New Member?

[hoopster]

Alrighty! I want to join CAPS as I have just returned to the area after a number of years!! Can anyone tell me if I can purchase a membership to take me from now (feb) through to the end of next season??

Cheers!

[TomB]

You can buy a FULL MEMBERSHIP, but that will cost you £60 if you are an adult. We don't do any short term membership's.

[Holyjo]

Is this something we could consider at the A.G.M as it may deter potential members if we are entirely inflexible Tom

[El Tel]

I think Caps should consider this - I hold a ticket for another club who offer Jan-Mar as part of their package for membership expiring march 2006. As the waters are quiet this time of year anyway, it acts as an extra value reason for joining .

It also allows the new joiner to get involved with the spring work parties where they can meet other members and get advice on the waters and get to know some of the other members too. :wink:

[Holyjo]

I would have thought if you add an extra score to the annual rate it would suffice. I suspect what happens otherwise is that people may choose to sneak on the lake for the Feb ,March period and hope for the best

[TomB]

Sorry, I mis-read the first post, but I'm afraid the answer is still no I know some clubs do offer a couple of months free fishing to encourage new membership for the coming season. We don't at present. Cheap marketing ploys? Buy 12, get two free, I dunno what the worlds coming to :wink: Talk about Boot Sale mentality :wink:

[webmaster]

I can see the merits in atracting new members, but it is a bit unfair on existing members ie why should new members get 15 months for their money when loyal existing members only get 12.

[Holyjo]

But why not charge 15 months rate for 15 months ticket ie you dont get the three months from Jan to March free

[The Laird]

A good logical idea in theory, but where do you draw the line ie 18 month ticket, 15 months, 14 months . Also it would be difficult for the shops to do as they would then have different charges and believe you me its hard enough getting some of the shops to make the money balance as it is.

The current system encourages members to join at the begining of the season enabling us to pay our bills on time and seems to work very well, in the last 5 years our membership has risen from 1100 to around 1750 (most other clubs lose members or stay the same) so we must be dong something right. The best way of encouraging members is to provide good accessible fishing with good facilities ie parking, toilets etc. To offer cheap deals to get people to join seems to imply that we are desperate for members which we are not.

[TomB]

Like I said, 'cheap marketing ploys' As Kim said, the best ways to encourage members is to offer value for money angling on superb fisheries. Don't forget, a lot of these clubs who offer these 'cheap deals' are the same clubs who charge extra for night fishing, sometimes you might need two or three separate night tickets to fish all their waters around the clock, sometimes amounting up to £100 + per season, and if your children are interested well, the sky's the limit. You know the old saying, "there's no such thing as a free lunch"

[Hoopster]

Cheers guys,

I am without fail joining, just wanted to join sooner rather than later. If it is £60 to get two months fishing then I will have to stick to day ticket lakes and guest tickets for CAPS waters. Was just curious, I agree with the 12 month membership but with only 2 months left it seems like a silly investment!

See you in the new season!

[John]

I seem to remember about ten years ago, I joined CAPS mid winter and it cost bout £20 for the remainder of the season?

[Guest]

Yep, it has been tried in the past.

[TomB]

I'm the above guest, forgot to log-in ops:

[hoopster]

Take it no longer a choice then Tom?

[webmaster]

We did do a winter ticket a few years ago only to find that the following year the winter anglers held back from joining so that they could get a cheap winter ticket, I did grin a bit when we didnt do it again and they had to pay the full ticket price

[Holyjo]

With respect it still doesnt answer the proposal of from January one can have 15months of a ticket ( not three months) for 125% of an annual ticket


Where does one draw the line. Thats always the issue. I am arguing for the line to be drawn a bit more flexibly from Jan with 125% of typical annual ticket cost

I do however agree that given the growth in membership it doesnt seem to need to be a priority

[Hoopster]

Fair play guys, didn't mean to open up a can of worms. Was just curious about it as I am paying £25 for a weekends fishing at most places! As an engineer I am a firm believer of if it aint broke.......

Have been a CAPS member in the past but moved to Swansea and let it lapse!! Cant wait to get a bend in me rod again!!

[webmaster]

Dont worry about Hoopster we like to have a bit of banter on here otherwise the only time to discuss things would be once a year at the AGM, this way we can discuss things well in advance, it also passes the time away during the winter.

ps, Once you have joined I can activate you account.

[webmaster]

I must admit that I do see the merit of the 15 month membership, however it does present a problem on the books, as 3 months would have to go one one fiscal year and the other 12 months would be on the next. with monies carried over into the next finacial year. To be honest, for the few people that would do it would mean more complication to the system. I dont want to seem negative but accounting for around £90 grand a year (to the penny, with a full audit trail) is time consuming enough without adding extra complications. It may be that the next treasurer may do something along those lines but its not just a simple case of issueing 15 month tickets.
It is good though to see you folks thinking about issues of the club, keep it up.

[suffolkboy]

not wanting to seem silly here but if you are paying £25 a weekend if you go two times between january and march you have nearly paid for your caps ticket?

it would be nice in an ideal world but the saving you can make buying a caps ticket is amazing. i was paying £10 a night at one place, six times and iv got a caps ticket that i can fish all year with eight different lakes and miles and miles of river!

i understand your point but hey, come on, what ever time of year you buy your ticket you have got to be saving money paying day ticket prices!

[Mike]

Just read Kim's note... 59% increase in memebership in the last 5 years. Pretty impressive I'm sure, but it also explains why the lakes are so busy! Maybe with all this extra income a few new waters could be leased?

Mike

[Fcuked Off]

Mike,

The club are trying to find new waters to lease / own all of the time. Finding waters suitable for the club is very very difficult. When and if these types of waters become available then I am sure that CAPS will be first in the queue wanting to aquire them.

Of course, if you know of any then drop the club a line :wink: :wink:

[The Laird]

We have added Snake pit @ 12 acres and Inworth @ 4 Acres in the last 3 years and have been desperately seeking new waters which do not seem to be around. There are tiny small farm reservoirs available which get filled up and pumped out every year but anything larger is proving very hard to find. If you know of one let the estates officer know.

[suffolkboy]

how about suitable land where lakes can be created? do caps consider this idea? if so i may be able to find some spots.

[The Laird]

If you know of any boggy land or valleys suitable for creating a fishery let Paul the new estates officer know and I am sure he will look into it.

[Hoopster]

Alright Kim, It is a fair point you make that if I go twice then I have nearly paid but the truth is that I have 3 kids and a lovely wife that take up a lot of my money and sparing £25 to go does prove difficult!! Hence I have so far been once this year and my next trip will be in the distant future. Where as paying a subsidised rate for 3 months fishing would allow me to make a lot more of a fantastic sport and keep the grey away!! As I have said before I will wait happily it was merely a query that would allow me that chance earlier in the season!

Tight lines!

[The Laird]

I didnt make the £25 comment it was Suffolkboy

[Hoopster]

Erm DOH!!!!

Soz

[Hoopster]

Just curious but when can I buy the season ticket for next year?

[Guest]

Shouldn't be too long now, season doesn't start until April , be patient. :wink:

[Hoopster]

Is it me or is it the law of sod that means a nice long bank holiday with the wife away is just before the new membersip tickets are released!!

[The Laird]

The tickets should be availble now, They started going into the shops last Friday, Ive got them.

[Hoopster]

I think I just wet myself!!!!

"Corsses his fingers with the hope of a wet net!"

Thanks Kim

[The Laird]

Now.