Day Ticket prices

[markcw]

One of the clubs I am in is allowing members to take a guest on any club water on purchasing a day ticket, We are allowed 2 a year, mine will not be getting used. The club has a couple of pricing structures depending on time of the year, twelve pound or fifteen pound, this is for 12 hours. 8am to 8pm. The club said the price is based on an average price for a day ticket. Around where I live the prices vary from six pound to eight pound for a ticket on a commercial, one commercial near me has what you would call a specimen lake and charges ten pounds, the other pools on there are seven pounds. I think the club are hoping it will be carp anglers who want a guest ticket,and this is the reason mine will not be used, I do not carp fish and there is no way would I take a guest on what could be deemed silver fish waters,and they could struggle to have a decent days fishing. I don't know what day ticket prices are around the country, but I do think the club is charging to much. The club rents a pool on a commercial where members fish for free, but if they wish to fish the other pools they pay a day ticket price of seven pounds. what are your views on the pricing of day tickets. The club charges between 20 and 25 pound for a 24 hour ticket depending on the time of the year.

 

[sam vimes]

If they are talking standard coarse fisheries, I've yet to encounter one that costs more than £10 per day, but that would be a full on commie.

However, there are plenty of big carp commies that are £25, and more, per 24 hours. I'd suggest that the club a pricing with these in mind, or they just don't want much take up. They'll have to be pretty good carp fisheries (lots of reasonable sized fish or some really big fish for the area) for the carpers to bite.

I doubt that many normal coarse anglers will stump up £12/15 unless the fisheries are stupidly prolific or there's a chance of some stunning fish.

The reality is likely to be that the committee have decided to price high in the hope that prospective anglers just bite the bullet and buy a yearbook. If they don't, and they actually buy day tickets, then they are quids in.

 

[no-one in particular]

The two day tickets I fished last year. Both were one lake only venues. One primarily a carp lake with lots of carp up to around 20lb, some coarse fish, mainly rudd, roach and a few tench, the rudd fishing was good. Cost £10. The other a non carp lake, a lot of fish including some barbel and chub, very good tench and bream, cost £7. Both in the south east, very well kept, clean, nice swims and picturesque surroundings.
I thought the £10 was a bit steep as I was only rudd fishing but accepted it had to be one price but I did manage a free day. The owner said sometimes I dont come round, if I dont - I dont mind anyone having a free day so no guilt on my part.
£7 I thought reasonable for the other one given the general rate is around £10 these days for some ordinary non specimen fishing.
I doubt I would have fished either venue if they were up to £12-£15, well maybe maybe not but I would have had an issue with it.
I dont know if that helps any but my thats my latest day ticket views/experience which is what you asked for and I thought it might endorse some of what Sam Vines said above.

 

[markcw]

Sam, there are no big carp commies around here, so I don't know how they are coming up with the average price of a day ticket. The ironic thing is a pensioner or a person with a blue badge who night fishes could join the club for 49 pounds,

 

[sam vimes]

Sam, there are no big carp commies around here, so I don't know how they are coming up with the average price of a day ticket. The ironic thing is a pensioner or a person with a blue badge who night fishes could join the club for 49 pounds,

I'm not exactly familiar with places on the soggy side of the Pennines. However, the fishery I kind of had in mind when typing was Wyreside. You might not consider it very local, but I'd bet plenty of local carpers wouldn't bat an eyelid at travelling as far, or paying their prices.

Until recently, there wasn't that type of fishery within fifty miles of me. However, it doesn't stop plenty of lads I know travelling that far, and an awful lot further.

Here's another Lancashire carp fishery with prices in line with what you've posted.
A little further afield, and also into bandit country, but not that far away, is another.

Whether your club waters can really compete with such places (in terms of fish size and numbers) is open to debate, but if they can, some folks will pay the price.

 

[mikench]

My club membership includes unlimited visits to one day ticket water(£5 per day) and 10 visits a year to two others(£6 per day)

My membership fee of £80pa is thus repaid in spades! The unlimited visit water is 5 minutes from me, has 4 lakes, is never crowded and has few rules! The farmer who owns it is now a pal and fishing is relaxed and enjoyable! Its a water which offers a good days fishing if you know what you're doing( what are you doing going then I hear you ask) in a beautiful setting! The waters look natural!

