Fish Finder

Hi Guys Sorry my name is Dave we run the tackle shop on Womack Staithe yes Alan youre correct as soon as the time to pay the mooring fee is due they turn the engines on and away they go . Unfortunately i dont offer any mooring space as its not mine i only have the pump out bay the old DRL moorings where Darren ran his hire fleet from are now a private marina again so no pleasure craft are able to moor there either. One craft that came in the other day (LADY FISHCAKE) the owner actually told a boat hire user who was attempting to moor up his day boat that he "couldnt park there as he needed to get in and that day boat should moor up on my pump out berth just so he could get his boat moored there for the weekend the arrogant man ! and theyre NEVER AWAY FROM THIS STAITHE . though to be fair they at least cough up the mooring fee when asked . theyre here again tonight but they had to moor out as the quay is full tonight ...(such a shame). Our thoughts took us down a similar path to you regarding multiple fee collection times I think its a brilliant idea however, i am told that this was put to the staithe trustees in the past and ruled out because (and I quote ). "We dont need the additional money". Pehaps the staithe should in that case become a business if it has enough money and cease being the registered Charity that it is . Either way I would like to see a more accountable set of Staithe trustees that have the village and its business's at heart along with more transparency of the waiting list and current tennancy of the parish moorings to validate that no person living outside the parish has their boat moored in the private slots which i have been told happens.. regards Dave

Hi There Just a few lines to let any interested parties know that we had a good start to the new business we set up earlier this year on the Broads. For those of you who have visited us both private owner and holiday boater alike we hope you enjoyed your time in our village and made some great memories. My wife and I would like to say a BIG thankyou to all those who patronised our shop we hope you bagged up on the fish that seem to be throwing themselves at anglers this year. Our business relies exclusively on the 17 moorings that are ajacent to our premisis and of the boat traffic most is from holiday makers we get no footfall from passing road users as we are down a small lane off the main road so we rely on the moorings bringing as many boats as possible in . Recently however our business and some others in the village have been suffering through the actions of some private boat clubs who decide to moor up fand just sit there sunning themselves . they plant their chairs on the jetty and sit there all day not using the shops or facilities but eqwually denying the moorings to those holiday craft who we rely on to get us through the winter. What is even more questionable is that when the mooring officerarrives they do not even have the decency to get their hands in their pockets to pay the tiny £3 mooring fee that goes to support the moorings themselves. these selfish people (and its the same boats on a weekly basis week in week out) could moor anywhere on the broads if its not their intention to spend any money but instead they prefer to deny others a livelihood. by taking up crucial mooring space to top up their already overdone tans. Fact. when a boat club came in this weekend our takings were down 50% on the norm for that day of the week as they pitched chairs and tables and didnt move from the moorings they had to be asked to moor a dinghy on their bow as they had taken up an entire space with one of their tenders. whilst i counted over 40 hire craft that day come up and have to turn round due to there being no mooring spaces. Before anyone gets up in arms about my points above bear in mind these forums are the first place people moan at when the facilities they enjoy go under due to lack of patronage. and for those of you who say " I pay my Broads authority licence so i can go anywhere i choose. " Yes you can but show a bit of common decency. I also own a cruiser a 32 footer so i probablly pay more toll than all the 27 footers or so that belong to these clubs. but when i moor at a facility , i have the decency to patronise the facilities and once i have what i came for i slip and proceed to a mooring which does not impinge on any business. I mean boating is about getting away from it all . Right? Bottom line is we welcome any craft here and will continue to do so but spare a thought for the livelihoods of people who are after all there for your benefit whether you need them now or in the future.

Once again thankyou all for your well wishes and kind remarks it was great to meet some of you over the last few weeks. Business is steadily increasing and we are looking at ways to diversify our range of products and services to both anglers and the boating community alike. regards Dave

Thankyou for your welcomes and kind remarks. Regarding the suggestion about a cafe There is a gift shop right next to us and Jackie who runs it already has Coffee and Tea facilities and some picnic benches set up on the waterfront outside. It was very pleasant out there today when the sun got out.

Hi there everyone My wife and I have just opened up a small angling shop at Womack Staithe at Ludham we are not yet quite in the same league as Lathams or Angling Direct but we will be stocking Bait, Terminal tackle, and other angling essentials We are also hiring out Rods, Pedalos and rowing boats for anglers. In addition to the Angling services we provide we are also offering Boaters a Pump out service and a boat Cleaning / Valeting Service by prior appointment. We are also looking into stocking boating essentials like gas and certain consumables such as water/pumpout/fuel keys and such things Were open 7 Days a week offering a friendly service from 8:30 am to 6 pm so if you're in the area please feel free to pop in we would be delighted to help you. Here's to a great summer with lots of sunshine Dave and Shelagh