So obviously we've not been able to fish at the moment but a club I'm a member of has just announced on their Facebook page that going forward we can only bait from one bait firm only... it's his mate's firm who I won't name but it's caused quite a stir I can tell you

Quite a few people have said they won't be rejoining etc,

The lease was taken over last September by a new guy and so far no swim maintenance, fish removal, work parties etc have taken place since. I wonder if this is exactly what he wants so he can get rid of most of the existing members and start making changes as lots of people are very annoyed already!

In reply to Post #1
going forward we can only bait from one bait firm only... it's his mate's firm

Unbelievable, nuff said for me, meeting in the local, tell him it's choices or game over, you all want your money back, never heard anything like it, I bet they charge per sheet of toilet roll

free bait to members then

In reply to Post #3
Let me guess, an Essex bait firm?

In reply to Post #4
no idea was being sarkie..

In reply to Post #4
Yep

In reply to Post #2
Never heard anything like it either... I've heard of a few places in France doing something similar but not sure it's to ths extent!

In reply to Post #7
Crazy, there should be at least a few choices minimum

How about hook baits?

In reply to Post #1
He's having a laugh surely ! That is the most ridiculous rule I think I've ever seen

In reply to Post #8
No mention of hookbaits...

Just the bait must be from said bait firm only.

I honestly think they are hoping to p1ss enough people off so they all leave and turn it into what they want. There are a lot of older members who have been on there years so it wouldn't surprise me. Carp fishing ay.... full of w**kers these days!

In reply to Post #9
Another member replied to him to say he won't be adhering to this and there is nothing he can do as the rule book for the year was printed back in September... so good point. He went on to say had he known this rule back then he would not have rejoined... this has been echoed by quite a few others too.

he has either deep pockets or a cheap lease.

In reply to Post #10
I guess he will do a range of alternative hook baits

Seriously pal, is this what it really comes down to. What a farce

Just make some specials up the same colour

In reply to Post #1
Ask him if his mate does a dick suck flavour.

In reply to Post #14

Like most, I wouldn't be having any of that. Bye Bye oh and can I have my money back please

WTF is happening to carp fishing. I hope you tell him to shove his ticket up his arse.

What a joke! Sod that.

Just the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Get all the members to convince him to reconsider. If he doesn't, he is a moron and it might be time to move on. Good luck with that one.

In reply to Post #1
Hi Ryan

I know a number of lakes on the continent that have a similar rule. They tend to drain down quite often and when you see the amount of crap that's left un-eaten and what some people put in, it's not really a surprise they want to control what goes in.
As for his "mates" chosen company??? Might be the best hnv bait around? Might just be a mate.
Owners should have learnt long ago that explaining rather than dictating new rules is always the best policy

Best

Jon

In reply to Post #20
Owners should have learnt long ago that explaining rather than dictating new rules is always the best policy

That's the one Jon

People are paying some hard earned cash here. They deserve an explanation minimum

In reply to Post #1
Let me guess the Lake owners mates bait company is called ‘field testers r us'

In reply to Post #1
Does he realise April fools is only for one day?

Boycot the club and he'll eventually realise his mistake when he has no customers.

perhaps he wants to turn it into a syndicate and earn more from it via a bait sponsorship?

In reply to Post #24
I'm lost here. I thought we were talking about a syndicate.It is certainly not a properly constituted club with democratically agreed rules for the benefit of paying members.

If you aren't happy with the rule changes then vote with your feet and leave mate, if he ruins the club then so be it.

In reply to Post #1
Stupid rules like this are there to be broken imo.

In reply to Post #27
Gotta be awfully difficult to police something as pathetic too. Unless they're gonna make you empty your bivvy to make sure you haven't got any contraband boilies hidden away.

In reply to Post #28

It's the way carp fishing is going and it's really sad. Only being able to use his mates bait is an utter joke. I would say he is going to earn a percentage of that money when you all buy your bait. The bloke obviously isn't in it to run a good syndicate he is all about the money and that's always at the members expense. I would buy the minimum you can get away with and use your chosen bait. Or better still get together and tell him thanks but no thanks. But you all have to be singing from the same sheet.

In reply to Post #20
Jon makes a good point.

Have you asked for an explanation?

I know a day ticket water that I've fished quite a bit asks that you only use their pellets if fishing that method. Their explanation is that they know exactly what's in them and it's related to overall fish care. It's not as restrictive on other baits though.

As said by a few. You could vote with your feet, but if you have a discussion first it might change things.

I would go as far as saying that only using there bait for fish welfare so they know what goes in is utter ********. If they care that much about welfare why allow someone to put a hook in one?. It's so they can make more money that's the real reason. I would suggest he gets a koi pond instead of a syndicate. Not that fish welfare isn't taken seriously by me as I hold it in the highest regard but I also recognise that putting a hook in one comes with a element of risk no matter what. Why didn't he contact 5 bait firms and ask about the core ingredients and how they work Nutritionally for the fish then give you a list of 5 bait firms to choose from. Why? Because money he won't get a % from them but probably will from his mate.

Hi All,

Anyone whose seen a drain down lake either uk or continental and is happy with what they have seen left in the lake be it bait, line or rigs is quite frankly humping carp fairies.

To the OP the rule is a valid one

Unexplained rules as I posted earlier become toxic though

Best

Jon

In reply to Post #31
We have asked him.

Several members tried ringing him but so far we have had no reply.

