Any one read the latest edition of Coarse Fisherman?

[Graham Whatmore]

"Could it be the reason we don't see as many yarns and stories today is because they don't give the same opportunity for product placement? "

There is probably something in that Eddy but I have a feeling about modern mags, they are full of details about rigs and methods but a lot of anglers want to know this detail, they also want to know the tackle the expert uses for whatever reason. Anglers these days don't learn the art of angling from their elders and betters as we did or from experience, they havn't got the time to get experience, as in all life nowadays they want everything now, they think they can cram 30 or 40 years of experience into one season. Mag editors attempt to provide this info by way of "How to" articles and quite honestly I think looking at loads of pictures about shotting patterns and how long their hooklengths are etc is the height of boring. Maybe though, their readers ask for this detail as a way of learning because they don't know how to do it themselves!

 

[Peter Jacobs]

It's the other way round, I'm afraid. this particular 'Feature' writer has approached a numbe of publications, only to be told that what I do (in particular) is not what their readers want.

Well Kevin, maybe you need to reinvent the characters a little:

Damian would become 'Diawa Damey' and could have hair extensions fitted accordingly. Of course that would mean he can only ever use products from that manufacturer from now on, but what a great comparison to: Donald of Redditch?

Donald needs little re-work, he is already typecast in the part of a split cane wielding Worzel Gummidge look-a-like, but copious mentions of companies from the Redditch days, together of course with Donald's absolute dislike and mistrust in all things Boillie, Bolt Rig and Bivvys would only add to the name-dropping that would be guaranteed to see you, where you belong, in print in the angling media.

As the Meerkat says: simples . . .


Note: above suggestions are to be copyrighted and afforded back to Kevin for 15% of all of his future advances and sales income.

 

[Patrick Leigh 2]

Nail on head there Graham and from the other side of the coin the writers are also under pressure to appease the tackle company they are signed up to.... commercialism on all sides... that's life..

I can see it from both sides and as stated earlier hope to change the perception of at least one company this year with 'new' input but hope the odd product reference does not offend the delicate amongst the readership

 

[Poshpaul (Angling Trust and PaSC)]

please bear in mind though the page would have to be sponsored by "superdooperbaits"

Sadly Patrick, you will have been outbid by "Tickletackle"

A very interesting and considered thread this one.....well done m'lud; treat yourself to a vintage port, a piece of Stilton and a really good kick of a chimney boy!

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

Personally I don't mind product placement in article, I'm old enough to realise the need for anglers to mentions sponsors and also to know that just because Billy barbel catcher uses a Korum rod, Korum hooks that other products will do the job (Korum please can I have any used tackle you have spare?)
I'd rather read an interesting piece named dropped tackle firms a couple of times than a poorly written piece without name dropping.
Kevin - good to hear the magazine editor "know" what their reader want - maybe a campaign to one of the mags to have more humour would work - start up a Facebook group

Mr Marsden - ask the nice people at CF if they have a "used" Korum 11ft rod they can send me - or any of the excellent Korum gear I like so much

 

[Graham Marsden]

So the ideal fishing magazine is one that:

• has few if any adverts
• no products mentioned by name in the articles
• reviews that tell you in no uncertain terms that a product is (if it is) total cr*p (even if it was made by a manufacturer that advertises heavily in your mag)
• never publishes articles with topics that have been published previously
• and has an enormous cover price to cover the lack of advertising revenue

Sounds easy enough. Anyone willing to make an investment?

Meanwhile, back in the real world........

 

[dezza]

Quite right Graham, and to be bloody honest, such idealism is unviable!

 

[Matthew Nightingale (ACA)]

Can I put my two pennyworth in here. I'm an occasional pleasure angler, mostly coarse with a little game fishing. 50 years old and only been fishing for the last 15 years, didn't do it as a kid and my father doesn't fish so self taught with the aid of magazines like IYCF and CF.

I like IYCF because it has good 'how to' articles. They are well illustrated and cover a broad spectrum of fishing types. An example is the waggler article in December's edition which I found very informative. I like its reviews which are generally sensible.

I like CF because it aims at a more 'mature' readership. Its tackle reviews are patently useless. They take a dozen feeder rods, for example, and trot out platitudes for each. Compare this with a rod review in Trout and Salmon where they will give an honest opinion and pick out the best (and worst) and CF appears rather weak. Some of the product placement is a little blantant but forgiveable. I still chuckle at the series a few years ago when well known anglers were asked to lay out the tackle they used. This one chap (imagine he was Fox sponsored - don't think he was) laid out the entire Fox catalogue on the ground around him. If Fox had done Y fronts they would have been there too! That was just a little too much!

