As far as value for money is concerned, I doubt whether any club in the UK can compete with what the BAA has on offer. A glance at the Guide To Waters handbook quickly develops into a study. The reason for this being the quality of fishing available.
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There are seven rivers (Warwickshire Avon, Lugg, Mease, Salwarpe, Severn, Teme and Trent), a dozen pools (plus a trout water) and three canals. The above may not seem that much on paper, but when I tell you that there are over 200 miles of water, I think that brings things into proper perspective!
In fact, the BAA club card offers everything that an angler could wish for. If you’re a warm weather pleasure angler, an all year round specialist, a matchman, or someone that focuses on specific fish, there’s something for you.
Take the middle Severn, for example. The BAA has water, that if it were to fall into the hands of a syndicate, would have people fighting to join! We are talking prime barbel water, capable of throwing up a 100lb pleasure bag or a double for the specimen hunter.
There are also excellent stretches of the River Teme available. Flowing through the Worcestershire countryside, this tributary of the Severn is a river that is very special to my heart. I just love the Teme. In fact, the club handbook says of it, ‘the views and tranquillity are worth the BAA card alone’. Spend a lovely Summer’s evening on the river and you’ll appreciate those words. It also holds some specimen fish.
I could go on and on, but I’m afraid this review would soon turn into a novel! I’ve been a member of the club from day one of starting to fish. If I was in a ‘desert island’ type situation, in response to the question ‘If you could only have one card, which would it be?’, then the BAA would win hands down every time.
The amazing thing about a BAA card is that it only costs £ 22 (concessions available). This is for one year, with membership running from January to December. If you fish once a week, it works out at 42p per session. Compare that with the average day ticket, and you’ll understand why I rave about value for money. There are also BAA day tickets available, at a cost of £ 3. These, however, are not available on the bank and must be purchased in advance. Membership is also open, with no waiting list.
With waters in the counties of Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Shropshire and Staffordshire, just to name a few, the BAA card is not just for Brummies! In fact, there are discerning anglers from all around the country that take advantage of the quality fishing that has always been associated with Britain’s biggest club.
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Why not check out the BAA web site, the address is www.baa.com. The General Secretary is John Williams. He’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have. His e-mail is baajnw@btinternet.com and the office telephone number is 0121-454-9111.
I’m also more than happy to point anyone in the right direction if I can. I can be reached on sbloor@sicm.org.
It would also be appropriate at this point to mention the set of audio tapes that Des Taylor produced. Based mainly on various BAA stretches of the middle and lower Severn and Teme, these tapes will prove invaluable to anyone who wants to tackle the relevant waters mentioned. I have previously done a review on the tapes See link below).
Check out ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ this Thursday, January 18th, to read about my recent visit to the BAA headquarters.
