Club Fishing

I've spoken to four club secretaries this week, and all of them have reported an increase in members.
Has your club membership increased or declined in the last twelve months?

Gradual decline as people forsake "traditional" club waters - rivers and drains up here.

For a long time my club, the CAC, had a membership limit of 2,700 which was lifted last year. The result was an increase up to around 3,000 members.

Of these I beleive less than half are local, but then the CAC do have some really good venues and they tend to attract anglers from all over the Country.

I know in this area of the midlands, club match fishing is gaining popularity each week.
Open attendances are falling on the commercial venues, as anglers forsake the 'carp pool' open scene, and return to club matches.
There are a number however who are joining clubs just to fish more 'exclusive' venues.

In the last 2 or 3 years my club CAPS ( Colchester ) have had an upturn in members. OK the majority of these may have been specialst anglers but there has been an influx of match anglers as well joining from others local clubs. This is becuase CAPS offer fishing other than just carp puddles, OK we have carp in virtually every inch of water but we do also have smaller species stocked in every lake as well. This coming season 04-05, we will be operating a series of carp banned matches with the hope of getting match attendances up to what we consider a good level. I run a few of our matches and over the last 12 months our turnout has increased to an average of 20 per match, 2 years ago this was down to about 8-10. Long may this trend continue.

Kevan, did you find it strange that the silver fish only lakes never took off on the open match scene?
I'm beginning to think there was nothing wrong with the idea, but it was pitched at the wrong section of match anglers.
I'm sure clubs would see an increase in members if they had a well stocked silver fish lake.

your probably right about the silverfish terry,

The cost must also be another reason that anglers are returning to club fishing.
We have clubs here in the West Midlands charging just ?30 for a season of 8 matches.

Terry,

Around 5 years ago we introduced the silver only rule in a couple of our matches. They were very well turned out the only trouble was that we were hooking more carp than ever because of the feed that we putting in. If only we had tried this tact a few years before.

As for other venues holding silver only, they are quite popular in Essex, I would say that I could fish 1 a week if I wanted to right through the year.

As for places like Makins where Billy put only silver fish in one lake. I believe that people still wanted their elastic pulled to breaking distance instead of catching 80lb of roach, now what a day that would be.

I think that I am right in saying that Steve Saunders ( Diawa Dorking ? ) fishes Gold Valley only for the roach now, he virtually always frames on wins his section fishing 6m to hand and often puts 60lb+ on the scales.