Greedy fishing clubs

[tortoise100]

Why is it that clubs take on loads and loads of rivers just so they can say they control x amount of miles of bank to make them sound like a bigger club so they can charge even more for a ticket or even worse a joining fee .

If they actually managed the rivers and looked after them then it might not be too bad but most don't ,and they don't do day tickets because they don't have the man power .

Then you get people moaning about nobody fishing the rivers anymore ,well around vast swathes of the country you can't without an expensive club book so why not just go to the local muddy hole and pay £7 a time since you might only get to go fishing a few times in the summer anyway.

A prime example of this would be in Derby were the town center stretches of the derwent are soon to be controlled buy a club with a £70 odd pound joining fee .

Or near me were there are private fishing notices on just about every bit of river you can access .

It all means loads of people just not bothering to try or just fishing were ever they like and waiting to see if a bailiff is ever going to turn up a usual sign that you will not see a bailiff is that tickets must be purchased in advance .

sorry about the rant but it getting close to the end of the ridiculous closed season and it's very depressing not to be able to go and fish on a river .

 

[binka]

I have to admit that this is my biggest gripe too.

Without getting into the mind boggling spiral of pro's and con's of club control it's very off putting to know that there is probably more chance of you not being able to fish a fancied stretch of river than being able to, at least around here anyway.

What is heartbreaking is travelling to an accessible stretch in the early hours to get a decent beat when you know you are passing others that are far better and will not see an angler all day but you can't have a book because you don't live within a set radius.

We fell foul of it a couple of weeks ago purely as an honest mistake when fishing behind the Rolls Royce factory on the Trent... we had been given information but the wrong bank and after fishing all day we were eventually confronted by a verbal tirade from what I can only describe as a walking heap of tackle with a head sticking out despite there being no signage whatsoever about the stretch being under club control and day tickets only available in advance from the local tackle shop, as if that's practical when you live twenty miles away.

I actually got that fed up of his f'ing and blinding abuse that I began to make my way up the bank towards him to let him know face to face what I thought about the way he was articulating his objection but thankfully he turned and skulked off as I did so... still f'ing and blinding his abuse as he went.

What's the answer... anyone?

 

[S-Kippy]

Dunno....but my club memberships are costing me more and more for less and less. By which I mean a lot of the waters on my club books seem to be not much more than permit fillers. Bit harsh maybe but not being a carper or long stay monkey its hard to find a bit of variety my way without joining 3-4 clubs and as DGF says if you only have time to fish X clubs waters a few times is the permits good value ? I think not which is why I'd like to see half season or winter permits at a reduced rate.

I just don't have enough time to do everything I'd like to do which is why I have to think long and hard before I shell out for a club book. Day tickets are a godsend EXCEPT that I dont want to catch only carp.

 

[redfin123]

A prime example of this would be in Derby were the town center stretches of the derwent are soon to be controlled buy a club with a £70 odd pound joining fee .

Ive done a lot of fishing on the river ouse through york, now i,ve always been led to believe that where a river runs through a city the fishing is free as it is in york and i believe on the trent though nottingham., I think it was a law that was made many years ago, does any one know if this law still stands or has it been done away with because i keep hearing about anglers being charged by clubs in city rivers.

 

[sam vimes]

Plenty of town and city councils are desperate to palm off water that they control to the local club. They aren't keen on the liabilty issues raised when they charge for a day ticket and they don't want to have to maintain an asset that gives no income if they don't charge. Far easier for them to rent to the local club.

Plenty of clubs do issue day tickets but it's not a surprise that they might retain their best water for members only. Day ticketing arrangements, that usually revolve around the local tackle shops or a nearby Post Office/village shop, could be brought up to date by doing things on-line. However, an awful lot of clubs haven't got even a basic on-line presence, let alone e-commerce.
Most clubs are on their knees financially, many are barely keeping their heads above water.

You may also find that quite a few clubs only survive because they have been gifted stretches of river and stillwaters, or granted very long leases at peppercorn rates by generous benefactors. Many waters would have no fishing on them at all if clubs didn't control them. I know a couple of landowners that would stop all angling if the current controlling club ceased to exist. In some instances great grandad farmer Palmer, gave away fishing rights in perpetuity to an angling club many years ago. Great grandson farmer Palmer would be only too happy if the club ceased to exist. He'd either do away with angling completely or sell/lease to the highest bidder.

Clubs aren't as bad as you think they are.

I can't imagine how much you'd hate syndicates!

