It seems there's a proportion of anglers (not blaming anyone on here by the way) that hold themselves to an higher level because they fish "natural waters" and enjoy looking down on us mud puddle dwellers with our amenities and loads of fish, comfort and a contradiction in terms gravel paths with no sludge to wade through.
I don’t think it’s a case of looking down on commercials, well I don’t look down on commercial fisheries or the fishing skills of the people who like to fish them.
Providing fisheries which have manicured swims and which often have on-site cafes and toilets and which often sell tackle and bait, and which are usually stocked at a higher fish to acreage level and which sometimes have artificially bred species like f1’s which provide good sport all year round and often stock foreign fish like alien sturgeon and river species like Barbel etc.
All these things are a boon to many and a great thing to have, and I certainly wouldn’t think of looking down on commercially run fisheries which are run primarily to make money and in return provide enjoyment for their regular devotees and the match angler.
However some of us just prefer to fish more remote and more naturally stocked waters which are not manicured and overly stocked and which are not overly fished, where you can get away from the thong and enjoy using your watercraft to locate your fish a little more.
Fishing more natural waters doesn’t mean not catching many fish either, in fact I can only remember having one blank in the last five or so years (at least) but I just get a little more satisfaction when I catch my fish when they are not overly stocked, and I prefer to fish waters that are a little more remote where I can wander from swim to swim without passing too many other anglers.
One of my clubs has over 20 venues to fish (both still and running water venues) which include venues that hold or have previously held record fish as well as free access to one commercial fishery for members who enjoy this type of fishery. Many of the clubs more natural venues rarely see more than a couple of anglers during the day because they are so remote and you can wander their banks at will without seeing too many other anglers.
This club is not run to fill someone’s pocket it is run by its members for its members and all profits are put back into the club either for water improvements or replacing stock if and when needed.
My other club has a very restricted membership with a waiting list as long as your arm and for the last 75 years or more has leased a beautiful and remote private estate lake which has a very healthy stock of fish.
Membership numbers are limited by the Lord who owns it on the lease so that only a few anglers can fish the lake, keeping it a peaceful and tranquil place to be.
I don’t class this water as a commercial fishery either; even though we pay for the lease it isn’t enough to provide an income for anyone, and the subscriptions we pay barely cover the costs of the lease and the upkeep of the lake.
I think that there is a place for both commercially run fisheries and more naturally stocked and run fisheries, and it isnt a case of one being better than the other, it’s just what floats your boat and what type of fishing you enjoy most, and how gregarious you happen to be.
Keith