News In Brief
This section provides the situation on our waters, track closures, water closures, general news and site works
WILLINGTON WORK PARTY CANCELLED
The WP planned for Saturday 21 Feb has been cancelled. Several areas of the lake are currently under water or waterlogged and water levels on the adjacent river Ouse are expected to rise over the next 24h, which are likely to raise the lake's water levels even higher, especially if the river bursts its banks. The WP will be rescheduled for a later date.
Rivers
The IPA rules regarding the Biggleswade Back Meadows are clearly set out on the IPA website and on the signs at the fishery. The permitted fishing times for the Back Meadows are 6am to 11pm from 16th June to 30th September and 7am to 7pm from 1st October to 14th March. You can only fish with a single rod and line, no wading and no bivvies. SDAA members were recently asked to leave the Back Meadows by an IPA bailiff as they had set up bivvies and were clearly intent on fishing past the off time. Please note that there is also no overnight fishing on the IPA’s new stretch at the Riddy in Sandy.
Broom Lake Track - Closed
Important Notice: Leadcore and Tackle Safety on SDAA Waters
The use of leadcore is strictly prohibited on all SDAA waters. Any member found using leadcore can expect to face a ban from the club. Within the past week, two catfish have been caught trailing rigs that incorporated leadcore, raising serious concerns about fish welfare.
On 9 August 2025, a 50lb catfish was landed while trailing a rig shown in the photos below. The hooklink had failed to eject from the leadcore leader, and the ‘chod sleeve’ had slid up to the spliced section of the leadcore. This made the splice too large for the hooklink ring to pass over and displace the ‘no trace’ bead, effectively creating a potential death rig.
To protect fish welfare, bailiffs are authorised to inspect members’ rigs. Anyone found using leadcore will be reported to the committee.
Additionally, all SDAA members should be aware that bailiffs may ask anglers to stop fishing and leave the water if their tackle is deemed inadequate or unsafe for the species being targeted. Tackle recommendations for carp, catfish, and pike fishing are provided on page 15 of your SDAA Membership Information Booklet.
Club rules also require that:
Anglers must always have an assembled landing net while fishing.
All members must carry and use an unhooking mat or cradle appropriate for the species being targeted, to prevent fish from being placed on the ground.
The ground is currently saturated and rivers are now reacting rapidly to any further rainfall. Members should consider the risk of flooding by checking weather forecasts, river levels and flood warnings before visiting any SDAA venue. Broom Lake and Willington Lake should be vacated ASAP if the nearby rivers top their banks as flood water can rapidly rise to over 3 feet deep. Both lakes have suffered from minor flooding during the last few days. Heavy rainfall in recent weeks has also replenished the water table and groundwater flooding of our lakes is also possible. Water levels at Stanford Pit are expected to steadily rise over the next few weeks. The sand pit adjacent to The Airman is subject to groundwater flooding and water began flowing from the sand pit into The Airman on 7 February, and consequently the fronts of some swims are currently under a few inches of water but most swims remain fishable. Please note that swim 11 (Green Swim) and swim 12 (Mudflats) at The Airman are currently closed to fishing for unrelated safety reasons and an update on these two swim closures will be provided at the upcoming AGM.
Status of SDAA Venues
