Fish Finder

Just added a day boat to our list of offerings shes been renovated over the winter and she passed her BSC and has had her stability test conducted we got our operators licence this weekend so she is able to be hired out as of this weekend . anyone interested can visit our website at http://www.ludhamtackle.co.uk/we have a page on there with an online booking form . hoping she is going to be the first of a small fleet. (Well u have to start somewhere).

lovely to see the photos of that 44 pounder and great to hear that the big boys and girls are still in evidence, we had a low 30 pounder come out at Womack about 15 months ago caught on a plug during the winter months but only jacks and jennys upto around 6 pound have been caught recently AFAIK at Womack unless anyone knows any diffently. i think the salt water surges drive them further upstream as they hate salty water.

I have actually refused to sell pike tackle to customers on a couple of occasions as they clearly had no idea about their own safety nor that of their intended target species.IMHO Pike fishing should only really be conducted by those familiar with the creature or those under direct tuition from a person used to handling this fine species of fish. Even I as an experienced angler would be rather concerned if i hooked a large broads pike so i tend to always go fishing for them with an experienced friend. Big bream are a lot safer to play and land so i tend to promote those to customers who are in experienced and in the main they see the point. Handling Pike demands common sense and respect for the animal. Most anglers are unaware of the fact that the pike though a predator is actually a very delicate fish and can easily die at a later time if mishandled

I had heard that the lease is not a great one very expensive and the chain are VERY inflexible regarding payments . im sure that if pub chains were more understanding and less greedy that our broadland pubs would actually retain a bit of longevity . but as is many tennants are being squeezed out by high rents / leases,forced into buying their beer from the chains themselves who charge extortionate prices for their wares v cheap booze in supermarkets. The cost of pint in pub is almost 3 times what a supermarket sells a similar quantity for and needs to be because the publican needs to survive . trouble is pub trade is at its lowest point since wwii people can buy cheap booze in supermarkets and sit in the comfort of their own surroundings and smoke if they so wish whereas pubs are more expensive and the smoking ban killed a lot of trade off too ( not that I smoke ) but i can see why people would choose home over pub nowadays

apologies bigbream didnt mean to vent at you specifically please check my pm

If you had read a previous post you would have been informed that i was told by the locksmith that secured our door that unit 3 at ludham bridge had similar repairs done on the morning of thursday last week due to similar circumstances. cant think why he would have said that if it was untrue. But anyway you obviously seemingly doubt my version of events or the fact that we were broken into or the validity of the events.that happened to us why else would you feel the need to pick holes in my version of events. ludham bridge aside i hope this never happens to any of you. Frankly I am dismayed at of all the small minded and irrelevant pettiness that has taken over this thread. when it was initially meant as the sharing of a happy resolution of a rather nasty event that could ruin any small business. in fact very few of you have actually offered sympathy .preferring to pursue conspiracies and irrelevancies and promote your own somewhat negative views . that in my mind shows your true calibre

Maybe if you patronised the shop more often it would be open when you want it ive actually been working on shop business all over the winter rather than sitting non productively waiting for non existant winter clients once in a blue moon and actually from easter we are open 7 days a week until november no weekends off no bank holidays off . can you say that ? i think we can take time off when we want it as youre not paying my wages!

Hi Poppy we reported it to the police and have a crime number for it . i dont believe it is a requirement to inform the media especially whilst police are still conducting the investigations. and no no rat odour here i was informed by the police that a shop in north walsham was also hit recently in a similar manner and that a unit at ludham bridge was also broken into on or around the same time as the locksmith who secured our shop told us he had had to do similar work that morning due to the same circumstances. Hi Kfurbank the broadshaven issue is not one of a chequered history I know for a fact that the previous establishment couple have had personal issues and decided to go their separate ways. It was a purely personal set of circumstances and the brewery chain felt that the establishment needed to carry on as a business for the time being. cant really see the need to bring up the broads haven in this thread unless you have some underlying personal reason for doing so. Hi Heron thanks for that . I will be checking that with clive. small print is a biatch lol

