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In reply to Post #29
Message from new owners seems to suggest a lot of interest from new members if old members don’t re join!
Got to say it’s a stunning place, been fishing it on and off for years so hoping there are not to many changes afoot, as with all these things I’m sure the new management team will want to put their mark or style on the place, I’m happy to let it ride for a year and see how it goes.
👍👍
Tel
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In reply to Post #28
VS fisheries fish ready and waiting to be stocked apparently. I know MVF had some Railway spawned on fish to be stocked back into the lakes. Looks like these are going elsewhere now which is a shame. 
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In reply to Post #28
Just Renewed my membership so from my very limited pov “normal service has been resumed”.
Paid up and fishing on same terms as before until April 2023👍👍👍
Tel
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In reply to Post #25
The new chaps (none of whom have posted on here AFAIK) have secured a 10 year+ lease of the angling, so all in all, I believe Larky has a bright future.
That sounds promising for the lakes themselves, the fish, and any current/new members that possibly buy a new ticket.
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In reply to Post #26
MVF had them all The Railway Larky 1&2 and the road & island. 
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Did mvf take over all of the lakes at larkfield or does midkent still run some of them
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In reply to Post #24
Agree totally with everything you say. As far as I'm aware, all the work parties I took part in was done solely by members who just happened to have tickets for dumpers, chippers etc. One member is a tree surgeon, and would regularly drop chippings near to the blue gem ready for the next work parties. The problem with council owned land is the red tape that comes with it, so Larky may have been different in terms of the maintenance and headaches that come with it. Without saying too much, you have to think if this is the reason why MVF's "long term lease" has finished. Did they really want it? As we've both said, portfolio waters. back up waters, a means of an income with their vision being elsewhere.
In regards to other posts, My impression is one or two of the new owners have links within the council due to their contractor role, which will make things far easier in the future when wanting to do work on the grounds (after all, it's public access). Having links within the council may sound like its a brown envelope job, an inside job, call it what you will (if it is a little slanderous), but I believe it will have a long term benefit of having direct contacts within the council and with less red tape. After all, anyone would want more contact and more control within the people who own the land that you're trying to nuture despite the fears of the watersports aspect. The new chaps (none of whom have posted on here AFAIK) have secured a 10 year+ lease of the angling, so all in all, I believe Larky has a bright future.
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In reply to Post #22
Quote... this is a very good thing for the valley, many are just finding the courage to speak up through fear of being black balled from the whole area.
Well I'm not scared of being black balled, I've not fished in Kent for over a decade now and have zero intentions to in the future either. As previously stated, all I give a monkeys about is the venues and the fish. I grew up fishing them, I learned to fish on the snag lake & Island side of R&I. All of my earliest fishing memories are of that complex. I am a product of Johnsons in essence.
Good, I'm glad I was wrong below. I hope they do the place justice, and do not succumb to filling it with fish. The whole complex has NEVER been managed properly in the past 50 years. Old man Johnson never really cared about the lakes, RMC never really cared about any of their Kent lakes... And MKF & then MVF, the complex was also never their number one priority. They had other venues which they had a more vested interest in.
But that led to the fish stocks being left alone over decades. A great thing in reality. MVF also done a lot of swim work etc, and tidied the place right up.
If you or any of the others posting below are part of this group... Just do right by those pits 
Of course those grown on fish should end up in those pits.... That would be 'right'. But if you think that will happen after a... Lets call it 'hostile' takeover... I very much doubt myself that will now happen. Do you?
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In reply to Post #6
"The fish hatched from the Railway spawn, were just about ready to be stocked I’m told"
....and the right thing to do will be to put them back into the Railway regardless of who owns the fishing now.
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In reply to Post #1
Three local anglers, one or two of whom work in aquatics and grounds maintenance have taken it over. All three have a vested interest in the angling on Larkfield and The Medway Valley as a whole and all three have fished in the valley since they were children. This info isn't hard to find.
As stated, it is no different to the day I woke up on the trout lake with a piece of A4 shoved in my face stating that Chris & Elaine had lost the lakes and my ticket was about to treble in price for not three lakes, but just one.
Lets not pretend who the victims are in this. After all, people unknowingly paid 200 quid a year for a stock pond.
I get the impression that Brooklands and Abbeymeads are the "gold standard" of MVF, the rest were just considered portfolio waters. It took them a long time to stick stock fish into the trout lake after many years of fish kills and others wandering over the tow path from members who wanted to top up the Big Lake.
Depending on who you speak to (including ex bailiffs and many long term anglers in the MV), this is a very good thing for the valley, many are just finding the courage to speak up through fear of being black balled from the whole area.
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In reply to Post #20
Its a bit like saying that Wraysbury used to be rock hard, now its relatively a runs water, so what an improvement. I guess it depends on what you want from your fishing.
I used to fish Larkfield when Chris Haswell and some youngun called Jonny Mac were fishing it. Had a couple and I was more than happy with that! Hopefully not another great Kent water gone…..
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In reply to Post #12
Maybe that sentence was a bit strong... But when it was written, no one knew that this mob had a brand new fishing dept did they?
I have zero association to MVF, and have not fished the complex since they controlled it.
You sound like you might be part of this new mob to me. All I give a monkeys about is those fish. Prove me wrong if you are. I'll be very happy to be wrong.
But it's getting filled with fish isn't it, standard practice in these matters. There was a chance for the Railway and the other pits to be sparsely stocked with the babies of the original fish. That chance is now gone because of this takeover.
Bless you, if you think Wraysbury of today bears any semblance of Wraysbury of the past. It does not. Great fishery now, yes... But Wraysbury as it was, is long gone.