 

[Titus]

My local club has about 7 or 8 miles of fishing round Ironbridge and Coalport, they are the outright owners of the fishing rights having bought them many years ago.
As a result the club ticket is still only about £30 for the year and that also includes about a dozen pools.
My only gripe with it is it still issues day tickets but has hardly any bailiffs, as a consequence every chav with a fishing rod descends on it as soon as the sun comes out safe in the knowledge they will never be stung for a ticket.
On the other hand PAAS also owns a similar or larger holding which they rent, all their waters have a locked gate policy and every member is expected to ask for cards and expects to be shown one in return, no card no access to the fishery. They rarely if ever see a chav despite being deserted most weekday evenings because they know that if they are caught the reg of their car will have been taken and the Dibble will be on speed dial.
Oh and the cost of PAAS, about £100 pa plus £100 in the first year as a joining fee.

 

[guest61]

Oh and the cost of PAAS, about £100 pa plus £100 in the first year as a joining fee.

But PAAS have a lot of water on a number of rivers from the Ribble and beyond to the Wye, in my view a very good value ticket.

I'm very much a supporter of smaller clubs and for comparison, my local club has many miles of local river but only one active bailiff.

 

[tiinker]

Unless a club has a very special venue on its books it will struggle to fill its membership one of my clubs has just this. The membership is set at 250 paying members but with only 60 carp tickets but for the last fifeteen years the membership has not been more than a hundred the water is a carp fishery with a history going back to before the second world war if it were not for fact that it is still a prime carp fishery and the fees paid by the carp anglers that fish it the club would not be able to pay the rent on the fishery there are only 25 float anglers in the club and they pay a third of what the carp anglers pay. Clubs that do not have a prime venue go down the road of attracting members by having variety I have joined such a club this year for £40 senior citizen ticket with eight still waters and 16 mile of river stretches on four rivers with a membership of 600 with fishery rent rising year by year I think clubs do a great job and are still good value for money.

 

[no-one in particular]

Clubs compete with each other so, they like to "buy" as much water as they can so they can boast how much water they have to attract customers; regardless of whether they need the water. Most of the ones I know have a couple of star waters that get fished all the time while many of their rivers don't get fished at all. I look at these waters all through the year and never see an angler on them , literally. A waste and a shame and does not help angling at all. Would a limit to the amount of bank side a club can control per number of membership be an answer.

 

[tiinker]

Clubs compete with each other so, they like to "buy" as much water as they can so they can boast how much water they have to attract customers; regardless of whether they need the water. Most of the ones I know have a couple of star waters that get fished all the time while many of their rivers don't get fished at all. I look at these waters all through the year and never see an angler on them , literally. A waste and a shame and does not help angling at all. Would a limit to the amount of bank side a club can control per number of membership be an answer.

Or join a club maybe

 

[chav professor]

Dear Deirdre..... local club £90 - controls 6 miles of my river - no night fishing

It has no bailiff and no-one fishes it other than a few Oldies who moan about the lack of fish/comorants/otters - and they use the swims near the carpark anyway.

It is a match orientated club that pours investment and work parties into two Lakes that they own (which makes sense I guess), they are popular with anglers and bites are assured as it has been vastly stocked with small carp EVERY season - much to the detriment of the specimen Tench these lakes were once known for (which I did used to join for)....

What shall I do? join and get a club book and face being kicked out if caught night fishing the river..... or carry on as I do now

Its a tough one I know Deirdre..... your advice would be appreciated.

 

[tiinker]

Dear Deirdre..... local club £90 - controls 6 miles of my river - no night fishing

It has no bailiff and no-one fishes it other than a few Oldies who moan about the lack of fish/comorants/otters - and they use the swims near the carpark anyway.

It is a match orientated club that pours investment and work parties into two Lakes that they own (which makes sense I guess), they are popular with anglers and bites are assured as it has been vastly stocked with small carp EVERY season - much to the detriment of the specimen Tench these lakes were once known for (which I did used to join for)....

What shall I do? join and get a club book and face being kicked out if caught night fishing the river..... or carry on as I do now

Its a tough one I know Deirdre..... your advice would be appreciated.

Simple find a club that suites you they do exist the one I have ust joined allows night fishing on some of its river stretches they are out there.

 

[rubio]

Simple find a club that suites you they do exist the one I have ust joined allows night fishing on some of its river stretches they are out there.

Not without a long, expensive drive every time.

 

[tiinker]

Not without a long, expensive drive every time.

