptable behaviour that has been reported at times. We are also considering installing further cameras at other venues. As always, if you do see anything you believe goes against the club rules or risks the reputation of the club please do report it immediately using any of the channels mentioned above. We are in the process of ensuring GDPR compliance so if you have any concerns in this regard please do let us know.
Hot weather
We are keeping a close eye on all our venues during the seemingly more frequent heatwaves we are getting but again we rely heavily on our members to be the eyes and ears of our waters so if you see any signs of fish in distress, pollution or similar again please let us know as soon as you possibly can. As well as a water testing kit, we have one aerator in storage which we will probably install soon and also have a pump for emergencies. We also met with the EA this week (who are supportive and keen to become more engaged with the club) who explained they are dealing with a significant number of troubled venues at the moment.
Invasive, Non-Native Species (INNS)
We have been working closely with the Angling Trust, the Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust and the Waterlife Recovery Trust on managing INNS on our venues. This week (postponed during the last heatwave) a number of volunteers from OART attended the Sloop (above the weir) and attacked our Himalayan Balsam which has been significantly spreading year on year. We have also secured funding from the AT for some new kit to help deal with the problem and including some money to get a couple of people trained on the use of pesticides near water. We also have a number of mink traps across multiple venues (and plan to add more) provided by the WRT and these are proving pretty successful in reducing mink numbers (several have been trapped at Deak’s Lane and on the river).
All of these relationships form part of our wider strategy to expand external relationships with organisations that either share similar interests or can help us improve as a club, and we are seeing some significant benefits to this approach.
www.facebook.com/OuseAndAdurRiversTrust
www.waterliferecoverytrust.org.uk
Shouldn’t need repeating but we’re still seeing too many instances of:
Gates being left open/padlocks not being scrambled
Fires on the bankside
Littering
Inconsiderate parking
We’re in the process of discussing our approach to bailiffing and looking at ways of increasing our numbers/presence on the bank. As enforcement increases, we will need to consider stronger enforcement/sanctions so please leave your peg as you would like to find it and report anything untoward
Work Parties & Maintenance
These are being held every Tuesday evening as long as we have enough daylight. We always have more work than available volunteer time so if you’re able to lend a hand (you don’t need any particular skills, we can always find jobs) please do come along. Details of the venue/planned work are posted on our Facebook page a few days in advance, alternatively drop us a WhatsApp on 01444 500195 and we’ll let you know.
Club Matches
Adrian Westgate, our Match Secretary, has pulled together a fantastic calendar for the season and our matches are being very well attended (often fully booked). Match reports are always available on Clubmate shortly after the event and even if you’re not a match angler we’d encourage you to take a look at them as they’ll give you an idea of what is being caught. The matches are friendly and inclusive and new competitors are always welcome – you’ll find the group very welcoming and happy to give advice if you’re unsure.
March 2026 Update
Merger Activities
We believe we’ve made good progress in the first few months. The Executive Committee is now fully established and operating effectively with a full complement of officers, monthly meetings and a clear and closely-managed action list. We have a single instance of Clubmate through which membership and communication are managed, we’ve changed the name of the limited company to Mid Sussex Angling Ltd, aligned and simplified membership categories, largely completed the integration of our banking and finance arrangements and are working on making sure our freeholds are properly registered. New club signage has been erected at most venues (work in progress) and our website (www.midsussexangling.com) is fully up and running including new, more detailed maps and venue information. All of this, plus Club rules, match booking/results, gate codes and our online shop etc are all available on the Clubmate app.
Membership
Work Parties & Maintenance
We’re approaching the lighter evenings so we will be starting these again in earnest very shortly – please do try to help out where you can as we are always grateful for extra volunteers – it’s a great way to meet other anglers/committee members, and the sessions are often followed by refreshments at a suitable watering hole. Details will be posted on our Facebook page in advance, usually on a weekly basis – if you have any particular skills that would be beneficial, please let us know but all extra hands are always welcome as we have an extensive programme of work that needs doing.
Despite the awful weather throughout the winter, we have still managed to clear a number of swims on the farside causeway/Hammer Point at Ardingly (so now fishable when the reservoir is full) and added a new gate, significantly improved the path at Wilderness, added siltex to the Road Lake and removed some trees at the complex and on 27/28 March will be undertaking major improvements to the car park at Balcombe Lake. Working closely with the Waterlife Recovery Trust, we have also captured several mink, particularly at Deak’s Lane and on the river. We’re also working with SEW to secure the perimeter at Ardingly with new locks/chains to help restrict public access.
Club Matches
Match attendances are thriving which is great to see – you can see all the match reports on Clubmate. We recognise most of our venues have limited capacity, so please make sure you book in advance via Clubmate for any that you wish to fish as places are limited and if you turn up on the day without booking there is a strong chance you won’t be able to fish. We have a match WhatsApp group – if you wish to be added to that please let Adrian Westgate, Match Secretary, know. We’d also encourage all members to check the match calendar (on Clubmate) when planning any session as waters are generally closed to other anglers on the day of any match.
General