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In reply to Post #18
They certainly did Jamie as we both know all too well 😂😂 waited 3 years for my Alders ticket, finally got it and we had a baiting plan sorted then 3 months later told tough luck we’re taking over and giving our members tickets and sod the existing members
Atleast SWS are going to offer existing members first refusal. Not sure what the price is going to be yet. I’ve asked a mate who’s involved with it and all he’s told me is keep an eye out on the website going live in next couple days and all info, plans etc will be on there
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In reply to Post #13
Well let's hope they look after them. MVF have put a lot of hard work into turning this complex around. Be a shame to see these historic lakes go the same way as others.
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I say this without any evidence but it does feel like a brown envelope or two has changed hands to give the rights to a company that doesn’t have any experience as an angling club. I’m in no way dismissing their ability to run the complex but when leases are up for tender they are normally given to established angling clubs/society etc and not a newly formed company made specific for the lakes in question.
My two cents
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Well I’m glad fishing can continue. I was worried it was a stealth tactic to get rid of fishing like in Sevenoaks.
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In reply to Post #13
The size of the old Johnsons just cries out water sports
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SWS Fisheries have a new Facebook and Instagram page up and running. They are keeping the lakes as they are by the looks of things and are offering existing members first refusal on new tickets. Not sure what the price will be though
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In reply to Post #11
"They will royally **** it up whatever happens. And likely kill the remaining ancient fish by doing so."
very very bold statement... particularly when the company that have taken it on are an countryside conservation contractor with a fisheries department..
personally im a glass half full man rather than half empty.. I'd guess/hope that it will only be a good thing for a complex like that to be under control by someone like that. its **** that MVF have lost it as they did a great job but these things happen... and it almost certainly will be about how much money the council can get out of it.....
look what happened to wraysbury and now look at it. the anglers there who said the place was gonna be a load of **** when RK took it over are now all looking red faced as its one of the premier fisheries in the country.. lets all hope that the larkfield complex heads towards the levels of success that RK leisure has..
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In reply to Post #10
That’s pretty much certain what’s going to happen then.
There has been a massive new demand for outdoor activities since the pandemic started. Not just fishing.
The council were ovbs looking at where they could ‘snatch’. I always said when old man Johnson sold out to the developers back in the day, that it would all end in tears eventually.
My 'guess' would be... Bit of fishing on Larky 2 & Railway... R&I likely the new diving lake, no fishing... Larky 1 (Ocean) the councils new exclusive water sports lake, no fishing. Both of those scenarios, mean removing angling and anglers away from the housing complex. No one wants to pay a lot of money for a house with lake views, and watch some bloke crapping in a bucket on the far bank.
Of course, the Ocean and the R&I, it would both be very easy to split both pits in half. It would only involve a small amount of backfilling to achieve on each lake. I would not be surprised if that happened either.
They will royally **** it up whatever happens. And likely kill the remaining ancient fish by doing so.
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In reply to Post #9
TMActive is the part of the council that run all their leisure centres and pools etc
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In reply to Post #7
I got that letter from a friend who is a bailiff yesterday mate. The trust taking over is called TMActive. Even that name sounds watersporty, not fish orientated.
I said exactly the same thing to my mate... "What about the dive centre"? He did not know. But I'd imagine they will have lost their lease too. That's only a guess though.
The lake I currently fish has water sports on it. Because of the pandemic, their members have doubled this year at a guess.
Water sports will become the new enemy of carp angling going forwards, it's already happening it looks like. They want our lakes, and the two disciplines do not mix well IMO.
Paddle boarders around the margins at 5am on a carp lake is hard work.
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Made a FOI request to TMBC to find out who’s taking over and what their going to do with it.
I’ll post any reply in here when I get it.
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In reply to Post #6
Be Interesting to know if the water sports centre have had there lease terminated on Larky 1?
Let's just hope Angling continues.
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In reply to Post #4
Scary times for carp fishing. Pay your money and half way through the year the lakes given to someone else… And you can basically just **** off. The fish hatched from the Railway spawn, were just about ready to be stocked I’m told. Now it will likely be a water sports venue filled with ****ters.
What an absolute **** show. I feel very sorry for MVF. They done a great job with the historic complex. The letter below, is what was sent out to all current members.
RIP Johnson's… RIP The Ocean. Thank you for the memories.
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I found their website and Facebook page neither mentions the Larkfield complex but scarily they don’t seem like they have any angling connections just fishery management. I’m concerned that there will be no fishing allowed like the scenario at Sevenoaks
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From what I can gather from a page on Facebook it's a company called SWS fisheries there part of a bigger group that deals with Aquatic management and the like. Had a quick look on there site which dont tell you much.
I've never fished the Larkfield complex but have walked round it a few times over the years. And compared to the previous leasie MVF have worked wonders round the site improving swims and even started a stocking regime. So to honest I cant see a valid reason why Tonbridge and malling council have taken there lease away. But a pound to a penny it's down to Money. Lets hope the future bodes well for one of Kent most historic fisheries.
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No idea but I’d happily bet that it is a finacial reason. The way the council have gone about the parks redevelopment hasn’t been great. They’re effectively putting a small family run business who run the on-site cafe out of business by building they’re own cafe run by the council next door to the current cafe.
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In reply to Post #1
Why would they do that? Unless for financial reasons?
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Tonbridge and malling council are removing Medway Valley fisheries fishing rights at the end of October 2021 and a new club is supposedly taking control of fishing from the 1st November.
Anyone know who the club is?
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Venues (UK)