I like the Angling Star because it runs articles on the history of various matches, trophies etc. It has a more homey feeling about it obviously because it has a local focus.

The Angling Times tries to cover 'hot' news; this is both a blessing and a curse. As a club committeee member it keeps me up to date with what's happening with things in my area, the Angling Trust, new byelaws etc. The problem is that there maybe isn't enough news in angling to fill a weekly. I have liked its recent articles on how stuff is made; very interesting. I would rather it didn't take its editing style from the Sun though.

Bit of a download chaps but a subject that interests me.

M

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

So the ideal fishing magazine is one that:

• has few if any adverts
• no products mentioned by name in the articles
• reviews that tell you in no uncertain terms that a product is (if it is) total cr*p (even if it was made by a manufacturer that advertises heavily in your mag)
• never publishes articles with topics that have been published previously
• and has an enormous cover price to cover the lack of advertising revenue

Sounds easy enough. Anyone willing to make an investment?

Meanwhile, back in the real world........

No

The ideal mag has
Adverts - but not more adverts than articles - one carp mag is guilty of this
Products named in articles - we're all grown up enough to make our own minds up
Honest reviews - if a product is poor - yes say so or at least don't review it and say it ok
yes pubilsh articles on topics that have been covered before but not every 3 months

But above all make them intresting - if you must do a top tips - instead of printign them 1 to 10 build them into a well written article

and add a bit of humour - if I can write the odd bit that get on here there must be some good writters around who can blend angling and humour and then let the readers decide if they stay not have the editors decide for them

GM - how's tha tKorum gear you're gettign me coming along?

 

[Poshpaul (Angling Trust and PaSC)]

reviews that tell you in no uncertain terms that a product is (if it is) total cr*p (even if it was made by a manufacturer that advertises heavily in your mag)

Indeed GM.....have an acquaintance who has made his way up in a major international tackle manufacturers and, very early on in his rise to power, we discussed the consistently positive reviews of tackle. He certainly put me right as to the power wielded by the tackle companies in terms of magazines revenues! Worldwide!

I think most of the contributions acknowledged that product placement and sponsored anglers pushing their products, whilst a little niggling at times, is a reality. It's good to suggest directions that editorial teams could consider.

Although if I were to be a curmudgeonly old ****** I might reflect that the demise of the literary piece seems to correspond with the demise of reading for pleasure evident in society in general!!! :wh

But I'm not.....indeed I donate all my old magazines (fishing and cookery)to schools I work in as it is a great way to get pupils reading something.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

Matthew

Getting back to my first few posts my main grumble was the article I disliked was ,I felt, more in line with what IYCF print rather than what I expect from CF

I too read IYCF when I started back angling and found the simple "how to" and "top tips" good but I prefer CF now because of the content - nothing wrong with "basics" in the right mag IYCF is just that mag and it fills a need

 

[Graham Marsden]

My 'Ideal Mag' wasn't based on what I thought was the ideal mag but on what I'd been reading in this thread.

I'd much rather read yours your Lordship.

And never mind keep mentioning Korum gear - product placement thinly disguised that is you tinker. Are you sponsored by them?

 

[Matthew Nightingale (ACA)]

Paul,

I do take your point. After I first saw this post I went and looked at my CF. It wasn't a good piece although to be fair to CF I don't think it represents the general run of articles.

I think the real issue for the magazines is to be clear what type of person they are aiming at. If they aim at the 'thinking' angler then articles can cover a broad spectrum from 'how to' articles, to history, to advanced techniques etc etc provided they are well written and edited.

M

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

My 'Ideal Mag' wasn't based on what I thought was the ideal mag but on what I'd been reading in this thread.

I'd much rather read yours your Lordship.

And never mind keep mentioning Korum gear - product placement thinly disguised that is you tinker. Are you sponsored by them?

Sadly not Graham - in fact I seem to sponor Korum (great comany) I've got a fair bit of Kroum (nice brolly they do) gear but also I like my Shakespeare (good rods) bomb wand so if anyone at CF (or Korum or Shakspeare) want to send me a bit of tacke, doesn't have to be new (to be honest I like Korum and Shakespeare so much mucky old tackle will do) then i'd be grateful - have a word GM with the editor at CF - surley I can get an old rod or reel for all the product palcemnt CF has got on this thread.