Just curious, Heron why would this insurance not be valid ? Perhaps your marina is overly cautious? As far as i am aware the tolls declaration just says you have to have a minimum of £2 million pounds insurable value of the craft for a minimum of 3rd party cover I may be wrong but i haven't seen anything that stipulates, "must be regulated by a UK FSA authority". Am i incorrect?

hi guys i posted about it because i am happy with the service and the rapid payout from what i can see in some of the follow up posts some of you are more concerned about the nationality and who is in charge. which in my case has been irrelevant. so here is the low down I deal with Clive Lewis he is the broker for Edward Williams his office is situated at Womack Staithe at the address that some kind forum member posted earlier in this thread so anyone wishing to discuss insurance can speak directly to him on Tuesdays Wednesdays and Thursdays during working hours. We insure our Fairline with him and our business. They are not regulated by the UK FSA but are Spanish based and their head is registered with the Spanish FSA so i believe. As for insurance per se whoever and whatever company you go with regardless of national registration body the first question any insurer asks is "how can we mitigate our losses or reduce the amount on paying out compensation". that is standard with ANY company and UK based ones are just as guilty of it as foreign ones. So I personally think that the fact of whichever nationality the company is is somewhat irrelevant . I am speaking from my experience in dealing with Edward William and i cannot fault the service. I speak as i find and i offered my experiences for any interested parties. But I am sure that such a rapid payout would not have been forthcoming from a UK insurer or indeed a US one I am sure all of you are capable of deciding who you prefer to insure with. This was meant as an informative post and my recommendation is based entirely on my own experience. Whether you decide to look further into this is entirely up to individual personal preference. regards Fishfinder

I dealt directly with the head man, Clive Lewis. and it was he who wrote the cheque out immediately hope that helps

Hi Guys just a few words about the excellent standard of service we have had from our insurer. Edward William We run the small tackle shop on Womack Staithe at Ludham . On the night of Wednesday 18th/Thursday 19th of March we were broken into and the thieves took all the rods reels and blister packed terminal tackle from the shop destroying the door the till and taking the rod stands too. We called the police and informed the insurer who requested an inventory of missing stock. Over the weekend we compiled the list of stock and submitted it to the insurer this morning. Within the hour my wife received a cheque for the amount stolen. NOW THAT is service . I would highly recommend Edward William Insurance to anyone considering changing their insurer. The rates were competitive and the no quibble service with fulfilment inside 24 hours has taken away all our worries about our ability to replace the stock before the season restarts which in a small business is paramount. Lets just hope the police are as quick to apprehend the perpetrators!

Hi Jon just read your latest wish list ....I just happen to have a 1977 Fairline Phantom 32 with twin 6 cylinder volvo penta diesels. see the image on the profile. I bought her in November 2012 She just had her recent BSC and is now up to date until 2018 anti fouled 2013 both sets of bellows replaced and legs serviced at the same time. now i hadnt thought about selling her but i might be persuaded to part with her if the price is right. If you're interested in having a look and making an offer or if you have a client already in need of one of these , drop me a line / email and we can arrange a viewing. but i do stress i am not desperate to sell her and will only part with her if i consider the price to be right. I also know of a Seamaster 813 which is also on your shopping list (at least i think its an 813) that the owner was making noises about selling earlier this year. we can discuss that one too regards Dave

Wow That was fast thanks for the feedback .

Just a quick post to let you know i have now had time to sit down and build our own web site . Its live now at www.ludhamtackle.co.uk. It still needs a few finishing touches and a bit of fleshing out but most relevant pages are up and contain details. It also tells you a little about us what we do where we are now and where we plan on heading and also links to what else in on offer at Womack Staithe. Also If anyone has any nice photos of their time at womack id be happy to put them in our gallery page. Dave & Shelagh

