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A Discussion point

Graham Elliott

Graham Elliott

Senior Member & Supporter
The tackle company had grown bigger and bigger. Turnover this season was expected to exceed £48.5 million and was still growing since the aggressive expansion into the European markets.

“It’s all about catching the biggest fish” their consultants constantly put forward. It’s about keeping the company name in the Magazines and weekly angling press.

They needed to remain the most “talked about” angling company in the market place and along with their consultants they hatched the - Master Plan.

The list of near record or record fish waters that were currently Club held was discussed and the top ten targets were listed with “values” attached.

Within a short space of time the first five target waters were purchased or leased at inflated rates that the controlling clubs could not match out of their membership fees.

The consultants, with branded Logo tackle then set about enhancing the brand still further. They after all had new waters to pursue.

Of course it wouldn’t happen…would it????
 
The Chairman on Thursday

Never, Graham. It might happen on, say, one of the best sea-trout rivers in southern South America though, largely public or small-fee accessible until an international brand of flay tackle took a significant length (20-odd miles?) of the best water on the river then set up a big-bucks holidays operation and sw(a)nky fishing lodge. My Chief of Security and Head Keeper, Kevin, is over there at the moment, on another stretch of the same river, sorting out such "corporate" fishing in the only way he knows how.

As ever,

B.B.
 
"Of course it wouldn’t happen…would it????"

And it hasn't been in the offing for some years.... I take it you've heard of Dever Springs and Monument Lake????

Though not coporate controlled that could be only a matter of time, IMHO.
 
Consider it "Incoming!" and just make sure that as many of the fishers you know and meet in the future don't believe a word they read in the sell-its-own-granny-for-Big-Firm-advertising Angling press (and on some websites, soon, too).
 
Got to be said Matt Hayes would aptly fit the bill of sold out for big bucks.... Credibility gone, bank balance very healthy.

BUT who now values his opinions??
 
And a recent convert to the very best fly fishing for sea-trout, too...

As ever,

The All-Seeing Chairman
 
Yeah but still chairman of the Carp Society.

I am assuming its Matt Hayes that has started sea trout fishing and not the M.D of Toyota??
 
Yeah but still chairman of the Carp Society.

I am assuming its Matt Hayes that has started sea trout fishing and not the M.D of Toyota??
 
Colin Gordon said:
"Of course it wouldn’t happen…would it????"
I take it you've heard of Dever Springs and Monument Lake????
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Rob Hales's Fisheries (eg Acton Burnell) long been assocaited with Fox International. Monument is one of his too (see http://www.rhfisheries.com/ ).

Many of the bigger Carp Companys have their own lakes (eg Mainline's Zenon Bojko and Rainbow etc etc). Its all very incestuous too, with Trakker teaming up with Korda and Mainlline in Korda's videos. Its been like that since whenever just obviously more commercial and international now.
 
Adding to the list of 'sponsored' fisheries, my local pits Richworth Linears near Witney.
Sign of the times and the power of advertising. Simple really is this fishing lark.

Firstly you can only catch what is in the water
and
Secondly all the gadgetry under the sun doesn't catch fish. Skill / Knowledge tinged with a bit of lady luck does!!

Though many can, will and do believe that they can by-pass the second point and buy their 'relative' success.
 
if you look at how football is now its obscene the amount of money clubs and players make
and the way they behave but it is tolerated because people earn money... big money from it
25 years ago you would never had evisaged the money injected into the game it is big business and corporate company led and in my opinion the worse for it

angling or any hobby/sport will be exploited in the same way. if people think they can make money out of it they will and if its too the detriment of the people who are the grass roots of the hobby, the people making money dont care and never will
one example of people making money out of our sports is magazines unbelievable amount of magazines on any sport/hobby you can think of.
these are being produced for the people who are interested in the sport allegedly but if this is true why are they so expensive and in carp fishing ones the same junk is repeated time and time again
the only fishing magazine i like to read now is the barbel society one

graham
your initial story is alive and well as someone else pointed out a lot of tackle manufacturers do in fact own lakes in uk and abroad (some lease and sponsor as well) and are in the papers regularly with the same fish at higher weights each time because people are fishing for them 24/7
skill has been substituted for by time
hence why i like fishing the rivers now at least i can get a swim and have some peacefull fishing
 
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Thing is Gary - people will pay to watch those players play - because they are good at what they do. What do we expect? The likes of Scholes, Gerrard and Fabricarse playing for their sunday league team for the love of the game?

