Joining The SCBI

Let’s start by getting straight to the point. It may save any potential waiverer having to read any further! Annual subscriptions are £30 (£33 for international members) and there is a £10, one-off entrance fee.

Also, despite the Club’s title it should be noted that membership isn’t restricted just to UK or UK-based anglers. We have a relatively small, but developing international section currently comprised of overseas anglers from Belgium, Germany, Holland, Ireland Kenya and the United States.

So what is the Club and who joins it? And what do they get from it?

To explain that it’s probably worth going back to the roots of the organisation, and its inception in March, 1979.

Before then of course the wealthy went fishing overseas for exotic species like Bluefin Tuna and Blue Marlin. And their exploits were graphically illustrated in ‘Creel’, a sixties magazine – a superb magazine, one before its time and one which, unfortunately, all too quickly disappeared from the angling scene. It wasn’t elitist, its content covered the whole spectrum of angling opportunities and featured writer the likes of Bernard Venables. Any rate it ‘fired’, certainly in me, a desire to attain the unattainable and one day fish for these huge fish.

Interestingly it’s only now - at the start of this third millennium - that other angling magazines are beginning to go where ‘Creel’ led and covering those fishing opportunities in different parts of the world.

But I wasn’t alone as I discovered that March evening when eight of us gathered at a sports hall in Farnborough, Hampshire. We’d all previously fished for Shark in this country, in Cornwall and the Isle of Wight. And all had a common desire to catch our first Marlin. That of course was apart from John Holmes and Alan Roscoe. They’d already done that, fishing from John’s boat ‘White Striker’ berthed at Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria in the Canaries.

The enthusiasm was infectious. The membership grew rapidly. And the count of Marlin and other big game fish we caught also grew - from places such as the Canaries (of course) the Bahamas, Kenya, Mexico and Hawaii. Certainly, especially at the time, exotic places and exotic fish!

Some of our members competed in International tournaments. And we even organised our own tournaments, the most memorable of which, in 1986, culminated in the capture of a new Ladies World record – an Atlantic Blue Marlin of 802lbs on 50lb test to Ann Holmes. It still stands to this day (February 2010).

Our quarterly meetings, at our ‘spiritual’ home – the Clarence in Whitehall, Central London – were always well attended, to overflowing. Standing room only! And new members avidly took in every little crumb of information, about a sport that developed into, for many, their passion.

In the three decades that have passed since then though things have evolved. We still compete in International tournaments but the era of our own tournaments has effectively ended. Not through lack of interest. But more because our expectations of where we want to fish, and what we want to fish for have become so diverse. This is perfectly illustrated by examining our record lists. The tournaments have been replaced however by trips organised by smaller groups of members with specific interests. Details of such trips, where vacancies exist, are advertised through our Web site and Newsletters.

But would you necessarily want to go on a trip with a complete stranger? What better opportunity to meet fellow members and establish a rapport with them tvia our forum, and possibly meet them on a shorter UK trip.

We also supplement our meetings with occasional ‘social’ fishing trips. In the past these have been fly fishing for trout. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a complete novice. There’s always someone at hand to tutor at casting and offer advice, and tackle can usually be borrowed or hired. And what of the membership?

Well they’re certainly a mixed bunch – some own their own boats, some can afford to go fishing several times a year and many, the majority, just the once. Some are skilled light or heavy tackle anglers. Some fish the salt, whilst others predominantly target freshwater species. Many enjoy fly fishing - often in saltwater for shallow water species but through to, potentially the ultimate challenges - Sailfish, Marlin and Broadbill Swordfish. But finally some are complete novices – and it’s certainly no bar to membership. Above all though, all are avid fisherman!

Now to what I think is perhaps the key benefit of the Club. And it may seem a little strange, especially in what is now the Information Age of the Internet. There’s so much information available that’s relatively easy to access. But most of it is uploaded by people who probably have a vested interest in promoting their goods and services. And often it’s the same people that respond to enquiries posted on Internet forums.

So in the Club, and its membership, you’ve access to that source of unbiased information. And it’s comprehensive. Again the records are the giveaway. Our members have fished as far north as Alaska and Lapland, and as far south as the Falkland Islands. And literally circled the globe. Thinking of going to the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Outer Mongolia? Yes, they’ve been to those places and many more of the remoter venues besides. That’s apart of course from all the more ‘common’ venues.

So some of that information will be available through the ‘Members Only’ section of our web site. But some the Committee will have to ‘dig for’, or point the enquirer to an appropriate contact within the Club.

What else? Well there’s our magazine. You’ll get a feel for that by looking at the content of previous magazines – details are in the ‘Our Magazine’ section of the web site. Although we’ve experimented with what was a smaller, more frequently produced magazine over the past couple of years we determined – at our 2004 AGM – to revert to, in effect, a Year Book. That would be something in the 80 to 100 page range and cover all aspects of fishing – trips and techniques, fresh and saltwater, fly and ‘conventional’.

We also compete annually for some 21 Trophies that cover the whole spectrum of angling achievements – freshwater, saltwater and fly fishing. There’s even one, slightly tongue in cheek, for what’s termed the ‘Best’ Hard Luck Story – the Seymour ‘Crying Towel’ Trophy.

Finally there’s the embryonic discount program we’re developing – negotiating deals with suppliers and boat owners for the benefit of all. Details of those are in the ‘Members Only’ section of the web site.

So hopefully that’s answers the question - What’s in it for me? But as a member you would be expected to contribute and assisting in building up these information sources for the benefit of all.

If you’re still interested could you please, in the first instance, contact the SCBI via the online enquiry form found here. To remind you there’s a £10 joining fee and annual subscriptions for UK-based members are £30. For overseas members subscriptions attract a 10% surcharge - £33 - to cover the additional costs of postage.