BALDERSTONE LOST!!!

What a disappointment it is to find out that Clitheroe Anglers Association LTD which is a game fishing club, have gone behind another clubs back which is Warrington Anglers, and put a very high bid in for the stretch of the Ribble at Balderstone.
This is one of the prmeium barbel strtches.

What they most probably have done is to start a price war on stretches of the Ribble that every club will now suffer from. You can?t blame the farmers for taking the highest bid, but what you can blame and is to be detested is the way in witch Clitheroe Anglers have gone about this business.

What happened to decorum and gentlemens pacts? It is an unwritten rule amongst angling clubs that this kind of action is just not on. If there had been some kind of disagreement with the farmers, it would be understandable, our lease was up for renewal, and it would have been renewed as usual without any problems, and no decent club would have done what you did.

CLITHEROE ANGLERS ASSOCIATION LTD, YOU ARE A DISGRACE

it isn't right.Poor show.

From what I have been told Clitheroe were told to bid for the fishing as the farmer was sick of Warrington Anglers. Not that underhand afterall !!!!

sick of WAA ? Why, I am interested to know.They have had the water for a while.

And our lease was still valid when Clitheroe put a bid in. That to me is very underhand.

come on spit it out.Someone must know....

Clitheroe did not approach the farmer waving their cheque book in the air, they were told by a 3rd party that they should make an offer as the farmer was unhappy with the situation regarding WAA.It wasn't just a case of Clitheroe putting a higher bid and thats was it, WAA had the oppertunity to put in a higher bid but declined to. I dont claim to know everything about what has gone on but I am trying to ballance the argument as a neutral that is in neither club, as so far its just been slating Clitheroe.
The lease must have been up for renewal as a lease is a legaly binding contract so if it was ended early then the owners of the fishing would be in breach of contract unless WAA had done something to break the contract.
This is not a Game V Coarse war just a land owner trying to get the market value for the fishing rights.

Rubbish.

Well go on Baz tell us what happened (your version) and get your head round the fact that prime fishing commands a high premium.

as a non member of either club, like wilbert (but who fishes the ribble every year, driving 200 miles south to do it) I am an interested party.Who was this "3rd party"?
Yes prime fishing commands a high premium....is it prime game water ? But i do know that game fishing commands a higher price than coarse fishing. Clitheroe were made aware ("3rd party")that they could gazump WAA. WAA maybe couldn't afford extra. By offering more money they knew they could oust the sitting tenant.Could they not just have joined WAA and fished for trout / salmon ? Of course not, then they would have to put up with coarse anglers fishing there.....better just to outbid them and keep the section as a game water. I still think it sucks wilbert but i see where you are coming from, you are trying to balance the issue. I just think you looking at it through rose tinted glasses. A coarse club would/should not gazump a sitting tenant. Whether the club is game or coarse is immaterial.
2nd point.Will Clitheroe allow coarse fishing there when they take on the lease ? I doubt it (going by past experience) but you never know, I might get a pleasant surprise.....

Wilbert.
It would be better if you read the "other two" threads on this same topic.
It will give you more of an insight as to what has happened.

Baz I have read all the replies on the other 2 threads all 200 and odd of them (took some time I can tell you). Whilst I can understand the anger of WAA members I am still of the opinion that it was not all Clitheroe's doing and they were prompted to bid for the lease which was due to expire. From the reports that I have heard about WAA a very small minority of members have given the club a bad name for litter, noise and fishmongering. How many of the WAA members that fish for salmon return any or support any of the habitat improvement schemes on the Ribble system ?? maybe its these problems that has caused the land owner to seek another tennant.
From my past experiences with Clithere AA they have co-operated 100% with land owners and surrounding clubs and have nerver been in a "hostile take over" position before and I doubt that they will be for some time to come. Its not the way that they have operated in the past. Someone from outside the club has given them a very good reason to act in this way.
I may be looking through "rose tinted glasses" but I am just trying to show there are 2 sides to every story and so far it has been very one sided. It is not my intention to get anyones back up or cause any more ill feeling between game and course anglers and I am sorry if I have done so.
As I have said in one of the other threads regarding this topic fishing is getting more pressure from the anti's now that they have got their way with hunting so lets save our fight for them.

Good last point wilbert but if the game lobby want the support of the coarse majority, then this ain't the way to do it.