Absolutely spot on! I had occasion to speak to a holiday maker who had moored up intending to use the facilities there for a meal and drinks that would have been at least a family of four covers and drinks to go with it probably around £50 - £60 minimum. he was immediately approached for his mooring fees and was told that there was nothing off the meals or drinks. result he decided to moor overnight but shunned the pub and the grub.went and got some cheap booze and some fish n chips guess who lost out there. not the holiday maker If i recall correctly most if not all the pubs on the broads charged a small nominal mooring fee for over night mooring only. this fee could be reclaimed on a meal or you got your first round of drinks free up to the value of the mooring fee. To charge a boat £5 for the privilege of mooring up and another £5 for stopping over night is outrageous and frankly smacks of pure greed. If people are worried about takings then maybe service levels should rise so repeat business is generated . The service i give to boaters and anglers has been such that probably 10 % of my business this year is from returning customers that i helped out last year. and also their friends who have been informed of our presence. Bottom line is this holiday maker felt robbed and stated he would never be returning there ask yourself if you were in his situation how would you feel? Maybe the way to increase turnover is to offer a better friendlier service and ensure repeat business and in time gain a larger customer base rather than turn over a quick buck and alienate holiday makers no one is saying dont charge a nominal fee but give a service in return for it or a discount . im sure trade would increase and people would stay in the pub for an extra drink. just my thoughts guys n girls

Hi Gramps and welcome to the forum . grab a bottle of your favourite tipple sit in a comfy chair and chill with some really friendly peeps. Dont forget to pop in and say hi when youre visiting Womack Staithe Dave & Shelagh

No honestly ... its quite alright... please you really dont have to! hehehe

Hello All Dave here , not had much time to reply to the number of questions that there are on here regardin womack Staithe so ill answer a few. I am hopefully on the mend after getting throat cancer last year . we have the shop open 7 days a week through the season from around 8:30 ish to 5pm Mon -Sun though depending on patronage from Nov 1st we will probably close the shop but be available throughout the winter on the end of a phone for you hardy souls that want Calor gas and pump outs. plus any anglers that want some stuff. The Gift Shop is under new management by our close friends Martin and Jenny who also run Calder Designs. The gift shop and Calder Designs are totally separate entities to the tackle centre and pump out We also have a new art gallery on the Staithe; "Brush Strokes",run by Norfolk Artist Philip A Smith. Philip has taken on one of the units here. Some of Philips work can be viewed online at www.artweb.com/artists/23205_Philip%20A%20Smith. Philip paints at the gallery and one can commission his artwork if required. We have had a good year getting a lot of repeat business and recommendations from holiday makers, whilst in the process breaking some of our last years records regarding daily and weekly takings. Everything we have in the shop is bought and paid for as we refuse to have trade accounts or bank loans ( we want nothing to do with banks) and we would rather only get in what we can afford rather than owe our suppliers. and its all expanded from the sales we have had.. The Model boats start at 14.95 and go up to £45 for the 1/275 scale Soviet Sovremennyj class destroyer or £49.50 for a the Kiev Class Aircraft carrier. we have a few RC helicopters too which are ok for indoor use.{ As for the moorings for the aircraft carrier models the landlady keeps on takin on more and more boats in the marina so theres no longer any mooring space for em HEHE Pump outs are priced as follows 1 Toilet £12, 2 Toilets £18, and if you have 3 or more loos on board its £24 I use a gallon of Strong Elsan Blue mix in every holding tank and i help each boat in and out of the pump out berth , Water is free if you get a pump out. As for the Valeting unfortunately due to my illness and the facts that my daughters boyfriend who was assisting us is now back up in Yorkshire and Shelagh has had severe respiratory problems we have not been able to do any valeting. One more positive is that we have purchased a day boat (which is in need of repair and is due to be renovated over winter,) we intend this craft to be in the water by the start of next season and out for hire as a picnic boat. (Picnics can be provided if required and we will be forulating a menu choice once the boat is nearer its completion renovation wise.) Once again Thanks to all who have used us here at womack we enjoyed meeting you. and for those who have not yet visited us please feel free to pop in and say hi . Regards Shelagh and Dave

