Fishing survey feedback

Thank you to everyone who shared their views in our 2023 fisheries survey.

General feedback

You provided feedback on the following areas – please see our responses below.

The percentages show how many people provided feedback on each area.

Fish quality (60%)

Size

We pride ourselves on sourcing high-quality fish and balancing the cost of supply and therefore day ticket prices. As the condition of fish in our reservoirs is generally reported to be good, we believe this feedback relates to size.

Species

Starting last season, we changed our stocking plan to include a wider variety of species and larger fish. Increasing this further would require a significant increase in ticket price, which feedback suggests is not affordable to many of our customers. Additionally, the cost of trout has increased far above inflation.

Facilities (56%)

Food and drink

We installed kitchenettes at Hawkridge, Clatworthy and Sutton Bingham in 2023, providing customers with access to hot water, drinking water, a small fridge, a microwave and a kettle. We believe that this addresses many comments about food and drink.

Parking

We recognise on busy days that parking can be limited. We are looking at other areas that could be used. We ask customers to be considerate and save bays nearest to the lodges for less mobile customers. We are ultimately constrained by the size of our sites and balancing the loss of habitat with a relatively small number of very busy days at the fisheries.

Outdoor seating

We will explore the installation of perches around our reservoirs and review the number of picnic benches by lodges and other key areas.

Banks and swims

We are working to ensure that our sites support nature and biodiversity as well as fishing, which is a delicate balance. We will review how we manage key fishing banks and swims to keep the vegetation clear and prevent further encroachment.

Because of the high water levels at Durleigh in recent years, it has been difficult to access some areas to maintain them, so we are in the process of carrying out this work.

Gutting areas

There is a lot of demand for fish gutting areas and the return of the gutting room at Sutton Bingham. This is something that was reviewed by the team last year and we are unable to provide fish gutting facilities across our sites because of hygiene, waste disposal and fats entering the sewer network.

We will look to update the weigh stations and surfaces for examining fish, but anglers are required to take all fish home for gutting and preparation.

Catch and release (29%)

We recognise that catch and release is an increasingly popular option for anglers, but there is not currently enough demand to warrant introducing it at the detriment of many of our longstanding customers who value our traditional model.

Therefore, we will consider trials and possible operating models for the future but will not immediately introduce catch and release.

Customer service and booking (34%)

Online booking

We are maintaining our current booking system for the 2024 season. We will periodically review providers, but as customers have largely become used to this and gained confidence, we will avoid changing unnecessarily.

Card payments

We advise customers to try to arrive before 9.30am if they would like to pay by card on the day of fishing, as this is when Rangers will be in the lodges to facilitate this. Card payments can also be taken over the phone in advance of arrival if you cannot access our online booking system.

Phone calls

Rangers are not always available to answer phone calls as they also maintain the site. We advise customers to try and call us before 9.30am as this is when the Rangers will most likely be in the lodges.

If you cannot get through, please leave a clear answerphone message, including your name and number and we will return your call as soon as possible.

Online information

We have reviewed and updated our website, so customers should now find it much easier to access key site information such as catch reports, rules, maps, safety information and our booking system.

Pricing

Feedback broadly supports that we provide good value for money. Some specific suggestions that we will consider include reduced-priced boats for season ticket holders and a boat charging structure that is based on the number of people.

Around 40% of our customers said that they would not be willing to pay more for their tickets, but 40% said that they would pay up to an additional £5 per day ticket, so it is clear to us that we cannot significantly increase our prices while keeping fishing affordable to our customers. Our fisheries are not run for profit. All of the ticket sales income goes directly into stocking and operating the fisheries themselves.

Site-specific feedback

You also provided feedback on the following sites – please see our responses below.

Clatworthy

• We are planning to undertake access audits of the site and seek recommendations on how we can improve access to the pontoon and boats. Due to the steep nature of the valley, this is a significant challenge.
• We are awaiting the outcome of the ongoing investigations following a tragic accident in a Wheelyboat in Devon before we reintroduce them.
• We have no plans to introduce kayak fishing or float tubing at this time.

Hawkridge

• We recognise that there have been periods where the weed growth has been significant, largely caused by the water level remaining higher through spring in recent years. We will consider reactive weed cutting when this happens, but it is normally short-lived until the level drops and it dies back naturally, as the cost of cutting is often disproportionate.

Sutton Bingham

• Because of the increasing water temperatures and challenging trout fishing conditions in summer, we intend to repeat the ‘carp on the fly’ sessions, while also offering trial coarse fishing for carp when trout fishing is not viable. This will not affect our trout stocking or access to the reservoir for trout anglers.
• We have increased the number and type of tuition sessions available in 2024, including weekly two-hour sessions to help beginners and improvers.

Durleigh

• To increase access to the most active swims, we have made it possible for two anglers to fish from the same swim if they book together.
• We have improved the section of track along the south bank and reinstated stepped access to swims one and two.
• It is not feasible to have a fully accessible path around the reservoir at this time due to the level of investment required and environmental impact. We will explore options to improve accessibility at selected swims.
• We have reviewed the use of bait boats and found that it is not feasible to allow them all year round.
• Durleigh has always been a day ticket water and anglers need to leave before dark for safety and security reasons.
• We feel that the current booking system reduces the competition for swims. Customers are reminded block booking swims and then cancelling is not fair.
• The current fish management programme (lowering fish density and increasing sizes) is working, with feedback suggesting the quality and size of fish have improved.

Tucking Mill

• We intended to restock last year, but because of high temperatures after the migration season this wasn’t possible.
• Similarly, putting an otter-proof fence around the site would be problematic because of the terrain and number of tree roots.
• We have made the difficult decision to close for the migratory period due to continued high predation.
• We are pleased to confirm that we will be repairing the swims on the dam before restocking and reopening in April.