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John Hepworth

Guest
Since taking on the job as Membership Secretary for my club last year (only because no one would do it) I find that I am spending less and less time fishing, and when I actually do get myself out the wife has to almost push me out to get some time to herself. Do I need help, or is this what goes with being what I jokingly used to call "A brief case angler" Sadly I get as much enjoyment out of writing HTML code for my club's web site I am currently building as I do chub fishing these days. Is this sad or what. Is there any help for this condition?
 
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Wolfman Woody

Guest
Oh boy John, just as I put a message on the other site for you about rubber bread.

You should have remembered the age old saying "It's easier to get involved in something than it is to get out of it." I am still being serious here as well, but you musn't let the position or work dominate your life. Find methods that will help you to get it out of the way with the minimum of effort. Your club may have to buy you some equipment, if they haven't already done so. I did both Secretary's and Membership when I was involved and I enjoyed it.

You have to learn when to switch off one job and start enjoying yourself again.
 
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Dave Slater

Guest
Hi John,
I did some club committee work many years ago. I did it for a couple of years and then let somebody else do it. I think I had done my bit. Have a word with Terry Brindle. He is thinking of relinquishing his position as secretary of his local club. If it interferes with your fishing you have to think do you prefer the fishing or the committee work? With me it is fishing, no contest.
 
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Stuart Bullard

Guest
Yup - its sad John, and I am sorry to say quite terminal.
 
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John Hepworth

Guest
Sad thing about it I seem to enjoy it more than actually fishing at the moment, moaning carpers to boot. That will get them going again.
 
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Dave Slater

Guest
If you prefer it John, good luck to you. It is good that people like you, with specialist angling knowledge, are prepared to do these jobs rather than matchmen and carpers having all the say.
 
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The Monk

Guest
you can get addicted to administration roles in angling and if not careful, it can take over your life, I`ve paid dearly for it in the past. basically you can`t do everything and must learn to set your own goalposts otherwise people will just keep putting things on you. many angling administration jobs are thankless and time consuming therefore you must enjoy what you are doing, once the enthusiasm wanes then its time to get out. Not many will involve themselves with this work, so well done and good luck, you will recieve you reward in heaven.
 
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Stuart Bullard

Guest
....and my comments were tongue in cheek John.

When I re-joined my club this year I said to the membership secretary that I admired his effort. He commented that it would be nice to get more help, especially as he still paid his fees.

I simply cannot get the time to put that sort of effort in, so I made a contribution to the club instead. It was my fee again. This means for ?100 I get to fish 7 very good lakes and many miles of rivers.

I sometimes think we anglers get our priorities completely wrong. We will "willingly" pay some ridiculous prices for (especially) baits, rigs, and some equipment, yet quibble about things like membership fees.

Personally I would prefer my money spent where it is important, in the fisheries.
 
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Ian Whittaker

Guest
John, though you feel the need to fish has diminished do you still enjoy it when you go?
 
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John Hepworth

Guest
Ian, I do. But much of my club water is not really accessible to me these days so I have to put my efforts in elsewhere, hence the committee work.
I had to have a laugh to my self when I read the article in the last issue of Coarse Angling Today about dangerous banks on some southern rivers. Roger Standon, I think, should try fishing the Wear. Even the easy access bits would make his dangerous banks look like gentle flood meadows.
I could fish our stillwater which is less than half a mile form my home, but if it was full of 10lb chub I would not fish it--there is something about wild rivers that appeal to me.
I agree with your comments about anglers getting their priorities wrong when it comes to paying for their fishing. When you work out the cost per hour's fishing, some anglers are only paying pennies. Compare that to what say a tennis player would pay for the use of a court. In some areas of the country they pay more for an hour than many anglers pay for a whole year, and some anglers are at the water 24/7.
If anglers and clubs alike don?t get their act together much of the running water they now have will be lost to the ever growing syndicates. Apart from the highly prized fishing on the Tyne, the river Wear was probably the first major North East river to have syndicates, but each year sees the ordinary club lose more and more water in this way. If the trend continues most of today?s club anglers will be forced into fishing the commercial "muddy puddles", either that or dig deep into their pockets.
 