There are lots of issues that have raised by the club as nothing that was discussed at the AGM has happened and now this. He apparently asked for the FB page to be taken down but the member that set up is refusing until we get answers.

In reply to Post #34
Hmm

It doesn't sound like a brilliant situation. I'd keep persevering for a proper explanation. It's not like it's stopping anyone from fishing right now is it, so a good time to maybe air concerns again.

Have you tried the bait? What if it's brilliant and you bag up?

Taking over an established set up with members who 'have always done things this way' can be really tricky and it looks like he hasn't handled it all too well so far.

Why not be the voice of reason and while nobody is fishing call a truce and try to establish a better dialogue. If that fails then at least you tried and maybe a new water beckons.

In reply to Post #35
He's not answering his phone!

No such thing as a wonder bait especially when everyone else is using the same!

If that's the rules now just use the bait and get on with it. Or go elsewhere it's your choice, but if you're all using the same bait your results will be dictated by putting it in the right place at the right time.

In reply to Post #37
If I was running a lake you would be feeding them the food I wanted you to feed and nothing else. You would be excluded from ready mades of all kind and I would limit fish meals to certain times of the year. I wouldnt dictate the manufacturer though.

Well I think that I would agree with limiting the amount of shelf life boilies that went into the lake as they are the ones that are full of preservatives, generally poorer quantity and more harmful to the fish imo. Same could be said about badly prepared particles but where do you stop?!

At the same time I can see why foreign fishery owners are quite strict on what they want going into their lake. They are protecting their investment at the end of the day.

A club dictating this is a step too far though, especially if it really is his mates bait company as that's just a joke

In reply to Post #38
Would this be the "Shining Path" fishery run by the International Totalitarian Coperative UK branch.

How can this be a club if this single guy holds the lease? The are legal rules regarding clubs, things like having a constitution and, I believe, a committee.
This sounds more like a syndicate pretending to be a club. Maybe for tax reasons?
Why would he do this to deliberately piss people off rather than just getting rid of them?
I've got to say I'm a bit baffled by it.

I suppose the other thing to ask is ... how much per K for the bait .

In reply to Post #43
Great point! His mate might be offering a great bait at a discounted rate. Admittedly unlikely, but possible.

From my angle it seems like he wants to get all the members off so him and his mates can have it to themselves then in a few years time once they have piled the bait catch some very big fish and use said fish to promote how his bait works. Maybe I'm wrong but it does seem dodgy.

Is the bait any good or is it someone trying to push his mates small bait firm?

A mate of mine is on a syndicate and the owner also owns a tackle shop. Apparently he gets the right hump if he notices new tackle members buy and its not from his shop. He didn't let someone re-join once because he opted to buy his fishing tackle online and not from his shop.

I'm on a waiting list for a local club they have some interesting rules, nothing massive in their lakes but all very local and pretty and importantly quiet lakes.

No leads over 1oz which is fine as all very small lakes 2-3 acres max
Boilies allowed as hookbait only
No spombs or spods but again on such small lakes I'd rather bait up quietly
There was one other which I can't remember but I remember it being an odd one

In reply to Post #48
How long can you tie a stringer

In reply to Post #49
How longs a piece of pva sting haha

In reply to Post #42
Andy,

It has always been a club with a committee and treasurer but the lease was taken over last September and I agree it appears to have become a syndicate rather than a club this season.

He is friends with a guy who runs a respectable bait company but that's about as much as I know. He has so far been anonymous since we paid out membership fees so who knows.

It will certainly mean lots of members do not rejoin next season.

In reply to Post #48
That all sounds reasonable to me given the size of the lake

It's worth remembering that often the rules on a venue do benefit the anglers overall....

(Maybe not so much with the best mates bait scenario though...)

In reply to Post #51
Sounds like the club side of things has gone sadly

I can understand rules to protect fish and bait limits in some cases but one bait is bang out of order for me. Another dictatorship

I would fish somewhere else mate and encourage others to do the same if he cannot see beyond his toes

In reply to Post #53
Granted the bait thing is a bit extreme, but as said, some lakes in France have the same approach. The syndicate I'm on has some odd rules, which is why my mate's aren't interested in joining. Personally I think the rules are ok and don't have a problem with them. So as said, it's down to the individual to decide on whether to join or not. Not sure what it's like where the guy lives but here good syndicate places are dead man's shoes along with who you know. My mate's all fish day tickets, good ones granted but still day tickets, but being controlled a start and finish time isn't for me, along with often well booked up. So after all this, do the guys on the said syndicate/Club have other options to join and fish? I think that's what it boils down to.

In reply to Post #51
Why didn't the club renew the lease?

In reply to Post #55
The farmer wrote to the club telling us he was not extending the lease as they were going to use it for non fishing purposes then all of a sudden some guy who we've never heard of gets the lease and puts the prices up as the lease has gone up but the club letters and membership cards remained the same.

In reply to Post #56
Whole thing stinks then

In reply to Post #54
This is purely about choices and what suits the individual. I would not fish it myself. I think it's a pathetic rule. If there's one thing that gives you an edge over other anglers it's bait. It stops there for me. The rest of my thoughts on the situation are below

Like i said,,sounds like a dictatorship to me. The angler is the customer, any decent business knows that the customer is king, without them they are nothing

Sounds like this fella knew the lease was coming up for renewal and made an offer to the farmer that he couldn't refuse

In reply to Post #59
If that is the case I'd name the guy. Just so other club's are aware.

In reply to Post #60
Absolutely