This is just an opinion not an attack on any other fishery!!!

As somebody judged as Darth Vader (long before Star Wars was even made), I do feel slightly qualified to make a posting on the topic of advertising!!

I used to feel paranoid that I was the only person under attack trying to start a new fishery in France even though nobody had ever heard of me beforehand. It is of no consolation or pleasure to me that other well established fishery owners are now also coming under attack, maybe not on this forum but on other forums and some which I am not welcome to comment on.

Now where are the attacks coming from and from whom....???

There are a lot of new kids on the block, some associated with fisheries e.g. doing the organised trips, not really a full time commitment to living your dream and running a fishery!! Also booking agents, whose only interest is selling enough holidays to ensure they make a sufficient financial return to supplement their other income.

The established fisheries seem to be a good target under the forums for new fishery operators to boast about their stock levels, size of fish, facilities etc, but when you study the websites, there is very little information!!

I always keep an eye on new fisheries that are opening and from what I see, some are in for a big surprise!!! Posting pictures of doubles or 20's and the odd 30 and pretending that these will soon attack the weight of the fish at Rainbow, well you are mistaken!!

Producing a website with inadequate information will also not do their cause any good either!!

Too many people think that running a carp fishery in France is a licence to print money, no, there are far easier ways of doing that e.g. take up accountancy or become a lawyer!!

Developing any business takes time, effort and with a fishery...an awful lot of capital expenditure!!! Achieving success is advising people what the product is that you have (good or bad), no hard core selling (especially on the forums), sitting back and waiting for your customers to pass the word around, unless they want to keep the place to themselves!!

6 years on I am getting there and so are others!!

In my younger days, I would critise other fisheries (that I had been to)... for no commercial gain to myself.... these days I could criticise a lot more....but as you get older....well..

Well said, Dave, couldn't agree with you more...

I am in total agreement with your comments Dave. Long before I became a fishery owner I was a user of most of the forums that existed and travelled to France at least twice a year to fish.I had some great holidays, and some of the fishery owners with whom I fished are still friends, but I also experienced some real horrors that were so far from the advertised 'dream' that You could be excused for wondering if you were at the right venue.The market is certainly becoming saturated with venue's and the long established 'quality' venue's such as your own still manage to have a full 'order book' year after year. We are now looking forward to our second year and have a very high return rate of anglers who came last year.....now that is partly due to the fact that they enjoyed themselves but more importantly because I am totally honest with what I promise we can offer. I have had several enquiries that I have turned away and suggested other venue's purely because we cannot offer the hatful of 40's and 50's they were looking for. Our anglers have all been happy catching 20's and 30's with the chance of a 40 knowing that was the stamp of carp we have at the present. If we bent the truth and claimed loads of high 40's and 50's like so many new venues do the type of client we would attract would not be satisfied with less than that. On the subject of forums I am well aware that you have been given short shrift by one or two but always look beyond the obvious when it happens !!!There are those with vested interests in encouraging certain venues who will slam anyone with the front to question them.That is the sad thing these days in as much a lad who asks for advice on a suitable venue is steered rapidly towards certain venues for reasons other than their suitability. Having said all that France is full of cracking fisheries that can cater for all tastes and disapointed anglers can be largely avoided if we all were to advertise exactly what we had rather than what we consider is needed to be succesful.

Well said Mr Walsh.

Having owened a venue in France, and with financial interestes in others, I can fully relate.

With 54 venues in 16 countries, including 37 in France, the lads at EAL work really hard to ensure clients have a great holiday, at a venue that suits their requirements- they have been around a long time and offer by far the biggest global choice of fishing holidays. There are a few micky mouse booking agencies trying to jump on the so called bandwagon, which you are referring to in your original post.

Have a good day fellas.

Chris

Thanks guys, never before have I received this support!!

It is probably a good thing that I am not allowed to comment on another forum at the present time (well not been allowed to officially for 3 years now - looks like a life time ban)!!

Comments about the only venues surviving will be those that offer ridiculously cheap prices or offering customers the chance to catch the biggest fish, what a lot of rubbish!! If that were the case we would have gone out of business a long time ago. It is reassuring that so many anglers come to France for a holiday and that the b-all and end-all is not about catching record breaking fish or trying to get a free holiday. I am sure it will stay that way for many years!!

Dave, many of my repeat clients have caught much bigger carp in France (and in the UK from the likes of Acton etc) than they can ever catch from my French lakes (although my cats can stand comparison with anywhere), but they love coming to my place for the quiet, the crack, the stress-free, unpressurised carp fishing, in lovely surroundings with decent facilities..

These 'seen it all guys' have learned there is much more to carp fishing than just catching big fish...

Like me, you've worked hard, and overcome the set-backs we all have had to a lesser or greater degree in the early days to make Moulinots into a success, just like my lakes are a success, so you deserve supporting...

However, many others have and will continue to fall by the wayside because they went/go steaming in due to the equity they made on property in the UK, but really they didn't have a clue, or any experience of business or customer care, so now are now long gone or going.....

Thanks Paul.

I hope new fishery owners/operators or anybody contemplating opening a fishery in France read the comments under this topic. Personally, I think the majority of carp anglers who come to France, do so for a holiday and not as a quest for that specimen fish that they probably can't get the chance to fish for in the UK. I also have guys (but not many) who have caught fish bigger (at other venues) than the size that we can offer at our venue but surprisingly to me they keep coming back here. A lot of people have taken pleasure in growing up with my venue and seeing how the fish have progressed each year. Obviously 1 day they will choose to move on, I just hope that all the regulars don't choose the same year to do so, otherwise we will be in trouble!!

The average size of fish in France is generally bigger than the UK, however, that is not the be all and end all of fishing.
Many of get us hooked on a particular water in the UK and a lot of these waters are hard waters to fish. Many guys work bloody hard to produce one or two fish a year.
For 95% of us France is a holiday and holidays should be relaxing and fun. We don't want to see fish burnt with flamethrowers, or other such nastiness, we want to have a laugh, within reason,eat some nice french food, meet nice people and land a few fish.
It is also important that we get what is advertised or at least a chance at what is advertised fish wise.
Keep up the honest work guys!

I have been fishing abroad/in france since 91/92 and have been going twice or three times a year since. I have fished various commercial waters along with public waters and the rivers and will continue to do so for the forseeable future.
I will only return to a commercial venue if i feel it is as advertised and i got what i expected, and that isnt only just the fishing it is also the facilities.
The facilities and the comfort are only important to me when the ladies come fishing as we need the home comforts, for this week we most definatly take as a "Holiday" and the fishing is judged to be as relevent as the facilities, who would take thier bird to a sh1thole of a venue? then again who wants to go to France to catch doubles and 20s?
In my opinion the best commercial venues have thier target customer, whoever that is and cater accordingly.

I agree with rotofryer, honesty is the best policy, especially if you want returning customers.

I am surprised then Tony that we haven't had the pleasure of your company yet! Nearly broke my own advertising standards by displaying that the average weight this year was 35lbs,(which it has been), several bad weeks since though and it is now down to 33lbs +, had to change the website before the hate mail started arriving!!