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Wolfman Woody

Guest
It really is difficult to knwo where to strike the balance on club fees. Some members are prepared to pay whilst other would pack the sport in rather than pay more.

Our own association charges ?2 per member per year to fish two lengths of the Thames plus a small backwater and we hope to have a 2km stretch of the Jubilee soon. We spoke of increasing the fee to ?3 and there were a few splutters amongst the delegates. So now we might have to consider putting a ceiling on what a club should pay meaning that the bigger clubs could pay as little as ?1.50 per member/season or less.

I know of clubs now who won't join because the fees are "Too HIGH!" What do you do?
 
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Dave Slater

Guest
Jeff,
I really find that hard to believe. Salaries are far higher in your area, I know because I took a big drop to move down here. I would imagine a pint in your area would now cost about the same as your proposed increased fee. How could anybody possibly object to paying such a small amount for decent fishing? These people really don't deserve to have good fishing and if they left I am sure others would be prepared to pay a little more as the quality of the fishing should improve with a reduced membership. You would then have the same income and less administrative work. Every one a coconut !
 
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Wolfman Woody

Guest
Dave, illogical though it may seem it is a fact. This, as you say, is the richest area around the country. If stood in Maidenhead and threw a stone it would probably hit the windows of a million pound mansion belonging to some TV or pop idol.

It is a bit differnt for the working man though, but I can't work it out.

We had an association, Hyde Federation, in the north west years ago and they were members of Tameside Sports Council. They came to us with ?500 for fish stocks and we doubled it to ?1000 - then one of our guys put to the regional group and they transformed it into ?5000. For this we asked that they changed their name to Tameside Fed and we asked other clubs to join them for ?1 per member. One club had membership fees of 50p per year and said that their members would never stand for an increase of 200%. Yet we were still only taking about them being charged ?1.50 (a packet of fags then) per year. So anglers are the same all over - they want it all, but don't want to pay for it, but not all anglers thankfully.

I know you said you were on a committee, but if you try running a club for a few years and get some comments from your members, this is what you find. It beggars belief.
 
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Wolfman Woody

Guest
And just to emphasize the sort of waters we have to offer now, the two stretches of Thames we have one is upstream of Boulters Lock, Maidenhead. Opposite Clivedon and the cottage where Christine Keiller and Lord whoever used to......pass the time.

The other stretch is at Boveney opposite some right posh drums, one of which is 'said' to belong to Paul Daniels, the conjurer. The backstream is in Bray round the back of a load of houses where likes of Rolf Harris, Jimmy Tarbuck and, I believe, Parkinson lives.

Who needs a 'Royalty' fisheries when you can fish amongst real royalty? :)
 
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John Hepworth

Guest
Chrtine Keiller-Rolf Harris.
All we have up here Jeff is where (allegedly) Lord Lambtons daughter used to have the estate workers entertain her.
 
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Dave Slater

Guest
Jeff,
These were the stretches I used to fish when I lived in Slough. Very nice fishing. It was a long time ago but, if I remember rightly, the stretch opposite Clivedon used to be Old Windsor Club and the other two stretches were Maidenhead club. Dorney and Boveney were where I used to do most of my night fishing. The Bray backstream was where I used to fish with a match fishing friend, Toni Ambrosini, and we regularly caught 100lb bags of chub there. Surely worth a lot more than you are charging, I would certainly be prepared to pay more if I lived there. The club I used to be on the committee of, Kingsmoor Anglers, were specimen orientated and had a limited membership, with a waiting list, so we did not have the same type of problems.
 
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Wolfman Woody

Guest
Old Windsor were one of the founding members of the Thames Valley Angling Association, along with Intertype, Marlow, Ruislip, West Drayton, and a few others. We lost some because they felt that ?2 per member (everyone without exception) was too much when it all added up. Eg a club of 500 would have to pay ?1000.

Now I am like you, I think that is still excellent value for three stretches of fine river fishing. BUT -- one of the former clubs is run by a person whose previous experience was running a cycling club whose total subscriptions for all members came to ?35 per year. Mention ?1000 to him and he freaks out, but it's a tight-knit committee and they all follow him and since no-one stands against any of them, it continues.

I think here we come to a crossing of threads were Barrie Rickards said that Committees should be made up of younger people. I would just like to see "Thinking People".
 
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