Fishing with a difference

[Ken Davison South Wales]

Had a cracker on Sunday.

 

During the week a woman phoned and asked me to carry out a pond clearance as they had a young daughter and had moved into a house with pond, she told me the pond was 5'x6' x 3' deep.

 

I took my son with me and it was just as well the pond turned out to be 12'x11' I jokingly told the lady to buy a new tape or take up fishing I think that one sailed over her head.

 

It was a cracking pond well matured complete with a stream and water full and well planted, my job was to empty the pond of fish and plants and drain it down for £150.

 

I diverted the pump hose to a drainage gully and waded in, the pond was heaving with gold fish up to 10" and we soon filled five 36" x 42" bags. I said to Mark we would fill one more bag and head back to the garden center to of load the catch and have a bite to eat whilst the pond drained down a bit more.

 

I put the net in and made a sweep to a corner and it exploded into life and there was a 24" Shiro Utsuri Koi in the net. Well that was that bag filled.

 

I asked her if there was any more large fish in the pond and she said she thought there was three at least.

 

I switched off the pump and we headed back to off load.

 

On returning we caught two more koi one a Shiro Muji 24" and a 24" red and black fish which I am still trying to classify.

 

In all we caught over 150 large gold fish I just gave up counting, three large koi and six about 10” but all class fish. Plus four large bags of pond plants, a pump and filter I figure a total value of £2000 retail at least.

 

I told her to keep the £150 and paid Mark £75 for the day, she was very happy, Mark was happy and I haven’t stopped smiling yet.

 

Now that's what I call a good days fishing.

[Chris Goddard]

And the final tally WAS???

[Ken Davison South Wales]

And the final tally WAS???

 

Still selling them, but my £2000 estimate was well off, I took a deposit last week on a 24" Shiro Bekko sold for £300, I sold a Gin Matsuba the same size in January for £350 and I still have a Kanoko Showa about the same size, so with the other fish I am looking at around £2500.

 

Looks like I have another pool to clear down the road, young couple purchased a house with a lovely pond but she is getting broody and wants the pond gone. Now this one has a dozen good Koi plus a load of bread and butter ones which have bred of the parents, the lad is reluctant to let it go but I think he is on a looser as his wife has been in to see Debbie and asked how much to clear the pond, very sneaky

[Clifftop]

Still selling them, but my £2000 estimate was well off, I took a deposit last week on a 24" Shiro Bekko sold for £300, I sold a Gin Matsuba the same size in January for £350 and I still have a Kanoko Showa about the same size, so with the other fish I am looking at around £2500.

 

Looks like I have another pool to clear down the road, young couple purchased a house with a lovely pond but she is getting broody and wants the pond gone. Now this one has a dozen good Koi plus a load of bread and butter ones which have bred of the parents, the lad is reluctant to let it go but I think he is on a looser as his wife has been in to see Debbie and asked how much to clear the pond, very sneaky

 

and being the good business man that you are you will be giving her a good deal no doubt

[Chris Goddard]

Ken as my Granny used to say "What GOES around COMES around!!" And being the sort of person I reckon you are I am not at ALL surprised about all this!! Go get 'em!!

[Ken Davison South Wales]

Ken as my Granny used to say "What GOES around COMES around!!" And being the sort of person I reckon you are I am not at ALL surprised about all this!! Go get 'em!!

 

I feel realy sorry for the lad, he is being stamped into the ground like a tent peg She isn't even pregnant yet and she is laying down the law already.

 

He faces another problem, no retailer is going to pay him a good price for the fish. Koi spealist won't touch them, jap jap jap all the way. General aquatic traders like myself don't buy in big koi from the wholesalers, they can stick around for a long time. I buy in a two hundred 3" to 4" koi retailing at around £6.50p and in the season I will sell up to 75% of them, the following season they are marked up to around £9 to £10 and I will sell half of them leaving me with around 25 fish which I have now kept for two years and are around 8" to 10". To buy in that size of fish I would pay about £20 to £25 and they would have to be sold for at least £50 to £60 and I would shift very few. But my straglers can be sold for £20 to £25 and I would still have 10 or so left.

 

I have a 20” shiro bekko White body / black marking £250, it is a cracking fish from a pond clearance but I can not claim jap bred so £250 is around the mark, could take me a few years to get a sale even though it is a class fish. I currently hold nine fish in this price bracket plus another twenty three value between £75 and £150, the only benefit these large fish bring is display purposes, people see them and ask the price, then purchase 5 small ones hoping one day they to will have fish of that value

 

So what do I offer the lad? Say he has £3000 worth of fish at my price scale, do I offer £1500? No more like a £100 or £150 of trees and shrubs. Am I being a capital "B" ? No I could get lucky and sell the lot in a few weeks or I could be stuck with some long term pets and £1500 would buy a lot of quick turn round stock with little risk.

[Guest Ferret1959]

Been looking at koi on Ebay,they are dirt cheap.

Cheap enough to stick in the lake to fish after.

 

http://www.jsfishing.co.uk/gallery/gallery.html