You don't see many new members entering- i think the problem lies here.
if a few regulars take a day off this is what happens.
ps i sent my results via the website, it doesn't look like it was received
PJ
I am trying to answer the question as one of the new members who isn't fishing comps rather than a longer term member who fish them and can't understand why others don't want to or haven't got the time to.
XXXXXX
Just a guess, but isn't Sunday's the actual day for the family.....?
Sunday lunch, Mothers Day (Didn't we stop a trail away for that this year), Granny coming over, mowing the lawn etc etc.
Adam you hit the nail on the head.
"and to be honest if we look at the attendees they are pretty much the same (bar one or two) as the previous years, "
It is generaly the same people entering as they either 1) have the time to come out and fish for the fun of it
or 2) are competitive spirits.
The lower turn out is that people are particularly excited by comps. In addition, the club has very successfully gained membership by promoting itself as a very good place to learn about safety, fishing in general and comaradary. The people joining (myself included) joined for the above, not to fish loads of competitions.
Tom
Take your point Tom, but I am trying to look at it from a more 'global' perspective.
Sunday is traditionally the day to go fishing, all coarse fishing comps are on Sunday's for example - that doesnt mean it is in stone, just the tradition.
Sure it is still the old hard core, but the point I am making is that the same 5-10 people seem to fish each month, these were members when the club had only 60 members, now we have double that it hasnt changed.
It was the same this year with the 48hr comp - the lowest turnout for years - we even had flexible fishing times oevr 3 days, prizes and a specimen, not species format.
I feel the clubs direction has moved due to the forums / website influence - not that this is a bad thing, but we now have members with a different motive - all of the evidence above also backs this up.
Members used to join with the main motive to get out with other, fish the comps, and get together once a month - not saying that they dont anymore, but now the main driver in many cases is to join the club to meet others, use the forum in more depth and gain experiance and knowledge - neither is wrong, just a change in attitudes.
Not meant to sound like a soap box job, its not, its just my optinion.
Adam
from a personal point of view most of my fishing is on a Saturday or a day in the week if a job is cancelled.
would it be possible to try and get feedback in regards of numbers of people who would rather fish a Saturday so that the people concerned could perhaps give it a try ?
cheers andy
(please note this is only an idea)
Feel like I'm being a bit told off as one of those new members who hasn't entered a comp! So here's my take on the situation, which is a bit like Tom's really.
Unfortunately it's a combination of weather, work and other responsilbilities.
As we all know the weather was crap for a long period at the start of the year.
For me that meant I had a lot of jobs backing up- not least of all sorting out my restoration project!
This means that when the weather has been OK I have been boat restoring (there's always more to do than you first think) or doing general DIY, or storing up some Brownie points (I have a decent number in the account now)
Plus I'm a novice fisher (with a capital N. And a capital OVICE for that matter 
) So I haven't offered myself to accompany anyone else on a comp day for fear of getting in the way.
I do really intend to get out more in the future, once the boat is finished, I've got some tackle and half a clue what to do with it, and the sea is really, really flat! 
I manage to make it to the club meetings though!
i would love to fish them all, but im another who works every sunday and has other commitments. But if i was to fish, i would take it seriously. The idea of the comp, is to give your mate a good whooping, get sum bfm points, and have the possibility of a bloody good prize at the end. Thats why the likes of James and a few others fish their nuts off, as he knows first hand of the rewards that it can bring.
We should maybe 'big' the event up prior. maybe a pic of the winner of each event on the home page just to show everyone that comps are important. But for the likes of myself who work sundays, it aint ever gonna make a differance, but there has to be ways of advertising the comp to our members better. Need something more 'in your face'
Thanks for the comments guys please keep them coming so that The Committee and I have some ideas on what you think.
The competition times have been opened up recently to cater for peoples other commitments, tides etc, so we hope that has helped
But I feel that completly opening them up to any time /date loses the focus on a competition, is it not the point to all be out in simular conditions/tides etc and see who does best on the day.
If you record the fish caught on any day that you can escape your other commitments to go fishing , when you manage to tease out that elusive "Fish of a Lifetime"you are allready eligable for a lot of Club trophies.
Fish of the month and most species have a trophy for best fish of the year.
The way the Club competitions are going, would Members prefer not to have the monthly comps and just have these two catagories, the Open and the 48Hr ?
A radical move away from how the Members used to get to know each other, learn the sport gain a few marks and make friendships that have lasted the years.
I have delibratly not mentioned the Safety aspect of knowing who is at sea during our comps until the end. Is it the need to pre book that is putting people off??
I also note that it is the usual faces [Names] on here that have replied perhaps some of the newer Members would also like to give an opinion please.
Thanks again
I had better go back to boat building now
Charlei 
"Frisky" would have added 3 to the angling tally, but it was the start of our annual holiday, and as we got to Guernsey on Day1, we were out of club waters in one go.
Hope to fish the rearranged one next weekend to stay in contention!
Mike
Most of Guernsey is club water.
Most of Guernsey is club water.
Not according to the map I am looking at ( only the water to the east )
Hi all,
As a relative newbie to the club and area, I thought I would post what we tried in the Bedford Sea Angling Club when we could only fish Sunday's due to it being the "best day" but numbers dropped off.
We opened the comp to the Saturday and Sunday of that week-end.
There had to be at least 3 people on our club boats, but 2 would do here, to verify any catch. You had to nominate the day you were going to fish BEFORE the date of the comp, which was normally on a Tuesday for us in Bedford. 
If you got blown off on Staurday but others fished Sunday then tuff, it was a chance you took or the only day you could fish. 
Like the PBSBAC it was all on trust and there were no "prizes" as such so if you wanted to cheat to get your name on a shield so be it. 
Therefore it may be worth the club trying a comp where people could fish either day, but not both, for the comp. This allows those who can not fish Sunday but could get away on Saturday to have a go.
If you can fish both days you then pick the day you want to comp fish and the other as your "go for it" day. 
As I say names would have to be sent in stating which day you proposed to fish the comp.
Just my two penny's worth. 
Coddy
Thought we had had this out only recently?
I agree with Tom, Adam, Coddy, Mike, etc - it's a matter of a whole load of factors.
Personally I get about 4 pre ordained fishing trips a year - I elect for the 48 hr ('cos it;s the best chance to actually get some fishing in!) the Open (to support the club) Poole Cod comp (representing the club and small boats plus blowing the cobwebs away) and the flatfish/ray comp (well suited to our waters).
It's not the fishng of a monthly per se; although the format has been discussed - it's more the committment to fish the series competitively. I have always 'entered' the monthly comp if on the water, and reported my catch, but I could no more enter the wider commitment than I could enter a golf 'league' when expecting to play 4 games a year.
Adam is spot on, as reinforced by the other comments, the number of anglers in the club that are committed to anything beyond one off events hasn't changed. This doesn't necessarily represent any wider failing.
Following the last Club meeting and last nights committee meeting
it has been agreed that a questionairre on this topic will be included in next weeks newsletter
Can I ask you all in advance to take a little time in completing it and returning it
Thanks
Charlie