About

The club was founded in 1854 and was originally called Linton & Burnsall Angling Club. The club is well described in the preface to the club’s 100th Anniversary, written by J R Sampson (President Emeritus):

“It is gratifying to be able to call the attention of members to the fact that 1954 marks the centenary of the club’s existence, having been formed by the Nowell family of Linton, who put their extensive fishing rights at the disposal of the club, and have continued to do so ever since. Although the club is not the oldest in the country, it takes rank as one which has the distinction of mature years.

The original features of the club have, in large measure, been maintained throughout its history; namely a club which was created and has been preserved to serve the villagers who love the hobby of angling, and at a cost well within the reach of those who wish to follow the pursuit. For a long period there has been a full membership, with an impressive waiting list.

Our lovely river has largely remained unaltered and efforts have always been made by restocking and in other directions to ensure that sport has not deteriorated.

Relations with landlords, of which the security of the club rests, have been throughout harmonious, for which the club is grateful. The club has been fortunate in its officers and committee, on which the success of the club so much depends.

All that remains to be said is that from a measure goodwill on the part of landlords and members, the club can look forward to a happy continuance of its affairs, just as it looks back with pride on its past achievements”.

Current season subscriptions

Resident Members* :- £90

Non-Resident Members :- £130

Resident Members* aged 65+ with more than 5 years current and continuous membership :- £50

Non-Resident Members aged 65+ with more than 5 years current and continuous membership :- £70

Junior Members :- £30

* living within 7 miles of Grassington Bridge

Entrance fee:

In addition to the annual subscription, a one off entrance fee equal to the annual subscription will be payable in the first year. 

Friends tickets:

Membership is strictly not transferable, but members may purchase a maximum of 4 Friends tickets per season at a cost of £5 each.

Day tickets:

Day tickets can be can be purchased from the Post Office located in the market square in Grassington at a cost of £30 per person.

Rules & regulations

1. NAME –

The name of the Club shall be THE LINTON, THRESHFIELD AND GRASSINGTON ANGLING CLUB.

2. OBJECTIVES –

The purposes of the Club shall be:

(a)        To provide and protect angling in the River Wharfe as a sporting facility for local people which is sustainable and affordable.

(b)        To encourage children to participate in angling and to enhance the Club’s values.

(c)        To encourage members to connect and enjoy friendships sustained by the Club.

(d)        To promote good governance and financial strength to ensure proper investment by the Club for the future.

3. MANAGEMENT –

(a)        The affairs of the Club shall be managed by the President, the Secretary, the Treasurer and Vice Presidents, (together called “the Officers”) who shall not exceed six in number and with a Committee of six other members. Up to two of the Officers and two of the Committee members shall retire annually either by voluntary retirement or by rotation. The Officers and the Committee members are hereinafter collectively called “the Management”. Members who retire by rotation may be eligible for re-election if they so wish.

(b)        The Officers and Committee Members shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting for a maximum period of three years.

(c)        The presence of five Members of the Management shall be a sufficient quorum for the transaction of business.

(d)        The President shall act as Chairman of any Club meeting and the President or acting Chairman of any meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

(e)        In the event of any voluntary resignation or the demise of a Management member a replacement Management member shall be elected at the next Annual General Meeting. If required, the Management shall be empowered to co-opt a temporary Management member in the meantime.

(f)        The Management shall be indemnified by the Club for any liabilities or damages they might incur whilst carrying out bonafide Club business. The Club will insure the Management adequately in order to fulfil these obligations.

4. TRUSTEES –

There shall be a maximum of four and a minimum of two trustees and the beneficial property and investments of the club shall be vested in and managed by the Trustees as directed by the Management according to resolutions appearing in the minute book.   

The trustees shall be nominated by the Management and will hold office until death, resignation or until removed from office by resolution of the Management.  For the purpose of giving effect to such nomination the Club President is hereby nominated as the person to appoint new trustees of the club within the meaning of Section 36 of the Trustee Act 1925 and he shall by deed duly appoint the person or persons so nominated by the Management as the new trustee or trustees of the club and provisions of the Trustee Act 1925 shall apply to any such appointment. 

Any statement of fact in any such deed of appointment shall in favour of a person dealing bona fide and for value with the Club or the Management be conclusive evidence of the facts so stated.  The Trustees shall be indemnified by the Club for any liabilities or damages they might incur whilst carrying out bona fide Club business.  The club will insure themselves adequately in order to fulfil these obligations.

5. MEMBERSHIP –

(a)        Membership of the Club shall be limited to one hundred people of whom not more than thirty-five shall be non-residential at the time of their election to the Club and such Juniors as the Management may decide in its absolute discretion.

