Is it worth it???

Is it worth joining specimen angling clubs like Tenchfishers? And if so why?

Only you can answer that. Those that find value in them will invariably say yes. Those that don't will say no. I don't doubt that they'll suit some folks very well. Those of us that are less social animals probably aren't likely to be joiners of such organizations. Some of those might still join but never get deeply involved if they think there's some advantage in doing so.
No matter what those with negative views might say, they generally don't do any harm. If you think that they might be for you, they could well be.

A few years ago I decided I wanted to catch a catfish . I new nothing about them and living in Dorset had no local waters with catfish in . I joined the C.C.G. and in my first year of membership went on a fish in at Horton Boat Pool. Although slightly nervous about being such a novice amongst some hardcore catfish anglers , I found them all really helpful and though I never caught on that fish in ,I learned lots about tackle and methods and baits.
I bought a guide that the group produced on all the U.K. catfish waters and found a water that was an hour or so away and started catfishing proper the year after. The first club magazine I got was crammed with useful information on catfishing in the UK and the catfish in Spain. It wasn't long before I had caught catfish in England and Spain and I would say joining the group played a massive part in that.
I returned to Horton Boat Pool after a few years ( as I was working nearby for a while ) as a season ticket holder and caught one of the biggest catfish in there at that time.

Many, many moons ago I applied to join Tenchfishers and went off to a 'meeting' in a pub somewhere in South London (too long ago to remember where!) and although I found the pub I could find no sign of any meeting. That said I found the guy I spoke to initially very open and friendly BUT I gathered that secrecy among some members was rife (no surprise IMO) and water location jealously guarded.
In the end I decided it wasn't for me as attending meetings ( I considered this a must) was too far away from home to make it worthwhile. (Dodgy car in those days!)

I agree with what Sam says above......AND you have to make a commitment as this is about 'sharing info' and NOT expecting to gain access or knowledge of waters without offering something yourself - it really doesn't work that way IMHO!!

Personally I feel you have to be prepared to make every effort to play your part and, I think, involve your self full on..

No reason why you shouldn't talk to them though and my experiences are a long time ago....

Good luck

ps IMHO I think doing your own homework, as I eventually did, in a big way with lots of effort can be just as productive and far more satisfying....

Im in a small group, we are single species only and have just five 'members', not a 'club' just a group of like minded retirees.

We meet 'as and when', liase regularly on the phone, and fish together rarely.
Essentially we swop ideas, advice and info on where the fish are biting and what we are catching.

Our combined total would put many so called experts to shame, but we are honest with each other and that is what matters most.

We hide nothing, share bait and waters and we are 'in it' for the long run, not a 5 or 10 year stint.

Its the 'only way to go' if you can meet the right sort of people.
............

As a blast from the past, how I wish the old National Association of Specialist Anglers was still going, tho in this 'whiz kid' age I doubt it would last for very long.......mg:

Absolutely the way to go IMHO...
If ever a case of 'small is beautiful' then what mickb suggests is it !!

Having the 'right'( like minded) people in a very small group is key for it to work and providing internal politics are avoided (tis why you choose the right folk in the first place!) then for all the reason he gives it can work very well...
All too easy to become 'tied in' to one's own ideas if you fish alone all of the time so fresh ideas can be very helpful.

Alternatively, keep tuned in to FM I suppose and pick the brains of some very good anglers .................................BUT for single species fishing a group is far better IMO

There's lot's of groups on Facebook these days, where you can ask people for advise on baits, tackle, venues etc
I'm only a member of a few, but, none of them are Tench Fishing. It might be worth a look though if you have it.

Just had a look, Tenchfishers do have a facebook group, it is a closed group so you would have to click on "Join Group" to join, that's if they'd accept you. here is a link to it.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/167520789985977/

Of course its worth it! Many, many times over........ But, you only get out of groups what you put in. Attend fish-ins - great social events - and from my experience (CSG) make friends easily - they are very welcoming.

Try and contribute an article, send emails, photos and engage in what ever way you keep in contact with fellow members.

Honesty... trust... etc... all that good stuff!

I think small/limited membership (though sounds elitist to some) is the way forward. Big groups can appear clicky... 'every ones welcome' which sounds lovely.......... But the reality is VERY different.

chav professor said:

Of course its worth it! Many, many times over........ But, you only get out of groups what you put in. Attend fish-ins - great social events - and from my experience (CSG) make friends easily - they are very welcoming.

Try and contribute an article, send emails, photos and engage in what ever way you keep in contact with fellow members.

Honesty... trust... etc... all that good stuff!

I think small/limited membership (though sounds elitist to some) is the way forward. Big groups can appear clicky... 'every ones welcome' which sounds lovely.......... But the reality is VERY different.

Click to expand...

Agree with CP. You can up your learning curve considerably by joining such groups/clubs. You have to be prepared to contribute, of course, but the rewards and pleasure of sharing knowledge with like minded souls are enormous. Definitely worth it.

chav professor said:

Big groups can appear clicky... 'every ones welcome' which sounds lovely.......... But the reality is VERY different.

Click to expand...

Quite.

I joined a "single species" group once...I dont know why as groups are not really my thing but I very quickly realised that the majority of other members had forgotten more than I knew. That's quite intimidating. Add to that the "clicky" thing where everybody knows everybody else except you and it very quickly starts to feel positively unfriendly. If you do manage to break the ice its difficult to not come across as a numpty so you tend to be very cautious and [of course] you've not yet earned the trust of the rest of the pack. That makes it hard to learn/progress because you may well have nothing to trade that they want. Sharing is one thing but being chucked the odd scrap is another.

Before you know it you are Billy Nomates sat in the corner with everybody wondering who the hell you are.

That's my experience anyway. I tried but it didn't work for me and tbh the experience was downright unpleasant. I still have the car sticker though to remind me to never even think about joining again.