£5-6 pa is reasonable to me if there are toilets and reasonable fishing in a nice setting ! All are dawn til dusk so no silly hours limit!

 

[nottskev]

All my river and canal fishing is covered by several club books. But for whatever reasons, that still doesn't give me any decent mixed stillwater fishing, so there are maybe 5 that I visit. Four cost £5 and the other is free. Only one is what you could call a commercial, but that's an unusual one, being 40 years or so old.

 

[mikench]

I forgot to mention that the club I alluded to does allow me to take a guest(£7.00 a day) on their other waters( the non Day ticket ones) . I have to book on line stating the water I wish to take a guest to and the date I wish to go! The ticket is non transferable but I'd doubt it would ever be checked as a bailiff is as elusive as the tench on most waters!

I think it's a good idea to be allowed to invite a mate to a water you are familiar with and which might offer a nice day out. It's good for the club in that said guest might just decide to become a member. It also raises club funds.

 

[markcw]

I forgot to mention that the club I alluded to does allow me to take a guest(£7.00 a day) on their other waters( the non Day ticket ones) . I have to book on line stating the water I wish to take a guest to and the date I wish to go! The ticket is non transferable but I'd doubt it would ever be checked as a bailiff is as elusive as the tench on most waters!

I think it's a good idea to be allowed to invite a mate to a water you are familiar with and which might offer a nice day out. It's good for the club in that said guest might just decide to become a member. It also raises club funds.

Mike I was going to ask you and Gordon when I first heard of the idea of guest day tickets, then I saw what the club are going to charge, and I wouldn't have the nerve to ask anyone now. I could show you round the waters as "potential" members for free and tell you what is in each water,

 

[mikench]

And we could both carry our favourite rods and reels as we are inseparable from them!!!

I'd be happy to pay if the fishing is good Mark; it's only like going to Frodsham!!!!

On reflection anything above £10 on a day ticket is a bit steep and above £20 would persuade to pass!

 

[wetthrough]

It's a strange pricing structure for sure. The reason for fishing with friends is the social side in which case there are plenty of alternatives for much less. There'd have to be something very special about the venue to choose it. Sounds more like they've caved in to demand for something they don't really want.

 

[markcw]

Mike, Frodsham is a 100 times better, you could even have a better day on lymm dam,
The smaller club waters are mainly silver fish with a few carp to 6lb in them,
Some waters have carp and catfish in them, If someone wanted to try and catch a 40lb+ catfish
it may be worth paying. The ticket even covers the canals we have..... these can be fished anyway on a 2.50 day ticket.. !! The treasurer said maybe friends or family may want to have a taster on the club waters, If I tried it with friends or family , I would have none of either at the end of the day.

 

[steve2]

Both my clubs issue guest tickets in the hope that they will take up full membership. Tickets are £10 a day.

Looking at it from another angle I can’t believe why some find this overpricing. There are some on here that will pay 5/6/7 times that amount to watch someone kick a ball. Golfers will the pay much more to knock a ball down a hole. I paid recently paid out much much more to take my son to a concert.
A days fishing for the price of 2 cups of coffee is a bargain.
So maybe it’s just that we have got use to cheap fishing or is fishing just too cheap?

 

[seth49]

One of the clubs I’m in do day tickets for five pounds for one rod and ten pounds for two.
But if like me your an OAP it’s only twenty pounds for a full years membership, best value I’ve found.gave up with another club to join this one. Saved money and a lot easier access as well.

 

[nottskev]

What you think of as a reasonable day ticket price may well reflect the cost of living/average income of the area you live and fish in. There are big differences around the country.

Can you reasonably compare the cost of a ticket to watch top-class football, where the overheads may be enormous, the tickets sold out and the spectacle watched by millions on tv, with the cost of joining a few others around a pond that's offering an average fishing experience? Or use the cost of one to estimate the value of the other? Seems like oranges and apples to me.

There is one sense in which I regret anglers are not prepared to pay more, but it's not a fashionable view.
I'm not interested in paying more for the privilege of being a consumer at a privately owned commie or similar, where the visit to a fishery is much like a trip to the supermarket, but I wish more of us were prepared to buy into collective ownership/membership of waters where we have a greater stake and involvement. Having a bigger sense of ownership and belonging would be worth a higher price - only my opinion, of course.