(b)        Residential Members shall be those living within a radius of seven miles of Grassington Bridge.

(c)        Any Member of the Club may satisfy himself that any person he sees fishing in the Club’s waters has the authority of the Club to do so. Any such person who refuses or neglects to display or produce his proof of membership when requested to do so by a steward or by any member, who has produced his own proof of membership as identification, shall be subject to such action as the Management may deem appropriate in its absolute discretion.

(d)        Nothing in these Rules shall prevent the Club, by a resolution passed by a majority of two thirds of the Members present and voting at any meeting called for such purpose, for any reason, which in their absolute discretion they deem appropriate, from cancelling any ticket issued or from expelling a Member from the Club.

(e)        Members are allowed to share a rod with a child under the age of sixteen who is not a Member.

6. SUBSCRIPTIONS –

(a)        Subscriptions for Membership and entrance fees for new Members shall be determined by resolution of the Members at each Annual General Meeting.  Rates for the season one year ahead, shall be decided for:

(i)         Resident Members aged 65 and over with over 5 years current and continuous membership.

(ii)        Non-Resident Members aged 65 and over with over 5 years current and continuous membership.

(iii)       Other Resident Members

(iv)       Other Non-Resident Members

(v)        Junior Members (under the age of 21)

(b)        Subscriptions are due and payable within two weeks after the Annual General Meeting. No Member shall be allowed to fish without having paid his subscription for the current year.

(c)        Junior members with more than three years continuous membership will not be subject to an entry fee when elevated to full membership at the age of 21.

(d)        Any member who has not paid his subscription to the Club by the due date shall be liable to a surcharge or any other penalty which may be imposed by the Management in its absolute discretion including expulsion from the Club.

7. FRIENDS TICKETS –

Members other than Junior Members may obtain Day Tickets for friends at a price to be determined by resolution of the Members at each Annual General Meeting. These Tickets are limited to four in number in each Season and may not be carried over to the following Season. These Tickets may be obtained in advance from the Secretary or Treasurer and confer on friends the same fishing rights as enjoyed by Members of the Club.

8. VISITORS TICKETS –

(a)        A limited number of day and weekly visitors’ tickets shall be issued during the trout season at a price determined by resolution of members at each Annual General Meeting.

(b)        Visitors’ tickets restrict the holder to fishing with artificial fly only.        

(c)        Day and season grayling tickets may be sold from 1st October to 28th February, at a price determined by resolution of members at each Annual General Meeting.  Such tickets restrict holders to the use of artificial fly only in the month of October.

9. FISHING SEASON –

The fishing season shall be as laid down by the Environment Agency which in Yorkshire is:

Brown Trout – 25th March to 30th September

Grayling – 15th June to 14th March

10. FISHING METHODS –

(a)        No member or ticket holder shall take any fish from the river or its tributaries which has not been caught on rod and line.  Nets, night lines, medicated baits, salmon spawn and cereal bait are not allowed.  Ground baiting or swim feeding is rigidly prohibited in all parts of the Club water.

(b)        The use of single maggot is permitted between Grassington Bridge and the Bottom Limit after June 16th to the end of the trout season.

(c)        Fly fishing shall exclude the use of fixed spool reel or similar casting reel and any other attachment to the line or leader other than artificial flies.

(d)        Fishing in any of the Club’s waters with tackle involving any type of spinning lure is prohibited.

(e)        Sunday fishing by full members is allowed in the water of the Club, except in the churchyard.

(f)        Members and ticket holders are restricted to the use of artificial fly ONLY, in the month of October.

11. LIMITS –

(a)        All trout and grayling under twelve inches in length are to be returned to the river, hooks being extracted carefully to ensure minimum damage to the fish.

(b)        No Members, Friend or Ticket holder shall, in one day, take and retain more than two fish.

(c)        No person shall take any ova from any of the Club’s waters unless authorised by a special resolution of the Management, and then only in the presence of two Members of the Management and by Licence from the Environment Agency.

(d)        All fishing in Captain Beck and Linton and Threshfield Becks shall cease after 31st August for the rest of the season.       

(e)        The sale of any fish caught in the Club waters is strictly prohibited.  Any member guilty of such an offence shall be expelled from the Club.

(f)        No fishing shall take place between the hours of l0p.m. G.M.T. (11p.m. during the Months June, July and August) and 4am.

(g)        Junior members under the age of 14 may not fish unless accompanied by an adult.

