What are fishing clubs for?

Might seem like a funny question but...

I joined a local SAC a while back, paid my sub and duly got my diary and IFSA affilation, no problem, dealt with a very nice and helpful chap who stressed however that he had nothing to do with the shore side of the club and that somebody would be in touch.

I'm new to sea angling, stuck for transport and generally clueless about local marks and so on, and had been hoping that club membership would lead to solving some if not all of those problems

However since I joined I haven't heard a thing from the club, can't get in touch with the people who I'm told are responsible for the shore side of things, and am beginning to suspect that club membership basically means a diary and the right to fish competitions.

I don't want to fish competitions - see lack of transport and knowledge.

I'm just wondering, are clubs just for competitions or am I right to expect that somebody should have at least given me a call to say welcome to the fold, we're going out next Friday if you want to tag along and learn something?

Have never joined a club myself but my expectations would be the same as yours .Except that I am a cynical bstd .
Good Luck
N/

It really depends upon the club and is not just related to fishing. A good club works well if there is a good commitee, especially a secertary who does most of the day to day work. A problem in relation to fishing clubs in Ireland is that no distinction is made between shore and boat clubs. Many boat clubs run the odd shore competition, but most members are not that interested in shore fishing so its not taken too seriously. If your interested in just shore fishing, you should do some homework and find out what clubs are just shore fishing or at least take the shore fishing seriously. The benefits apart from the minor ones you listed are the chance to meet like mined people who have a lot of knowledge regarding marks, tactics, bait etc...Often you have to show interest and keep turning up before you will earn enough respect or friendship before anglers will divulge useful information. Why should some quy spill the beans about fishing an area to someone they don't, that has taken him years to accumulate. I don't know what club your in and I don't want to, but there are plenty of excellent shore fishing clubs in your region that should offer you what your looking for.

Interesing comments there drseafish. To be honest it hadn't really occured to me that people may be wishing to keep their cards close to their chest - given the openness of most anglers in my own experience, not least the posters on this forum, I genuinely didn't think that would be an issue. I am also not in any way suggesting that this is the case with this club, I would personally say the reason behind it is because there seems to be just no agreed structure for what to do with new members and who's responsible, if anyone, for letting them into the loop.

The idea of anglers unwilling to give up their hard-earned knowledge to newcomers is a contentious one, depending on which side of the line you stand. I followed the "locals vs. outsiders" thread with interest on this forum. I'm from the Wicklow mountains, so maybe everywhere I go I'll be an outsider.

As to the rest - I am perfectly willing to put in the time but I can't turn up to any meets/competitions because I have no transport, and because i can't get in touch with anyone to tell me when such gatherings are on!

And I wouldn't tell the name of the club even if you did ask, I'm not interested in running anyone into the ground I was just wondering if my ideas of what to expect from joining a club were off the mark.

Most anglers are quite forthcoming with information, which is the way it should be. I was only highlighting why some may be a little stand off ish.
The only anglers that I have met that you won't easily get info out of are the serious match anglers. Personally I can't blame them as they have put a lot of time and effort into their sport. Most anglers will give you info on casting, bait, rigs but I am sure they are not so easily forthcoming with marks and when and how to fish them. I think we all have one or two personal marks that we keep stump about. In joining a club have a look at the fixture list, you can be damn sure that in most cases the venues are fished at a time that the club committee think will produce fish. So immediately you have a number of marks and roughly what tides and time of year to fish them. I don't think that many clubs can afford to be picky or treat outsiders any different as in general numbers are falling as the fishing stocks dwindle. I hope you get something more out of your club or join another before you decide not to partake.

thanks, I hope so too.
I'm going to hang on in there another while at least, I think.

Sorry to hear your story Rocky, but you should be able to get your hands on a beach and boat fixtures list which would be a start.
Most clubs run a league of around 8 internal competitions a year (this allows them to put a beach and boat angler forward for the Master Angler), and as has alread been said these venues and times whould have been picked by the committe to try and catch fish (many a long night was spent by our own comittee picking good venues). As in every club there are good anglers and those trying to learn, and its by attending these outings that you get to know everybody and start to pick up tips. You will probably find a more experienced angler will give you hints and tips the more they get to know you. There are very, very few people who do not like to help out their fellow angler.
Being on a club committe myself I like to see members keeping in touch as it can be very hard trying to contact people before each outing.
We have members who dont like fishing IFSA competitions but love going on our club outings, so this should not be a problem for you.
I recommend you contact the person who took your membership and ask for a list of the beach outings and also when the committe meetings are held (normally once a month).
Good luck in your quest.

Damien