Angling Clubs in Peril?

[DaceAce]

I'm not sure where peril is, but I am sure they will have an angling club, most town do.

It folded last year.....

[Olly]

I belong currently to several Angling clubs and a syndicate or two and quite a few more clubs/syndicates over the years. Some, which I still fish, can be very quiet indeed.

Smaller clubs as Mark states are being swallowed up. Waters going to big and then bigger angling clubs. More members - more swims/lakes needed.

Syndicates usually have a limit of how manty anglers can join - however some are totally commercialised so do have a 2 members (or more) per swim! Which in turns leads to constant swim occupation or same kit used - just the angler changing!

I think if you can find an angling club which has plenty of fish but not 'newspaper worthy' ones you may be lucky to have a peaceful time!

I have paid a small fortune on a couple of syndicates as there were enormous fish to be caught - not just carp. But whilst the carper is staying for a week on/week off - I was fishing for the other species catfish, perch, roach, rudd, bream, eels, etc which were being avoided by most. Peace and quiet for the day as they snore away in their bivvies!

Rivers are different - only barbel and chub anglers seem to use a bivvy on a river - (apart from those rivers with enormous carp - 30 - 45lbers). Whilst they can and do catch fish at night a shorter stay may not need a buzzer or a bivvy! 5pm up to 12 midnight is enough for me.

[Troydog]

I just keep walking away from people, wherever they are. There is always space and solitude if you are prepared to look for it.

[RBTraditional]

For thirty years I served as a committee member for an angling club who own a large gravel pit complex and wonderful stretch of river. Over the years new younger members joined who had more than a keen interest in carp than the wonderful mixed fishing it offered, tench, roach, pike, bream, rudd all to specimen sizes…eventually the young carpers came through the ranks and influenced the stocking of more and more carp, much to the frustration of the general anglers in the club but of course we’d become outnumbered and it has now become a highly desirable ticket for carp anglers to have these days…
I walked away (retired) from the committee with an honorary life membership… although I’ll never return to fish there…very sad indeed that the fishery has been reconfigured, bigger swims, bigger fish, crazy rules….
However, there is an upside to life, I was recently offered, honoured and accepted the Chairmanship of a small and old (established 1918) traditional club of which I’ve been a member of since I was a kid and who’s waters, 7 miles of rivers and four lakes are spread throughout the estate of a prestigious heraldic estate…
I am more likely to come across an angler using cane and pin than a carbon and bait runner if at all… these clubs, associations, societies are out there, offering quiet, secluded traditional angling…if you look

[Olly]

Also IF you are allowed through the Hallowed doors!!

And with some IF you want to pay!

[JAA]

I’ve got no experience with the type of small club Daceace describes, possibly the Saxon Ponds gang count as one such. That said:

I'm unluckily, bang in the middle of the catchment of my four (arguably six) nearest clubs, so tend to cycle around them to give myself some variety without driving 30 miles each way every time.

Personally I find these angling clubs increasingly don't cater for the non-carp and non-match anglers. Regular rods have to make do with carp in every lake and/or overstocked lakes for the still-water match fraternity.

Exchange tickets are of no use to me. When you’ve limited time to fish, an extra couple of hours to get the other book and return it just don’t work. I’m sure those with more free time love them, but us working stiffs don’t. Then, there’s the 'joining fee'. It's nonsense to suggest that's anything more than a quick money grab.

One club auto renewed the membership unless you specifically logged back into their portal as a new member and turned it off. That's sharp practise at best and they know, it as I got my fee returned the first year they tried that, but with very bad grace.

Another club has twice decided to hold an impromptu change of venue for a match and I've had to turn around and go somewhere else - which when you've limited free time is not a trivial blight on your day or week-end.

Another club asked for work-party volunteers, I took a day off (from a fixed holiday entitlement) turned up to find two blokes leaning on a car who told me there wasn’t much to do and it was pretty much finished. Never bothered again.

One club shut down a water halfway through a year - despite that fact I'd paid for its use, no recompense was even offered, plus I had to find out by turning up and finding a sign.

One club held a Christmas Match for fun and the ‘draw’ was very clearly arranged to suit the match anglers, something half a dozen regular rod commented on. So, I pay the fee for a fun day, and the match team frig the game to take my money? Feck that and them.

Only of my local clubs has ever asked my actual opinion on anything in over twenty years, which in the age of email and websites is pathetic.

If regular angling cubs want their members to stick it out - try treating the regular rods as grown-ups. Communication is easy. Asking all the members what they want is easy.

Try that maybe.

[RBTraditional]

Also IF you are allowed through the Hallowed doors!!

And with some IF you want to pay!

Limited to 250 members to protect the ethos of traditional angling in quiet surroundings Olly with a waiting list but only £60 a year plus a £20 joining fee for new members… quite reasonable I’d say for good barbel, roach and chub fishing on the two rivers, tench, carp, rudd and crucians in the stillwaters…

[Olly]

I belong to three limited number syndicates under one roof so as to speak - if you join all three, in the same close area - you get a discounted ticket for all year, except Xmas day - at nearly £900 - excellent for salmon - sea and brown trout - 20lb barbel - 8lb chub - 3lb roach - 40+lb carp - 1lb dace - big perch/pike - in fact almost everything apart from catfish, zander, sturgeon and ide for less than £2.50 per day or £17.00 per week - good job I gave up smoking! A smaller section than above of the same river is exclusively game and costs £1500 plus!

I also belong to a club with a limited membership of one hundred and eighty! Neither cheap or expensive with mostly 'quiet' banks! On some waters you seldom find another angler! And another purely for catfish.

Working for the club or society can do you favours - an Honorary permit after years on a Committee, as RBT has gained. I have done the same with 20+ years for one club and longer for another.

The bottom line is - how much is peace and quiet worth - to you? And how much to support your local club, usually 1 or 2 waters, as stated by Daceace?

[Mr B]

Fishing clubs are great value in the grand scheme of things, especially as my oap approaches in a couple of months and the membership price drops as you know.
The prices are very good even if you only get a few days at each club water, plus your supporting a very good cause and have freedom to travel.
"The worlds our oyster"

Mr B

[Cat]

Surely Mr B, at 36, you're a long way off getting any OAP discount benefit!