Please read all of our fishery rules carefully before fishing
NB: It is the responsibility of all anglers to ensure that they are fully compliant with all of the rules we have in place. No excuses will be considered.
The rules we have in place are for the safety of you as an anglers, along with protecting our stocks and maintaining the high-quality facilities we offer.
Please observe a code of ethics whilst fishing and fish within the limits of your own peg ensuring that you do not encroach into the limits of other pegs where anglers are fishing.
Whilst fishing at Messingham Sands Fishery, you as anglers are agreeing to use the fishery at your own risk and accept full responsibility for personal injury or damage to your property.
Day Tickets – General Rules
Please note that these rules apply to the North Lake, South Lake and the Oak Tree Pond.
- Barbless hooks only, maximum size 6.
- No keepnets.
- Strictly no night fishing (dawn till dusk only). A specific ticket may be purchased for Night Fishing on a pre-booked peg on either the North Lake or South Lake.
- Further information regarding Night Fishing Tickets can be found on the Night Fishing Page.
- No litter.
- No Dogs allowed.
- A maximum of 2 rods.
- Bait Boats are allowed provided that their use does not interfere with other anglers.
Day Tickets – Bait Restrictions
- Fishery pellets only (including both feed and hook pellets). These can be purchased from the on-site fishery shop.
- Spot checks are undertaken on a regular basis and if you are seen or found to be using non-fishery pellets, you will be asked to leave the fishery.
- No cat or dog meat.
Night Fishing – General Rules
- Barbless hooks only, maximum size 6.
- No nets or sacks. All fish must be returned to the water immediately.
- All anglers must be in possession of an unhooking mat at all times.
- No Fires.
- No litter.
- No Dogs allowed.
- A maximum of 2 rods.
- Bait Boats are allowed provided that their use does not interfere with other anglers.
- Night fishing can ONLY be undertaken from the double pegs and a reservation/booking MUST be made in advance.
- You can only fish in the hours darkness from the double peg you have booked.
- Minimum number of anglers per peg per booking:
- Weekends (Friday Night & Saturday Night) - 2 people
- Midweek (Sunday Night to Thursday Night) - 1 person
- A single angler may make a booking on a weekend. However, they will have to pay the cost of the minimum number of anglers per peg per booking.
- All reservations/bookings are non-transferable and non-refundable unless an acceptable reason is provided.
- ALL non-paying anglers, including guests of anglers, must be off site 1 hour before darkness. This includes partners and children.
- The fishery is keen to promote junior anglers by allowing anglers sons/daughters (between the ages of 10 and 15 years) to night fish half price when in the company of a full paying adult angler. This will be limited to one child per adult angler who may fish with one rod from the same peg.
- Night fishing bookings are for available for 24 hours sessions (minimum) and allow anglers to fish between 9am on day of the booking to 9am the following day.
- Anglers may continue fishing after this time will if the peg is not booked for the next day/night. They will however have to purchase a day ticket.
Night Fishing – Bait Restrictions
- Fishery pellets only (including both feed and hook pellets). These can be purchased from the on-site fishery shop or pre-ordered when your booking is made. Spot checks are undertaken on a regular basis and if you are seen or found to be using non-fishery pellets, you will be asked to leave the fishery.
- No cat or dog meat.
- No Livebaits.
- Dead baits:
- No coarse fish to be used unless those supplied by Messingham Sands Fishery. Dead coarse fish can be purchased from the on-site fishery shop or pre-ordered when your booking is made.
- Sea fish baits may be used.
Match Fishing – General Rules
Please note that these rules apply to any matches fished at Messingham Sands Fishery and Johnson's Fishery.
- Barbless hooks only, maximum size 10.
- No braided hooklengths.
- Maximum match duration 6 hours.
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All anglers shall have in use one rod or pole, one line and one single hook at one time. Feed may be thrown in by hand, or by the use of a catapult, however you must NOT introduce any bait with a pole or bait dropper attached to an extra pole or rod whilst fishing with a rod or pole.
- Maximum permitted pole length is 16m.
- When fishing with a pole, a float must be used at all times. No overshotting. The jigga float is allowed providing it is shotted and stopped correctly.
- No tapping the water with the pole tip.
- No floating poles.
- ALL nets must be dried out on the bank prior to use. Keepnets must only enter the water 15minutes before the start of the match. This is in order to help prevent the transmission of diseases between lakes.
- Anglers must not lift their keepnets from the water under any circumstances. Our fishery staff will be on hand at the end the match to weigh all fish. This is to prevent damage to our fish stocks. If you are seen or found lifting your keepnets, all fish will be tipped back and you will be disqualified from the match.
- We have a net limit in place of 100lb per net. Any weight over the 100lb net limit will be knocked back to 100lb. Is it the responsibiity of the club secretary / match organiser to ensure that the 100lb net limit is enforced.
- All fish weighing 6oz and above MUST be both landed (in the water (not airborne)) and introduced to the keepnet via a landing net.
- Any Dead fish will not be weighed.
- Gardening - Sensible gardening is permitted however you must not enter the water under any circumstances.
- No Dogs allowed.
Match Fishing – Bait Restrictions
All methods can be used unless otherwise stated below:
- Fishery pellets only (including both feed and hook pellets). These can be purchased from the on-site fishery shop. Spot checks are undertaken on a regular basis and if you are seen or found to be using non-fishery pellets, you will be asked to leave the fishery.
- No cat or dog meat.
- No Bread. (Permitted from November - March ONLY)
- No floating baits.
- Popped up baits may be used provided that the bait is without any doubt a minimum of 12 inches below the surface.
- Boilies / Wafters etc. are allowed.
Tripp Lake (Johnson's Fishery)
Tripp lake is classed as a float only venue.
- Float only means that a float must be used at all times either with the use of a pole or running line.
- No ledgering or feeder fishing is allowed on this venue.
- Please Note, this rule ONLY applies to Tripp Lake.