RIP OFF
I sincerely believe that the British angler is the best in the world. We have an innovative, intelligent approach to the sport that is unmatched by any other nation.
Problem is, we are also the most exploited.
The love of our sport and our dedication to it leaves us wide open; basically we are taken for mugs.
The profit mark-up on tackle and baits for instance is ridiculous and just about every manufacturer on whom we rely knows it. Most tackle is produced in the Far East with many branded rods coming from exactly the same factory. Cheap exploitation of labour in one place and unreasonable profits in another is a theme that spreads across the industry.
A good deal of the blame of course rests firmly on the laps of the shopkeepers. There are some who do give good advice and, when allowed by the price fixing policies of the manufacturers, actually try and give a reasonable discount when the recommended price is obviously too high, but many are just interested in jumping on the band wagon and making as much profit as they possibly can. We all have to earn a living of course and no-one ever minds paying a reasonable price for a reasonable product but at the moment things in the UK are a complete rip-off with profit margins often in excess of 100% and price fixing is rife.
Many products are carefully managed by the various reps to make sure that it isn’t an even playing field with many smaller and often genuine tackle shops suffering because of lack of opportunity to stock certain goods.
Barry Rickards comments on the ‘Chattering Classes’ as being the biggest threat to angling
Having met him many years ago on the fens, an encounter he no doubt won’t remember as I was just another angler, and having followed his career over many years I reckon his comments on the chattering classes comes from inside information. Hasn’t he become a member?
The threat actually comes not from anonymous Hooray Henry’s but from those who seek to exploit every profit making aspect of our sport, from the government agencies that re-route our licence fees to the big manufacturers and many shopkeepers.
Having spent many years within the industry on the angling side I think that things now are worse than they have ever been. Our recent trip to the States reinforced my view that sooner or later the sport will suffer. Tackle and peripheral stuff, such as clothing, etc, is much cheaper there and everyone is allowed to compete. The result is that angling just grows and grows because it’s accessible to everyone, whatever their income. No Tackle Tarts, just guys using whatever suits to catch the fish. With the emphasis on what works rather than what looks good.
I’ve a feeling that most anglers are being led by the nose into a sport that is more about getting the latest tackle than catching fish.
A few weeks ago I met a guy in his 60’s who was teaching his grandson some of the basics, something you just don’t see much of any more, and his tackle must have been thrown over the side of the Ark as being too old for Noah to be bothered with. But he really knew how to put fish on the bank. More importantly his grandson was learning how to catch fish and the importance of treating them properly, however old the tackle, not being brought up to both want and expect the latest fashion item or constantly checking his reflection in the water to see how cool he looked in his latest camouflage gear!
Who’s to blame for all this? Well I guess we are. If we are stupid enough to pay the money others will be more than pleased to take it.
SM
