| KEVIN PERKINS | |
Never mind smelling the flowers, don’t forget to take time out to see the satirical side of fishing life and grab a laugh along the way as well. So here’s a regular column from Kevin Perkins to remind us that life is for laughing at, or taking the p*** out of, whenever we can. |
CHEAP SKATES Right, time to get the ‘lateral thinking’ cap on again and look at where fishing is going wrong. The obvious problems we face are that it is far too easy for just anyone to go fishing, it is ludicrously cheap when compared to other sports, and completely unregulated. The (allegedly) three million anglers in this country should have a huge voice in the corridors of power, but the problem is we either don’t appear to spend enough money to make a difference, or is it that we are not clever or organised enough to have gained an influential voice without contributing a penny towards our sport. Step forward the likes of twitchers and ramblers (and worse, the ‘right to moan’, sorry roam’ Mafia) who have the ear of those in charge without having to raid their pockets at all. No day tickets have to be bought by bird watchers as they stroll along the same water-side paths we anglers take. Haven’t yet seen a turnstile on the Pennine way, with a queue of ramblers going through the forty-seven pockets of their anoraks to find the correct money to gain admission, before they can proceed. Lets be fair, even train spotters have to buy platform tickets! But we anglers think differently. We will spend hundreds, even thousands, of pounds on tackle and bait in a season, and then try and run away if a bailiff comes along looking to give us a two pound day ticket! It is all rather reminiscent of the feeling you used to get scrumping apples. In fact, we all know waters where the chances of being ‘caught’ for a day ticket are pretty remote. I am aware of a mile long section of river near me where the bailiff vigorously patrols every morning and evening, and sometimes three times a day over the weekend. Except that this particular stretch of club water is nearly five miles long, get one and a half miles from the car park and you’re safe. The path beyond the mile and a half mark sports a curious, almost wheelbarrow like track up the middle now…….. If we want proper facilities, and well-stocked venues, why don’t we want to pay for them? Anglers will happily pay £ 25 per day to go trout fishing, so how about a minimum of £ 10 to go coarse fishing (sea anglers can get their wallets out too, beach anglers have had it far too easy for too long!). Clubs or associations could control venues; a handicapping system (like golf) could be introduced so that the more proficient anglers would be allowed access to better-stocked waters. Surely in these commercial fishery lead days, it would make sense for these venues to group together, charge an annual subscription of say £ 500 (only obtainable after producing a valid rod licence. In fact, the annual charge should incorporate a contribution towards a rod licence, saving the problem of buying them separately). Can’t afford that, you say. What about OAP’s, youngsters, unemployed etc, etc. Of course there would be concessions, but if you don’t pay the full whack, it is only fair that you don’t get to fish the prime sites. If it whittles the number of anglers down to half the current levels, then so be it. Perhaps there are just too many ‘anglers’ around for the whole thing to be manageable. One million, or even 1.5 million people generating between £ 500- £ 750 million a year must produce some absolutely brilliant fishing, for those who are serious about the future of our sport. All we ever seem to want is more and more for less and less, without thinking of the consequences. Most of us begrudge the trifling amount we have to stump up for a rod licence each year, but will happily go to a tackle shop and spent at least that on bait and bits for one trip. If you knew you had to find your annual £ 500 fee before you even thought about going fishing it might even reduce the need to keep up with the latest fashions and go out to buy new tackle every six months or so whether you need it or not! It must make more sense to spend money on improving and maintaining the quality of a fishery than to lash out thousands of pounds to sit behind shiny new tackle at a venue that does a bloody good impression of a cess pit? If we were to restrict access to angling by fiscal means, it would only put us on par with most other sports where admission charges, subscriptions, ticket prices, etc, are all much higher than anglers are willing to stump up, but the facilities are of course, far, far better. Or perhaps we anglers are quite happy to put up with sub standard venues because in general we are too tight to pay up for anything else? Although in my experience nothing good was ever free…… |