So I suppose I'd argue that it's not a matter of too dear or too cheap, but of the anglers relationship to the fishery.

 

[sam vimes]

Kev,
I won't disagree with anything you've said. However, the sad fact is that many folks treat all angling entities (clubs/genuine syndicates etc) as if they are simply paying for a service/commodity. The rise of out and out commercials, and money making "syndicates", has definitely increased that attitude. The concept of a non-profit making co-operative seems to be a mystery to many. They invest nothing but their membership fee and expect better than average fishing and someone to else to look after the venue for them. I don't necessarily blame many of them for this kind of attitude, people often have limited time and money. However, if this kind of attitude persists, or gets worse, we'll soon be in a position that there'll be no one left to do anything. You only have to look at the average ages of those few that tend to get involved in committees and work parties. If such entities do cease to operate on a large scale, I suspect that an awful lot of us will end up paying rather more for our fishing in the longer term. Perhaps it was ever thus, but I doubt it.

The one thing I'm less convinced about is any massive pricing disparities based on location alone, especially within normal coarse angling spheres. Commies right round the country seem to come in at £8-10 a day. Less commercial day ticket waters somewhat less, down to about a fiver. When I've seen any greater it's usually come down to the perceived quality of the venue and whether there's anything to compare within a reasonable distance.

The real weird pricing comes in on the out and out big carp commies. For some reason, carpers don't seem to bat an eyelid at paying £20, and a lot more. In areas less well endowed with big fish, I know of waters charging £25 for twenty four hours that haven't got a single fish over 30lb. They are usually fully booked with very willing punters too. Transplant the same water into Oxfordshire and I doubt anyone would be overly keen on paying £25 per year to fish it. I know quite a few lads that regularly travel to Notts, Lincs, Cambs, Essex, Oxon, Bucks etc visiting nothing but high cost day ticket carp waters, or vey expensive profit making syndicates. Despite so many non-carpers bemoaning about the proliferation of carp. There's a very good reason as to why so many places are so keen to stock them.

 

[tigger]

I think anyone charging more than a fiver a day for catching normal course fish doesn't deserve any customers and they should be strung up like a man called Horse... but use treble hooks through their nipps instead of using eagles claws .

 

[nottskev]

I'm sure Keith M won't mind me referring to his posts as an example of what I mean. When he posts about how he and fellow club members combine fishing with fishery upkeep and a bit of socialising, enjoying fishing, ownership and a bit of community, I'm made more aware of what a poor deal, relatively, we get from turning up as a customer, paying our £x and that's far as it goes. Maybe the pendulum will swing back a bit if people get a yen for less of a drive-thru experience; maybe not.

 

[terry m]

Is 10 or £12 for a days fishing that expensive? If the fishery is decent then people will pay. No issue with that whatsoever.

Supply and demand drives our society, why should fishing be any different?

 

[Brianw999]

Probably the biggest commercial in my area of Kent is Monk Lakes. They have match and general fisheries stocked with carp, roach, perch, chub, barbel and tench and specimen lake with some very large carp. This is their pricing structure....
Adult Day Ticket £10.00 for 1 rod
Adult Day Ticket £14.50 for 2 rods
Adult Day Ticket £18.50 for 3 rods

Adult 24hrs £25.00 for 2 rods
Adult 24hrs £27.50 for 3 rods

Juniors, Disabled & OAPs Day Ticket £7.00 for 1 rod (Not on Specimen Lake)
Juniors, Disabled & OAPs Day Ticket £8.00 for 2 rods (as above)
Juniors, Disabled & OAPs 24hrs £20.00 for 2 rods (as above)

Specimen Lake Adult Day Ticket £25.00 for 2 rods
Specimen Lake Adult Day Ticket £27.50 for 3 rods
Specimen Lake Adult 24hrs £35.00 for 2 rods
Specimen Lake Adult 24hrs £37.50 for 3 rods
​
Matches & Specimen Lake by Appointment, Please call the shop on 01622 833332.
​
In Total 164 Match Pegs are available on 4 match lakes. Peg Fee £8.00 (Min 8 anglers).

I am disabled and only ever fish one rod at a time so for £7 I can have a days fishing on a match lake that is stuffed with carp and go home very happy. It would cost me £10 if I was not disabled which is still very reasonable. Anywhere that charges £15 or ore does not get my business.