Another lake gone to a syndicate

Fished Harthill(South yorkshire) last week - did the same has I'd done before - set up and waited for the chap to come round to collect the money on the bank. After about 2 hours I got talking to a chap who asked if I was a member - told him no I only fish there a few times a year so always got a day ticket. He told me that now it was a syndicate water only and that prices were ?50 for dawn till dusk and ?100 for 24 hours for the year. I aplolgies to him for not reading the notice board and packed up my gear, these prices have gone up from ?20 and ?50 from last year. There were never many people fishing there last year and I can't see the price increase making it appeal more.

all i can say is anyone who is prepared to pay those prices for a days fishing has more money than sense

Even if it's a days fishing with me as your tutor?
These small clubs and single lake owners had better think about banding together or they will lose everything to the syndicates eventually.

CARPPITBAGGERS! (o

I udsed to fish Harthill in the late 50s and early 60s. In those days it was classified as a hard water, but it held some very big roach and tench for those times.

The roach went to 2 1/2 lbs and the tench to 5 lbs (a whopper for South Yorks).

And it had a reputation for producing some very big pike.

I heard that they filled it with F2 ratfish. What a crying shame.

Ron there's some decent pike in - up to 18 -20 lb I've been told by one of the carp lad's who pike fishes a bit in winter - but I've only had small jack up to about 5lb .

I've only ever lure fisfed the place so don't know about the other types of fish

Jez Paul, you had be worried for a second! I fish an old estate lake in South Cheshire called 'Harthill'.I'm glad we aren't talking about the same place though I wouldn't put it past the landowner to follow the syndicate route. There's some terrific old wildies in there plus some huge tench but not enough big carp to interest the camo raiders in their bivvys.

Hope you get to keep that water Jez - Harthill in Sheffield had a few nice quite spots away from the car park and Rotherham Sailing club up in the 3rd lake that looked good for some tench and I had planned to try it out this summer but that's gone now