Wintle's World - Commercial Fisheries #3

Commercial Fisheries # 3 Having looked at the future through rose-tinted specs in my last article on commercial fisheries maybe it's time for a reality check! The developments in coarse fishing taking place at present affect us all. Commercials - the reality Before I move onto club waters and rivers let's explore some of the things that are affecting commercial fisheries. Typical commercial fishery - it exists to make money The major floods have hit a number of waters; some have lost much of their stock, and certainly closing a water affects the owner's income. This isn't the first time that floods have hit this type of fishery. It is always easiest to dig lakes in the floodplains of rivers and streams but unless flood protection is put in place such waters are going to be vulnerable. A commercial water is by its very name a commercial undertaking. It exists to make money. To do so it must not only keep lots of paying customers happy but also make enough to maintain the fishery. That maintenance is ongoing; restocking, fishery management, bank maintenance and bailiffing. The changing demands of anglers mean that if a new water that meets the current fashion opens just down the road an existing water can quickly fall out of favour. Anglers are notorious for flitting from water to water for all sorts of reasons. Plenty of anglers will discard a water based on a single bad day rather than persevere with the knowledge that the water will come good again. One answer to getting away from reliance on day tickets is to turn it into a syndicate water. It may work, getting the same income with a lot less hassle and aggravation, yet others have struggled when the anglers realise that £500 is a lot to pay for a water that they rarely fish, or feel constrained to keep fishing the same water because they've lashed out so much on it. The developments around the greater demand for bigger carp - double figure fish and upwards are fine if you have a fishery that can develop that way but that isn't always the case. If you've got a water full of small carp, no potential to develop it further, and declining interest from match and pleasure anglers alike, you are stuffed. Your best bet might be to rent it to local clubs and still offer day tickets to maximise income but your options are limited. Quiet club lake I know of two local waters that have peaked in terms of earning power. One has had both floods and fish kills, and is certainly less busy than even two years ago. The fishing is still good but nothing like as easy as before, and with most of the bigger carp gone the casual carp anglers have disappeared. The decline in match fishing is evident too. The other water was day ticket with club concessions then went to an expensive syndicate that seems to be struggling. Its carp stocks were prolific but nothing special in terms of size and a better club water is available for a quarter of the price barely a mile away. The common theme is that both are up for sale. You will need deep pockets to buy either. Club waters - stillwaters Alongside the commercial fisheries are many club waters. By comparison they are distinctly understocked, and yet… Instead of fill your boots fishing these can offer quiet fishing in prettier surroundings, possibly more challenging, and at a fraction of the price. So how can clubs compete with the commercial fisheries? There are several ways that a club can improve its fisheries cheaply and without tremendous specialist knowledge. Fishery management, which usually means taking fish out rather than pumping fish in - with the consent of the EA, can transform mediocre waters. It may take several years, but quality fishing at little cost is attainable. Unfished Thames Improving the facilities could mean making the swims nearest the improved car parking safe, well defined and comfortable to fish. Take a step back from the water. Do you really still need fifty cramped match pegs on a water when half the number would result in a better fishery? With a little help it doesn't take mother nature long to fill in the gaps. Fishery management means losing the idiots too. Clubs don't need litter louts or those who spoil the enjoyment of others any more than the commercials. Clubs can survive but only if they adapt. Club waters - rivers Need to get away from it all - just go fishing on a river. Unless it's a barbel water the chances are that you'll get it all to yourself even at weekends. First though you've got to find the river through the nettles, brambles and other jungle. It seems the rush to carp waters is so endemic that rivers are seen as worthless yet the fishing on many rivers is as good as it has ever been in many cases. Perhaps the only river fishing that has yet to recover is big roach fishing but there seems to be plenty of good sized roach around. Perch and chub continue to do well, and as far as I'm concerned it's a float angler's paradise. But with so many anglers convinced the only way to fish is by legering much of this fishing is going to waste. As often as not when I do bump into another angler it's one of the few others that I know still floatfish the rivers, an aging and diminishing band (the strolling bones?). In every sense, is the sun setting on our rivers? Can the clubs reverse this trend? Probably not. But they can at least ensure that a few swims are cleared near the access points to encourage a few back to try out the rivers. One indication of this dire situation was fishing a superb stretch of the Thames on the last Sunday of last season. We only found one other local angler on the water yet there was a chance of big roach, and that would be the last opportunity to fish the river for three months. True it was much more challenging than a heavily stocked commercial but a season ticket is less than two day tickets on a commercial, and you cannot fault the fishing. The next stretch up is similar with an annual club book less than £25 and deserted waters, and it's a similar picture much closer to home in Dorset apart from famous waters like Throop and the Royalty. The danger with this neglect is that the clubs will either fold or drop the waters so that the opportunity isn't even there anymore. So, what have we learned? Firstly that no matter what the fishing is like today you can be sure it won't be the same in five or ten years time. Secondly, it's often a case of use it or lose it, and that applies equally to commercial waters as to club waters. Finally it's time for more of us to be braver in our fishing. I've started trying out waters I haven't visited for decades. The fishing has certainly changed, and so have the methods, yet it's as enjoyable as ever.