Hi Everyone Just a swift message to tell everyone that we now have a couple of additional facilities available at Womack staithe We have managed to get in touch with a Calor Bottled gas rep and we will hopefully be selling Butane Propane and Patio gas for boaters, caravanners and locals probably from the beginning of May once the Cage arrives. We have also (due to popular request) added a water point facility at the pump out bay as an addition to the one already installed on the public moorings. Also for kids of all ages we stock a small range of Radio Controlled Power boats Hovercraft Destroyers and Aircraft carriers. these are already proving Very popular. look forward to seeing many of you as you enjoy your time on and around the broads this year. Regards Dave and Shelagh

Hi Ladies and Gents I have not been around much of late due to battling throat Cancer over Autumn and Winter but Just to let you all know the shop still very much in evidence we have not been open lately due to the above but expect to re open soon. In addition to our tackle aspect we also offer a first class pump out service at reasonable rates including Blue rinse and we're exploring bottled Gas storage and resale. The gift shop next to us is under new management and offers a wide range of products . In all Womack staithe is looking forward to another bustling busy and happy year. If there are any products that you would like to see us stock related to boating (within reason as we are only a VERY small shop) then please feel free to contact us or pop in. Regards Dave

Hmm i see that opinion is rather divided FAIR ENOUGH I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE and i respect your individual comments and positions . I can however assure you that i do not go into things blindly . Everything we have accomplished at the staithe over 12 weeks is from hard graft over 15 hours a day EVERY day since before we opened whether in view or behind the scenes. We own everything we have stocked there. weve channelled every penny back into the place and have not approached any bank or building society for a loan because we know we will have to close over the off season and we will maybe shift to 3 days a week offering pump outs pike tackle or carp tackle and an internet based commerce section . So all stock is paid for up front and we have expanded what we have there immensely. We Want to be there we will fight to be there but we can only succeed with support. And as i already said some of these guys make themselves scarce when they have to stump up the tiny mooring fee which goes to the upkeep of the staithe. that in itself shows a total disregard for the place. . As for naming and shaming individual vessels I will name and shame anyone that orders a holiday maker off the mooring he is struggling to get into so he can put his own craft there whether he uses the facilities or not! thats bullying.and he had no right to do that ( the affected parties were really upset and i dont blame them). Bottom line is any business on the broads relies on the tourist trade from whatever place theyre located for a short window of the year . if theyre denied the trade they fail. these boat clubs can use the broads all year round and can sit anywhere on the broads they want but doing so in the mid summer at places relying on the trade generated from the moorings shows a lack of understanding on how the broads and the tourist trade in general works and a total disregard for anyone trying to enhance the area we all love so much .

well ive always said what i feel being pc is not what i am about . i tell it the way i see it . as i said earlier this place is the first to see the gripes when some facility or other closes due to lack of business. but when someone states a few facts they are out of order. i see the figures at the end of the day theyre affecting my business and i have a right to point it out. its a free world the same as youre free to disagree with me. and as for not doing my business any good its hardly damaging it if theyre not bothering to use it in the first place. regards

I take with your point , however as i already stated i also pay my broads tolls and moorings but when i go out if i want to go to a mooring with facilities i pay the fee and use the facilities /shops/pub then im out of there these people could go anywhere on the broads and sit and sun themselves. and as you said it probably doesnt even register that theyre hitting business .. oh and by the way its not just tackle we provide here we hire pedal craft , rowing boats and offer a pump out service so its all those aspects of the trade thats being hit . when we dont have these boat clubs up here we do around 200-300 pounds a day when theyre here we barely make 60.

true some of the tyre kickers are in evidence but then they wouldnt buy from roys or lathams either. in the 12 weeks since we have been open i have only had to tell 2 customers that i didnt stock what they were looking for and of those items they wanted i have not been asked for them again. as they were high priced items. I have purposely steered away from low turnover stock and focussed on fast turnover items, terminal tackle , bait and quality budget rods that i selected carefully in order to maximise turnover. the shop is small so space is at a premium and as such we dont sell larger less required items by design. i believe our stock range is just about bang on target. ... the problem lies in the fact that the moorings should be changing craft 2-3 times a day and when these fleets of commodore wannabes turn up it destroys the trade and they arent taking up the slack They would soon moan if i parked my car and trailer outside their drives all day so they couldnt get out to work to earn a living ....same breed of cat. Regards Dave