Sure those in the trade promote stuff but ultimately it has to work otherwise the masses wouldn't buy it - that's why York City doesn't have a 120,000 seater stadium. Sponsered fisheries? I guess the fishery owners need the revenue as much as the manufacturers need the exposure so it works, for them.

Don't get me wrong - i'm not saying it's all perfect but neither am i the type of chap to watch Match of the Day and turn to the kids saying "i could of scored that " Angling needs its stars as much as football does if it is to progress.
 
And this is just what the cynical Corporate Player Profiteers now play on: the perfectly natural and understandable desire of part-time Average-to-No-Ability Joes to be a lot better than, if left to themselves, they'll ever be.

Once upon a time, the Walkers, Venableses and Taylors etc of the coarse-fishing world thought "Okay, let's share our honey." Nowadays, their high-profile, sponsored, branded Media Boy successors think "Okay, let's sell it - the stuff we've had early and no longer want - then take the money, and run."

Recipe for disaster.
 
I am well aware of the Tackle companies lakes. Of course I don't begrudge some anglers making a few bob from their hobbies.;)

The principal I am trying to share is..............................what if this extends to the rivers that currently are open to Club anglers.

A few much larger than average fish caught, large enough to make regular "Press releases" for the Tackle company. Goodbye your fishing.

What are large amounts for individual coarse fishing clubs with a often limited income are tax writeoffs and piddling sums to mega rich tackle companies if they want to takeover your waters.

Graham
 
Yup. One of the reasons for my full-time online "Fan Club" of the past near-decade. As Corporal Jones used to say - "They don't like it up 'em, Mister Mainwaring!"
 
Graham Elliott said:
The principal I am trying to share is..............................what if this extends to the rivers that currently are open to Club anglers.

A few much larger than average fish caught, large enough to make regular "Press releases" for the Tackle company. Goodbye your fishing.

What are large amounts for individual coarse fishing clubs with a often limited income are tax writeoffs and piddling sums to mega rich tackle companies if they want to takeover your waters.

Graham
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Sad to say Graham while I totally agree with what you are saying and indeed sympathise with your sentiments / concerns.

That said so long as the big fish carrot gets bitten at by mindless anglers that can (and are) easily be fooled into thinking that the tackle and bait employed by any anglers are the main contributing factors responsible for the capture of specimen fish then sadly this scenario is enevitable!!

Basic advertising tactics really. Fools and their money are easily parted and all that....
A case of money really does talk!!

Sad but true.
 
Sad but true, but not necessarily inevitable if people are willing to fight - nah, merely see through - what is, after all, just a greedy minority looking to make a lot more people think their way.
 
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Andrew Boyne said:
Angling needs its stars as much as football does if it is to progress.
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As some one quite happy to see angling not progress, in fact a little regression would IMO be a very good things, I am happy to say I have absolutly no interest in these "Stars" or what they want to sell me. If they can make money out of angling, good on them. And if people want to spend loads of money on the latest gear and then use it on over stocked muddy ponds to catch fat fish for their albums they should be perfectly free to do so. It isn't anything to do with me and on the whole doesn't interfere with my desire to fish from the riverbank using basically the same methods as I used 20 years ago and if I live long enough will still be using 20 years from now. No body forces you to buy the latest gear, watch the stars videos or pay to fish the special ponds or bits of rivers they fish in. Hopefully river angling will get even less popular so more good bits of river containing plenty of fish (without names and unlikely to break records) will be nice and peaceful as so many places are these days.
So lets encourage people to think that angling is about catching great big fish, in special waters with expensive tackle and keep the secret amongst ourselves........:cool:
 
To be honest, this whole trend makes a total mockery of specimen angling. How can the "records" be based upon fish from waters which are only accessible to certain individuals who are generally sponsored by bait or tackle companies, are they real records or even achievements if the element of general competition has been taken away, Adams Mill and Cemex Burghfield being prime examples..........

Also, if I caught a potential record fish, what would be the point in telling anyone, knowing that as soon as it becomes public knowledge, some short snide faced tackle consultant from a company whos name begins with K comes along and arranges a syndicate on it, effectively closing it to the likes of us normos who do not have angling companies paying their expenses.............

So, what is the point in me hunting specimens??
 
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