The Complete Fisher Forum

[Allrounder]

Bristol Water Fisheries has just announced their new permit charges for 2019 which you can find here

Two new initiatives worth noting include giving season ticket holders the option of reducing the cost of their season ticket in return for a lower annual allowance of trout, and trialing a cheaper C&R ticket on Chew to bring them in line with other major trout fisheries.

Alan
_________________
Member of ...
The Angling Trust
BRFFA
B.A.S.S.
Pike Fly Fishing Association

If you see me on the bank, say hello!

[arkle]

Sound's like they're starting to watch the competition, at last. Even if it is like trying to turn a ship 180 degrees in a dry dock
_________________
Hi there, I have around 40 yrs exp. of tying flies, incl. some semi-pro work. I've taught at adult evening classes, written for and supplied photos for most U.K. fly magazines. Given talks/slide shows/lectures/demonstrations etc. Am founder and life pres. of local Fly Dressers Guild (27years), our members have won more prizes for tying than any other similar club, we've also won several national flyfishing comps. I look forward to both learning from and contributing to this highly respected forum.

[Appleman]

[Doombar]

I for one like these initiatives. Not every ST holder wants to take home 200+ fish a year but the ones that do still can. And the C&R option for non STs also makes sense.

But its a gamble by BW - reduced revenue from some STs & some day tickets so they'll need an increase in numbers to balance the books. Really hope it works out for them.

[tenet]

Pike boys not happy with the price hike for the pike trials. Regardless I reckon most tickets will be sold even if auction prices don't make the dizzy heights of yesteryear.

[swampydick]

How many season ticket holders will purchase higher price option? Answer none
Unbelievable.

[Allrounder]

I too welcome the new intiatives, although they are not without financial risk to BWF unless they are successful in generating more footfall.

I assume the different season ticket allowances will be policed by issuing different colour coded tags?

Alan
_________________
Member of ...
The Angling Trust
BRFFA
B.A.S.S.
Pike Fly Fishing Association

If you see me on the bank, say hello!

[Appleman]

Trout footfall over the last 5 years has bombed....14k to around 6k.

The Pike lads are going ballistic over getting mugged YOY to pick up the slack. Especially when their fishing has been pants this year.

It’s genuinely tragic what’s happened at Bristol Water Fisheries over the last few years. It could be immense again with some thought and attention.

[tenet]

Hi Tim - what would you do to improve footfall ?

[swampydick]

Ah tags, I remember bob counting out my allocation of cable ties( of which I still have about a hundred )he was not terribly happy about it as he thought it should be based on trust. I did mention that the ties can be undone !
I’m more than happy to tag fish.
This season was good for me, I did not start until April but really enjoyed the whole season especially the back end.
I think the fishery improved this year, but if I was to add construtive criticism it would be communication via website/Facebook I.e when Blagdon was fishing it’s nuts off weeks they should of been shouting about it. If it was my fishery I would employ a front of house person to sell the fishery, promote it.

Cheers mike

[Appleman]

[mc07fly]

I've also enjoyed some much improved catch results this year at Blagdon and am fully supportive of the BWF new initiatives.
Small steps..yes.....but still positive steps....and not without risk.

So I've decided to buy a Season Ticket again next season and return to a mix of bank (Chew) and boat (Blagdon) tickets as I used to do before the "Troubles".

Appleman's stats on the declining number of visits are alarming. Pity there is no way to find out more about the reasons for the decline.
If it was simply due to the poor quality of fishing then with more dynamic comms from BWF the footfall should start to increase.
Here's hoping and my best wishes to all for Xmas.
McFly

[Thomas Tom-Thomas]

Yeah, I think BW did a good job with the fishing this year. Must have been difficult to produce such a great seasons fishing knowing that your company doesn't really back you. Echoing Swampy, if I were them, I would have been spraying all over facebook when the going was good (as it was most of the year) - but compared to the actual fishing that's minor.

