Giving the sport a bad name...

[Arf]

I think angling is presently suffering an assault upon it's innocent reputation.

 

This I believe, is due to the 'collectors of water full of goldfish' insisting on referring to themselves as CARP SYNDICATES.

 

Now I don't know about you, but for me the term 'syndicate' invokes imagery of dark, smokey rooms filled with scheming Chinese or Italian mobsters, negotiating deals and formulating evil plans for eliminating the competition.

 

I think the sport would benefit from the renaming of such organizations to CARP COLLECTIVES. This sounds much more inclusive, and does not invoke mental images of 'concrete boot' victims standing betwixt the carp at the bottom of the lake.

 

Many thanks,

Arf

[Worms]

I think angling is presently suffering an assault upon it's innocent reputation.

 

This I believe, is due to the 'collectors of water full of goldfish' insisting on referring to themselves as CARP SYNDICATES.

 

Now I don't know about you, but for me the term 'syndicate' invokes imagery of dark, smokey rooms filled with scheming Chinese or Italian mobsters, negotiating deals and formulating evil plans for eliminating the competition.

 

I think the sport would benefit from the renaming of such organizations to CARP COLLECTIVES. This sounds much more inclusive, and does not invoke mental images of 'concrete boot' victims standing betwixt the carp at the bottom of the lake.

 

Many thanks,

Arf

At the risk of being invited to swim with the fishes aren't the above reasons (not just limited to Chinese and Italians) precisely why they are called carp syndicates!

 

Respectfully yours, Gordon Brown.

[Anderoo]

It's a pretty standard term, and doesn't necessarily mean a carp fishery either. It does have a very specific meaning though, and syndicates are ofen confused with club waters that have limited places and very long waiting lists (usually because such places call themselves syndicates when they're not).

 

Still, I don't mind what they're called! But to me, 'syndicate' means a place that is well run and looked after, clean, attractive, where you don't need to race for the swim you want, where the other members are like-minded and where the don's word is law

 

I am lead to believe some are fairly unpleasant in that there's a culture of back-biting and jealousy. I suppose the famous example is Redmire, but I expect there are plenty of others. You get that at club waters too, though.

 

A lot of people seem to be anti-syndicate on the basis that they're 'exclusive' or 'cliquey'. However, if I owned a decent stretch of river or stillwater and wanted/needed to share it with others, would I sell 100+ season tickets at £40 each to anyone who came along and let them have a say in how things are managed, or 10 tickets at £400 to people I trusted and keep the management to myself?

 

I can understand frustrations where a good club water is lost to a high-paying syndicate though. But even then, I can well understand why the landowner (and the immediate environment) would prefer it when I see the state of some club waters.

[Peter M]

Perhaps the most controversial is the syndicate who takes over a stretch of Prime River just like happened with Adams Mill. If someone takes over or digs a hole in the ground and stocks it with carp then restrict membership, well that doesn’t worry me. But if you want Prime River stretches? I do get a bit wound up.

[ColinW]

Buy a boat. It's cheaper than joining one of those river syndicates. Of course you probably won't be allowed to anchor, so you'll have to keep the engine running to hold station. You won't catch anything, but neither will the buggers who have bought out your right to fish

[Worms]

Buy a boat. It's cheaper than joining one of those river syndicates. Of course you probably won't be allowed to anchor, so you'll have to keep the engine running to hold station. You won't catch anything, but neither will the buggers who have bought out your right to fish

Tee hee!

[poledark]

I used to think that syndicates involved having/purchasing a share in the fishery/horse or whatever. But it appears that most fishery syndicates are simply an excuse to charge a lot of money and restrict the membership, often meaning that good local anglers can't fish their local waters.

 

Den

[Newt]

Of course you probably won't be allowed to anchor, so you'll have to keep the engine running to hold station. You won't catch anything, but neither will the buggers who have bought out your right to fish

 

Electric motors are very quiet and prop speed is adjustable so you can keep it running just fast enough to hold position or to move slowly.

[Jeffwill]

I think angling is presently suffering an assault upon it's innocent reputation.

 

This I believe, is due to the 'collectors of water full of goldfish' insisting on referring to themselves as CARP SYNDICATES.

 

Now I don't know about you, but for me the term 'syndicate' invokes imagery of dark, smokey rooms filled with scheming Chinese or Italian mobsters, negotiating deals and formulating evil plans for eliminating the competition.

 

I think the sport would benefit from the renaming of such organizations to CARP COLLECTIVES. This sounds much more inclusive, and does not invoke mental images of 'concrete boot' victims standing betwixt the carp at the bottom of the lake.

 

Many thanks,

Arf

 

 

If a group of people form a syndicate, yes it can be elitist but either its a better set up to look after the water or to prevent others fishing it who maybe undesirable, e.g. people who like to eat their catch. You just cant slag off syndicates without knowing the history of the water.

 

A bit of background to my experience of fishing clubs - I have set up a small fishing club over the past few years after regenerating a council water that nobody else wanted to take the responsibility for and everyone watched fall to bits under council ownership.

 

After copious amounts of unpaid work by yours truly over 7 years, out of the woodwork anglers turn up who are keen to fish it and they are most welcome, but out of these decent folk are one or two ungrateful mourners that shout loud enough and strong enough as if they are experienced and knowledgeable.

 

Its not just fishing clubs, thats life. Everyone has an opinion though some people should keep it to themselves or go elsewhere. Whenever you get an organisation of people, you have differences of opinion and the worst of them all, in my experience, is the older person with a bitter type of outlook / personality that like to stir up trouble.

 

Every angling club administrator will know what / who i am on about.

 

Cheap membership encourages the good and the bad. Syndicates I would think would be well run and the water well looked after. Plus when there are working parties organised over a smaller committed membership, more help / work will get done. Again club administrators will understand what I am saying.

[Ken L]

CARP COLLECTIVES. This sounds much more inclusive

 

I like it ! A bit like the Borg Collective. All individuality subsumed and all dressing alike with a liited range of responces to a situation.

I must watch carefully next tome Star Trek TNG is on to see if I can see any Fox or Shimano logo's on the Borg implants.