You may like to include me in Marsden's mumblings or whatever it's called next month - if so you might like to send me a free copy of CF (great mag that it is)

 

[Poshpaul (Angling Trust and PaSC)]

Are you sponsored by them?

We think he is! And if I can't remember where I put the quiver top joint (somewhere safe!) for my Neoteric Twin Tip...I may start doing similar in my posts!!

 

[Peter Jacobs]

It is a little strange though how the weeklies managed well without all this over-kill of product name dropping right up until, what, the late 70's or 80's?

The standard of writing was also far better than it is today, maybe underlining the previous comment regarding "the demise of the literary piece seems to correspond with the demise of reading for pleasure evident in society in general"

Now, I don't know the comparable 'readership' figures, but Waterlog seems to have survived for a long time without advertising leaping out of every page and written piece, but then it is a quarterly magazine and not a weekly one.

Before the various professional journalists on FM jump all over me; yes, I do know what year we are currently in, and the decade too, and I am equally cogniscant that within a relatively 'small' market place that manufacturers who pay for advertising space need to be 'stroked'

In the final analysis I think it comes down to what an individual wants to glean from his reading material and what he is prepared to stomach in order to get it; in the way of adverts both obvious and from within the text of the articles.

Personally I made my choice a while ago and am happy with it.

That said, the articles here on FM are, in my opinion, far better than most of those I see in the general angling media.
The reviews on here are open and honest and not 'sexed-up' to stroke the advetisers egos either.

I guess you pays yer money and takes yer choice . . . . .

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

We think he is! And if I can't remember where I put the quiver top joint (somewhere safe!) for my Neoteric Twin Tip...I may start doing similar in my posts!!

Posher - maybe you could mention a decent feeder rod for the next time you fish Damflask - and then you wouldn't have to attempt to fish a large body of water with a 6ft canal wand:wh

 

[Kevin Perkins]

Well Kevin, maybe you need to reinvent the characters a little: Damian would become 'Diawa Damey' and could have hair extensions fitted accordingly. Of course that would mean he can only ever use products from that manufacturer from now on, but what a great comparison to: Donald of Redditch? Donald needs little re-work, he is already typecast in the part of a split cane wielding Worzel Gummidge look-a-like, but copious mentions of companies from the Redditch days, together of course with Donald's absolute dislike and mistrust in all things Boillie, Bolt Rig and Bivvys would only add to the name-dropping that would be guaranteed to see you, where you belong, in print in the angling media. As the Meerkat says: simples . . . Note: above suggestions are to be copyrighted and afforded back to Kevin for 15% of all of his future advances and sales income. __________________

Peter

Thanks for these suggestions. I can now see where I've been going wrong all these years.

Are you sure 15% is enough? Personally, I'd happily give anyone 50% of the revenue if they got anything of mine into print.........

 

[Poshpaul (Angling Trust and PaSC)]

Posher - maybe you could mention a decent feeder rod for the next time you fish Damflask - and then you wouldn't have to attempt to fish a large body of water with a 6ft canal wand

Well m'lud...had I realised that you were going select a spot where the deep water commenced in Nottinghamshire I would have brought an alternative rod. I would have chosen my wonderful Team England Carp Feeder made by Drennan. This versatile 13ft rod is equipped with four quiver tips enabling you to fish for delicate biting roach or skimmer bream through to hard fighting carp, barbel and chub on the stronger tips. It is one a a range of Drennan rods that I possess.

I also have the iconic Korum Neoteric Twin Top which meets all my barbel and chub fishing needs on various rivers such as the Ribble and the Dove. Indeed when I discover the whereabouts of my quiver joint I'll be able to vary my approach by choosing between the quiver or avon tops supplied.

I always match my Drennan and Korum rods with Shimano or Okuma reels.

Is that what you mean M'lud.???:wh:w

(The PaSC recommend Marks and Spencers Ports and Stiiton from any proper cheese shop as found at Stockport Market or the Cheese Hamlet in Didsbury)

Poshers

p.s Kryston Products are dead good and Morespiders gives lots of help to the Elderly and Confused Angling Gent!

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

Very good Poshers - nice product placement - almost un-noticeable - subliminal I'd say.
Don't forget to wear good quality angling clothing - my trousers are hand made by Blinkright's of Sutton by Timothy Smallpox and his measuring assistant Donna "my we have dressed to the right to day sir" Coddy

I believe young Matt might try to sneak in a product placement for CCC or Andrex