(h)        Members and ticket holders shall not take more than one friend whilst fishing (such friend is not allowed to fish unless otherwise authorised); and shall not do any damage to crops or fences, nor take any dog.

Data protection

General Data Protection Regulations – GDPR which came into force on 21st September 2020.

Our Statement and Policy regarding these Regulations.

As an organisation that has chosen to hold personal data we have a legal responsibility to treat the data with respect and to hold the data securely.

Personal data must be:

  • Fairly and lawfully processed
  • Processed for limited purposes
  • Adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary
  • Up to date where appropriate
  • Not kept in a way that people can be identified from it for longer than is necessary
  • Processed in a way that ensures appropriate security

What personal data do we hold, how, why and where do we hold it and how long do we hold it for:

1) Membership Application Forms

These are held as hard copies and are retained by the Membership Secretary

The fully completed Membership Application Form holds the following information;

  • Members name
  • Members address
  • Members birth date
  • Members telephone number
  • Members e-mail address

All Membership Application Forms from individual wishing to join LT&GAC are reviewed annually.

Once a prospective member has been accepted into LT&GAC their Membership Application Forms are held for three years, after which time they are destroyed.

Unsuccessful Application Forms will be carried forward for consideration in the following year.

We will ensure that all members are asked that they consent to their details being retained and used in accordance with this statement and that they are given the opportunity to withdraw this consent. This will be done on a yearly basis as part of the communications regarding annual renewal of subscriptions. Similarly new members will be required to confirm their consent when joining LT&GAC.   

2) Membership Database

These are held on computer as a database by the Treasurer and Secretary, the computers are protected.

The database holds the following information;

  • Members name
  • Members address
  • Members birth date
  • Members telephone number
  • Members email address
  • Type of membership
  • Year of joining

These details form the basis for our accountancy systems and are held in compliance with HMRC requirements for running our association.

Membership payment details also forms the basis for preparing the clubs accounts and need to be made available to the club auditor if requested. They also serve as a double check for members details at the time that memberships are renewed.

Details are held in the database for seven years after an individual ceased to be a member, at which point they are deleted from the database.

We hold information in our database for this period because we often find that memberships lapse for periods of time and then members come back to the club. We have found that seven years is the optimum period for identifying lapsed member details.

This system also forms the basis for electronic communication with members.

This information also provides source information for Member’s Handbooks. Specifically member’s names.

3) Information why each specific piece of information is held in our systems

Members name – To enable us to address the member correctly

Members address – To enable us to contact the member by post

Members birth date – To enable us understand the age profile of our membership including Junior Members

Members telephone number – To enable us to quickly contact our members

Members email address – To enable us to contact our members and lapsed members electronically. We send regular emails to our contact list informing them of upcoming events, general information about angling and the important club information

Type of membership – We have various categories of membership which have different costs price points. We need to ensure that the member is in the correct category. We also occasionally target information to specific categories of membership.

No bank details are requested or held.

4) Website

LT&GAC has its own website. The site is maintained by the Honorary Secretary. 

Information regarding those Members subscribing to the Website is limited to their name and email details and is used for logging on to the site. This information is not used for any other purpose.

5) Disclosure

We will never disclose the information held in our databases to any outside organization.

The information is held strictly for club use and distribution of the data within the management of the

club is restricted to a need to know basis.

6) Informing members of the data held and member’s agreement that we hold this data.

We will publish this document on our website and make those members who have email access aware

of the document and request that any members who have objections or questions should contact us and we will address these issues.  These actions will be recorded.

Any member who chooses to opt out of our emailing list will be immediately removed and a note will be made to record this.

We will also ensure that all members are asked that they consent to their details being retained and used in accordance with this statement and that they are given the opportunity to withdraw this consent. This will be done on yearly basis as part of the communications regarding annual renewal of subscriptions or catch returns. Similarly, new members will be required to confirm their consent when joining LT&GAC.   

If you have any concerns, please contact the Honorary Secretary…

Safeguarding & welfare

The decision to appoint Mr Matt Hill as the new Welfare Officer demonstrates the club’s dedication to ensuring the safety and well-being of all individuals involved in the sport of fishing within Upper Wharfedale. By adhering to the recommendations set forth by the Angling Trust and implementing the Safeguarding Policies, the club is taking proactive steps to create a secure and inclusive environment for anglers of all ages and backgrounds. The accessibility of the Safeguarding Policies underscores the club’s commitment to transparency and accountability, providing members and stakeholders with essential guidelines to uphold the highest standards of safety and welfare in angling activities.

Safeguarding policies master list: https://anglingtrust.net/safeguarding/safeguarding-policies/