We Need To Talk About... Ticket Prices

Simon Crow posted on Facebook a while back, noting an unusually large number of syndicate places were available this year, and that he hoped it signified the end of ever-increasing ticket prices. As you can imagine, this unleashed a tsunami of comments which, shockingly, were mostly constructive and well-informed. It got me thinking: what’s a reasonable price to pay for your fishing?

The popularity of carp fishing has led to the creation of many new fisheries in recent years, which appeared to be a win-win situation. Anglers having a greater choice of venues and high demand, meaning fishery owners could fill swims and set prices to make their businesses profitable. What’s not to like? If one water isn’t to your taste or budget, you can choose to fish elsewhere.

So, how much are we currently paying? After a bit of online research, it appears the cost of an annual syndicate ticket ranges from around £450 to north of £2,000: quite a variation! And, unsurprisingly, day ticket fishing works out more expensive, particularly on the premier complexes, with prices in the region of £15 to £30 for 24hrs. This means that if you did 50 nights a year on a £500 syndicate, it comes out at a very reasonable £10 a night. However, it’s £1,500 if you did this on a day ticket complex charging £30 a night.

Crikey, owning a carp lake is a licence to print money, isn’t it? Apparently not always: several owners pointed out in the comments on Simon’s FB post that running a fishery comes with lots of costs and that they struggle to turn much of a profit. I guess it depends on factors like your location, number of swims and/or number of lakes, lease fees/mortgage rates, facilities and staff costs, stock costs and, of course, whether the lake/s appeal to anglers.  However, some of the bigger day ticket complexes are almost permanently packed, which suggests they’re making a ‘few quid’.

When choosing a syndicate, an important factor to consider is how many tickets are being sold for each swim available. The temptation for owners is to maximise the number of members. One fishery owner on Simon’s post said he sold three tickets for every swim available. I have no idea if that is common. Personally, I’d prefer to pay more for fewer people on the syndicate. So, what do you think, are we paying the market rate, or getting fleeced?

One way to think about it would be to compare the cost of fishing to other leisure activities. For example, a season ticket at the mighty Norwich City costs roughly £550 (approximately £25 a home game). But if you’re a Gooner, a season ticket in the cheap seats at the Emirates now costs about £1,250, and the most expensive season tickets are around £2,000. Add travel and food to those prices, and an afternoon watching 22 millionaires running around doesn’t seem like great value. 

Another comparison is the average cost of gym membership in the UK, which is £40 per month (£480/year); not that exercise is something most of my fellow bivvy tramps would spend their hard-earned bait money on. A round of golf costs in the region of £40 on top of a UK average annual membership fee of £1,000, but fortunately most anglers know life is way too short to be whacking a little white ball in and out of sand pits. Anyway, you get my point, leisure is expensive!

Anyone for a game of darts down the pub… “Two pints and a packet of peanuts, please! £10.25! You’re having a laugh, aren’t ya?”

My conclusion from this research is that the cost of fishing seems to be pretty much in line with the cost of other leisure activities. But does that make it affordable?

Without getting too political, we all know the crap has hit the fan with our economy. What with Brexit, followed by Covid and the war in Ukraine, inflation is on the rise, wages are worth less in real terms, and the cost of living is going through the roof. This has meant all but the lucky few are seriously feeling the pinch and thinking hard about how much they can now spend on their fishing. If it comes to keeping the heating on, having three good meals a day, buying new shoes and clothes for the kids, or purchasing that premium ticket that came up this year, we’d all, of course… buy the ticket. Well, in the past, maybe a few luxuries would have taken a back seat behind the season ticket, but when you’re struggling to pay for essentials, the sad reality is that over the next few years fishing may be lower down the priority list for many anglers.

I agree with Simon, many are now looking at the quality of angling experience as the prime determinant of what they are prepared to pay, and in this economic climate may go for more affordable, less busy venues with modest stocks and sizes over premium tickets with large quantities of large fish. It also seems likely that we will see people dropping away from the sport, and with fishery owners having to compete for anglers, prices may indeed come down. 

Is there another solution? Well, getting very political, all Jeremy Corbyn, in fact: I wonder if it’s time for a return to the not-for-profit club model? Carping collectives run by the members for the members; where everyone pitches in with the fishery maintenance, and club funds are spent on modest re-stocking and other essentials. Is this naïve, or a vision of carping nirvana? I’m a big fan of Nirvana; Foo Fighters, not so much. As Joe Strummer once said… ‘the future is unwritten’!

Oh, and just before I sign off, between you and me, I heard that when Putin invades, he’ll make all lakes state-owned. Anyone can fish for free, yay, but all carp over ten pounds must be delivered alive to the back door of your local soviet supermarket, boo! You can then select supper from the in-store tank, humanely dispatched before your eyes and wrapped in the Moscow Times. Suddenly our current situation doesn’t seem so gloomy!