I've been thinking a bit about the falling numbers thing this year so here's some thoughts. Sorry for the long post

I'm a newb to flyfishing, but comparing it to pretty much every other activity I do, what stands out (across the sport, not just BW) is the lack of activity invested into drawing newcomers to the sport. It doesn't surprise me that numbers are dropping because without newcomers, you're always going to be shrinking. Here's a few things that have stood out to me.

There's almost zero activity dedicated to starting kids off in the sport. The family days are a good start, but you need some sort of regular coached kids group to equip them with the skills to become proper job fly fishers (and future full paying customers). In rock climbing ( a sport with far higher barriers to entry than fishing), each indoor climbing wall has a number of kids groups that they coach on a weekly basis. Once the kids hit teenage years, they start to compete against the kids squads from other walls. To say this has been successful in growing the sport is an understatement. Bristol used to have a single indoor climbing wall, it now has four (and I'm getting fed up with being burned off by the 12 year olds). I don't see why with a small amount of investment, fisheries (BW included) couldn't develop some sort of kids club/friendly comp system to open up the flow of new customers.

Where's all the video footage?? BW run a monthly photo comp and have invested in a short story comp. This is all good stuff, but exactly how widely shared is a short story? will a 16 year old who's never fished even read one? I think if you could use these comps to incentivise video as well as photo, you're onto a winner. A video of someone actually playing and landing a fish is so much more exciting than a still picture of "Man Holds Trout". We all carry high quality video cameras on our phones nowadays - you want people to whip out their phones and start filming their boat partner the moment they hook up in the hope of winning something. The perception of fly fishing amongst the general public is very "JR Hartley" They need to be shown what it's like to fight one of those angry silvery Rainbows what showed us all our backing this year.

Like I say, I'm very supportive of what BW have done this year so I hope the above is not construed as taking a shot at anyone who's put the work in to making this season the success we all needed it to be.

All of the above may all be rubbish, I'm only a newb. Feel free to shoot me down

Cheers

Tom

[arkle]

Tom, there are quite a few reasons that the younger generation are thin on the ground, it's been so for maybe 20 or more years. Back in 79, I founded the local branch of the Fly Dressers Guild & from day one, we've always met at Redhill Soc.Club, a mile or so beyonf the airport. Reason's for doing so is that it's relativly safe parking, the facilities are pretty good, it's not expensive & ca accom. us 99% of the time when needed amongst several others. So to move nearer to town, would not be a viable optio, believe me, we've & I've looked.

Back in 79 petrol was less expensive, though today's engines are more efficient, so bringing say one of your kids along & collecting them later on, with often others to deal with at the same time seems beyond what many parents want or are prepared to do. They have more homework in that age group than was previously the case. etc etc etc. There was not this computer thing around then & it's not unknown for several of them to gain "interests" in "relatinships".

Every club, has to have an appointed person there (with qualifications) at all times when persons under the age of 16 are present. So how are we to know if that person can't turn up, car has broken down/whatever, do we have to send the young person back home ?

These are some of the outline factors that clubs face, & yes we've had several come along, do well - like get to national championships etc, with quite a lot os sponsorship time & monies from club funds, which no-one begrudges b.t.w. & they all wnd up elsewhere, before a short-ish space of time.

When I started the branch, I was about the youngest one there, I'm no longer able to get to meetings, other than perhaps the AGM & maybe a fishing trip or two. I think that vitually all the new input we've had in the last few years are retired people coming back to the sport.
_________________
Hi there, I have around 40 yrs exp. of tying flies, incl. some semi-pro work. I've taught at adult evening classes, written for and supplied photos for most U.K. fly magazines. Given talks/slide shows/lectures/demonstrations etc. Am founder and life pres. of local Fly Dressers Guild (27years), our members have won more prizes for tying than any other similar club, we've also won several national flyfishing comps. I look forward to both learning from and contributing to this highly respected forum.

[tenet]

Just deleted a dodgy looking email purportedly from Woodford Lodge. Hmmm