Clubs too cheap?

Dave Rothery · Jul 22, 2003

I agree Mark - I think most clubs/Day tickets ARE too cheap to help fisheries progress. Its been said before, but if you look at golf green fee's (and dont forget they have to pay to play) we get away lightly on the better run waters. Look at the top waters, and by large you will find that they are relatively expensive....yet they are normally immaculate and you only tend to get the better (as in behaved!) anglers on them - the management dont stand for any bad behaviour (hats of to Roy at richworth-linear!)

Mark Spod · Jul 22, 2003

Whilst I do agree that the clubs are cheap, you have to take into account many anglers (myself included) will be members of several clubs, and only fish a couple of times on some of the waters. If the fees were increased substantially the end result would be the likes of myself would simply only join one or at best two clubs (naturally the clubs each indivdual considered to be the better ones),thus making these clubs richer at the cost of the waters becoming more crowded, which in turn would mean less revenue for some of the other clubs, and in the long turn possible failure of servival for them.

Peter Jacobs · Jul 22, 2003

I think that the problem is probably more regionalised than size related, although in the final analysis the smaller clubs will obviously find survival difficult.

Take for example the CAC with over 2,500 members paying over ?100 each and you have a club with around a ??m per annum in revenue.

Most of the clubs in the Wessex area have similar membership dues ranging from ?80-120 per year, and for this they provide a multitude of first class venues for their members, both for River and Lake anglers.

Maybe the answer lies in the amalgamation of smaller clubs rather than individually chasing an ever-increasing spiral of rental costs for those relatively small clubs?

Dave Slater · Jul 22, 2003

I would be in favour of increased subs. This would stop clubs having to rely on day ticket sales. Personally I wouldn't mind paying a bit more to keep the waters a bit quieter. Personally I do not like your idea of amalgamating smaller clubs, Peter. It is good to belong to some smaller clubs so that there is somewhere to retreat when waters have suffered from excessive publicity and a large influx of visiting anglers.

Dave Slater · Jul 23, 2003

Increased subs = increased revenue = more money available for bailiffs/wardens = less litter, less poaching and less fish stealing.

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one) · Jul 23, 2003

and lower income anglers not able to afford them..........

David Bruce · Jul 23, 2003

The two small clubs I belong to (as well as one national club)are struggling. Falling membership (to the easier and more reliable commercial fisheries I suspect - not to my taste though - I like my natural rivers)plus lost revenue when foot and mouth hit our renting out to other clubs for matches (never returned) has bitten deep into our reserves. No restocking for 2 years now. Plus parking at one of our prime waters now impossible due to new road layout/ barriers and cycle track (too small to be considered worth taking note of). We now share some of our water with a club that charges 4x our fees (but has other choice waters as well). Not sure we can survive. Our shared waters will go to the two large clubs who are our current partners but the local village ponds (ideal for juniors in the village) will probably be left and poached/ netted/ abused and finally filled in by the local council when there are no locals bailiffing it daily as they are now. Less juniors = falling memeberships and so it goes on.

Peter Jacobs · Jul 23, 2003

Dave, I would agree with you that it is still a nice option to belong to a small club, thereby avoiding the maddening crowds.
Although, as David points out, it is the small clubs that are really struggling to survive for a multitude of different reasons,; lack of funds, pressure from councils etc.

For many decades we have enjoyed local clubs with maybe two or threee smaller venues that have been a safe haven and provided singular and friendly fishing.

I really do think that clubs need to be run more along the lines of a business these days.
They need to be properly organised and "staffed" with people who have both the angling experience as well as some business skills that they can bring to the table.

Sadly, that may mean that we see mergers or amalgamations of some of the small clubs, but in the long run thier survival may well be guaranteed.

The alternative could well be that the small clubs simply disappear leaving us all with the option of commercial lakes with all that they entail.
A hiddeous thought I know, and one that could well make me think about hanging up my rods for good!

albert watkinson · Jul 23, 2003

if all the wage earners want to pay more to fish so be it .i like many others am a pensioner and pay for two clubs now.hard to envisage me having to pay more.if you shove the old men out there will be some revenue lost i can tell you.in the last 50 years we have put plenty into fishing clubs.

Dave Slater · Jul 23, 2003

Peter, A hideous thought indeed. I think I too would hang up my rods. I think people of our generation are very lucky as we have had the best out of fishing. I do not envy those coming into the sport.

John Pleasance · Jul 23, 2003

"a typical club membership of ?30 "
-----------------------------------

I pay nearly four times that amount for each of my club memberships,so does that mean I'm already paying enough?

albert watkinson · Jul 26, 2003

on another note why dont these clubs up the day ticket fees to a level to make these peg pinchers think about paying for a season instead of messing about on club waters whenever they see fit and leaving all their rubbish to clear up because they are not bound by club rules.think about it and tell me a better way than making a pensioner pay more for his fishing.some of the waters i fish dont warrant extra fees.you cant say i sit on the fence.

Chris Bishop · Jul 26, 2003

One of my local clubs, King's Lynn AA, has already adopted the two-tier suggestion.

You can just join and pay ?28 a season to fish the drains and rivers, or for another tenner get on a complex of lakes the club has developed in conjunction with the RSPB/Royal estate and stocked. It's worked really well.

I think some clubs are over-priced. Plenty up here are ?10 or ?15 a year.

Eric Hayes · Jul 27, 2003

I've just returned from holiday in Bournemouth and I had a day on the Royalty at Christchurch and it cost me the princely sum of ?10 for two rods. But some of the pools are only fishable if you are prepared to pay ?70 IMHO that?s a right Royal rip off.

Albert I am a member of a club that have got the right to a stretch of the Ribble that a few years ago was fishable on a ?2.50 day ticket and the litter has only got worse go figure.....

This is my opinion for what it's worth:

natural rivers and drains should be free ( I pay for my rod license) if a club owns a lake or pond that they maintain then it's only right that the club has a say on whether to restrict fishing or recoup some of the money by issuing day tickets.

Dave Rothery · Jul 27, 2003

i'd happily pay a couple of hundred quid a year for a decent club/syndicate down here

Dave Slater · Jul 27, 2003

John,
Love the picture. Is that what Mr.Cadd looks like without his hat?

albert watkinson · Jul 27, 2003

lets go the whole hog and tell the bait people to double their prices and then it will make some people happy

Dave Rothery · Jul 27, 2003

how much do you pay for a day ticket? ?4? times 40 (once/week) = ?160. so whats the problem if you could guarantee decent fishing and no crowds, no litter, no aggro?
most of the fishing down here (north devon) are overstocked holidaymaker type waters, so i dont mind paying for decent fisheries.
besides, all retired people/pensioners have loads of money anyway.......

albert watkinson · Jul 27, 2003

you could be right about some rich pensioners but it was hard earned and dont intend to pay stupid prices for what little fishing i do now.

Dave Rothery · Jul 27, 2003

ask ron for a sub...he's loaded!

Clubs too cheap?

Dave Rothery

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Mark Spod

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Dave Slater

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Dave Slater

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ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

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