In that case plan longer sessions to make it worth your while I do not drive and travel across the country by public transport it can be done it all depends how much you want it.

 

[Terry D]

I've paid £80 a year for the last 2 years to my local club yet I've never fished any of their waters yet. I end up going with my mates to other waters or the dreaded DIY list has taken priority. Something I intend to change this year now I've finished all the jobs on 'she who must be obeyed's' list.

 

[Fred Bonney]

It can also be seen from a different angle, I am a member of a club with in excess of 1600 members with many waters, still and running for £35 a year.

It's not often I see another member on the bank !

 

[chav professor]

In that case plan longer sessions to make it worth your while I do not drive and travel across the country by public transport it can be done it all depends how much you want it.

Want it bad enough on my doorstep.

Problem is, some clubs are run on an antiquated basis. Change is frowned upon.... not prepared to take risks - decisions normally based on prejudice and are quite happy to alienate anglers who do not quite fit into what they view as fishing...... i.e. 10am till 3pm and back home for tea or sunday lunch. Go to he committee meetings and try to facilitate change - only to be scoffed at.

I can understand where leases of land determine the banning of night fishing, but this is simply not the case in this instance - they just don't like it! Live baiting? Just don't like it - In fact rude and derogatory to a PAC rep who tried to find a way forward to support pike anglers.... Carp anglers? Just don't like it.

When challenged about their stocking policy? its giving anglers what they want! The falling club membership does not reflect the reality.

What to do when a match orientated club monopolizes a significant amount of your local fishing? I personally don't have a problem.... its a necessity.

 

[tiinker]

Want it bad enough on my doorstep.

Problem is, some clubs are run on an antiquated basis. Change is frowned upon.... not prepared to take risks - decisions normally based on prejudice and are quite happy to alienate anglers who do not quite fit into what they view as fishing...... i.e. 10am till 3pm and back home for tea or sunday lunch. Go to he committee meetings and try to facilitate change - only to be scoffed at.

I can understand where leases of land determine the banning of night fishing, but this is simply not the case in this instance - they just don't like it! Live baiting? Just don't like it - In fact rude and derogatory to a PAC rep who tried to find a way forward to support pike anglers.... Carp anglers? Just don't like it.

When challenged about their stocking policy? its giving anglers what they want! The falling club membership does not reflect the reality.

What to do when a match orientated club monopolizes a significant amount of your local fishing? I personally don't have a problem.... its a necessity.

The answer is to change it from within form a pressure group from the members who want change get on the committee and get more like minded members on the committee and bingo It helps if you are in your twenties or thirties because you have the spike to do it and believe me it can be done but it can get messy but if enough of you get your heads together it can be done believe me . You have to put yourself out as a group and attend every meeting usually most members of a club do not attend many meetings including the AGM keep banging in proposels for the AGM and watch the way the membership vote get the members who feel pushed to one side to work together and you will get somewhere.

 

[Keith M]

I belong to two clubs.

One club has just one very well kept water and charges £85 per year, plus you have to attend 2 work parties or pay another £50; is limited to 250 members, has a waiting list as long as your arm and only accepts invited members.
The only water is a lovely peaceful estate lake.o

The other club currently has over 20 well looked after and well stocked waters both rivers and Stillwaters, charges around £75 per year, has a current membership of around 2250 which grows each year, has new fisheries in the pipeline each year, has a match section, a specialist section, a Carp section, a fly section, a junior section and a beginners section, has 'Club Mark' status, and holds numerous events throughout the year.
All this costs less than you would pay for ten day tickets per year.

Both of these clubs are well worth the money and give me some cracking venues to fish as often as I like.
I don't think I will ever go back to fishing day ticket waters other than when I am on a holiday.

If clubs were forced to allow day tickets on their waters then they would have to charge extortionate day ticket prices to cover all the fishery care and upkeep costs, and the average day ticket angler would still complain that the charges are too much.
All the good sections on the rivers that I fish are only good sections because the club's do a lot of work to keep them that way.

 

[chav professor]

The answer is to change it from within form a pressure group from the members who want change get on the committee and get more like minded members on the committee and bingo It helps if you are in your twenties or thirties because you have the spike to do it and believe me it can be done but it can get messy but if enough of you get your heads together it can be done believe me . You have to put yourself out as a group and attend every meeting usually most members of a club do not attend many meetings including the AGM keep banging in proposels for the AGM and watch the way the membership vote get the members who feel pushed to one side to work together and you will get somewhere.

Problem is, angling politics is hard work.... Fishing is the fun bit and time is precious.