Total Coarse Fishing

Mark Wintle · Jul 13, 2006

DHP launched a new coarse fishing magazine yesterday, now in the shops. Taking over the editorial staff from Midland Angler and Southern Angler that have been sold to Keith Higginbottom (former editor of Angling Times) to continue in new form (as yet unseen - but presumably due out soon) it's certainly brash and flash but does it cut the cash?

So is it a rival to CF and CAT, or is it aimed at a different market? Is CF The Times of the monthly coarse fishing magazine market, CAT the Express, and TCF the Sun, or am I missing something?

TCF has some familiar faces like Keith Artur, and some new ones.

Which one do you like? And why?

PS I am not a marketing consultant.

colsmiff · Jul 13, 2006

Not seen this one yet Mark,however from the title it seems to be aiming at the IYCF market. I would treat anything with total in t'title with suspicion: how can any publication "total"ly cover a discipline as diverse as coarse fishing?
The AT is a newspaper, IYCF is aimed at beginners, (although i often find myself going to back issues to refresh my memory on certain aspects that I don't use that often or haven't tried yet in my 7/8 years on the bank), CF is a good informed read; so maybe TCF will fit into the middle ground, who knows?

Fred Bonney · Jul 13, 2006

If it's in the shops,why haven't I got my subscription copy???

GrahamM · Jul 13, 2006

Not read Total Coarse Fishing yet so can't comment, but according to the trade magazine Tackle and Guns (who publish TCF as well) it is aimed squarely at the IYCF readership.

Regardless of that, any new magazine, and there are two of them out this month, TCF and EMAP's new carp mag, are bound to have an impact on the existing publications. Some will lose a few copies from their circulation and others will lose a lot.

There are already too many magazines telling us the same thing over and over again and the market can stand only so much. Advertisers (who sustain the media) have only so much to spend and sooner or later one or more of the publications goes under. One of those could be your favourite read.

Competition isn't always healthy and I believe in this instance it won't be.

Jim Bowdrey · Jul 13, 2006

I recently cancelled my subscription to IYCF it had become very repetative - same info recycled. I,ll have a look at TCF but I think CF is the best of the bunch, Interesting reading, pity its only once a month.

Peter Bishop · Jul 13, 2006

There are only so many customers-and advertisers-out there willing to buy a monthly magazine. I used to have a couple on subscription but got bored with the same sort of instructional articles on the same sort of venues. The best articles I always found were the venue guides with advise on how to fish them.
Now they only mag I have on subscription is "Waterlog". Though the occasional article concern aspects of worldwise fishing that dont particularly interest me, all are eminently well written by anglers who clearly care about angling ethics, the watery environment and the fish themselves as much as actually catching. Size isn't evrything. Besides it nice to read somthing that is not promoting commercial venue, make of pole, brand of line or a hook manufacturer.

Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA) · Jul 13, 2006

Mark, had a quck glimpse at it yesterday in the news agents. Print and picture quality not particularly high, interesting article on float fishing for barbel on the severn and an interesting feature on famous swims namely the Bridge Pool on the Royalty.The latter not massively impressive given that it failed to mention you could catch mullet and especially sea trout for which the swim is famous.

Graham Whatmore · Jul 13, 2006

I knew about this happening a while ago because a cousin of mine is a regular match results contributor to Midland Angler but it wouldn't influence me to buy it I'm afraid.

In M.A.'s case it started off as a much better alternative to A.T. and covered a lot of the disciplines in angling but gradually and almost inevitably it deteriorated into just another fishing mag with oft repeated articles that hardly ever said anything new.

Given K. Higginbottom's past history I think this will settle into more of the same old page fillers and disappear into the void after a couple of years.

Not for me I'm afraid, I'll stick to Coarse Fisherman thank you. Incidently I gave two years C.F. magazines to a friend who is a keen fisherman but has long given up on the angling press and he told me just this week what a pleasant change it was to read a magazine with such diverse and interesting articles and not full of adverts. Mind you he did say to keep sending them to him as I finished with them and he isn't from Scotland either.

massive · Jul 13, 2006

i'll give it a go especially as you get a free spool of that new power plus line from ultima with it, should be worth the ?2 something it costs.

njb51 · Jul 13, 2006

It's just landed on me desk and i've had a flick through. It looks as though the articles would be nice to read. Especially for a beginner coming into the sport. I particularly like a fish guide which is 3 or four pages dedicated to talking about all things tench.

The other articles seem well informed and aim to help every angler in acheiving their goal.

but.........

It could be the case with alot of the other magazines, a year down the line, no doubt the same topics will be written about only by someone else.

Go have a read though, i'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Fred Bonney · Jul 13, 2006

My copy has turned up, looks alright but,it appears to be at least 50% adverts.
I shall read it and do a review.

Mark Hodson · Jul 13, 2006

Too many mags as it is, all printing the same old blah with the same adverts, unsustainable really, theres only so many regular buyers and advertising revenue to go around, a new magazine is not going to bring in enough new regular buyers to the market to sustain a new publication on the market. Coarse Fisherman seems to be the only publication aimed at a differing market to the rest which as a result should remain unaffected.

Instead of saying which is your favourite we should be guessing which will be the first to go. I have a colleague who writes for the gaming magazines and each month a new one starts publication as another folds !!, we don't want that situation.

marcus ballam · Jul 13, 2006

CAT for me, don't really like the others.....

Used to read total sea fishing, got really repetetive after a year!!!

Whats the carp mag thats full of tits? Carpology? Awful publication...if i want porn, i have broadband.

Matthew Nightingale (ACA) · Jul 13, 2006

Thing that gets me about a lot of these publications (especially AT and IYCF) is the amount of less that subtle advertising masquerading as reporting. There is clearly so much money to be made out of tackle, and the publishers are so in the thrall of the manufacturers, that they have to squeeze advertising in at every opportunity. The day I see a piece of kit from a major manufacturer get a caning is the day I'll take the angling press seriously.

Wolfman Woody · Jul 13, 2006

Used to buy Practical Woodworking, it was called if I remember. Usual carpenters, usual articles, one on carving, one on turning, one furniture, one garden stuff. Every 18 months you see the same article again withthe very slightest design change. Oh look, he's done a coffee table with ball and claw legs this time.

There's only so much you can write about "how to" unless something completely new and radical comes up. There's always 'Marsden's Musings' in CF of course.

)

Neneman Nick · Jul 13, 2006

i`ve got a copy of every edition improve your coarse fishing....thats a hell of a lot of magazines!!!

Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA) · Jul 13, 2006

Nick, did they work??

Disco stu · Jul 13, 2006

I get most of the fishing mags and read them in bed. This way she only gets a bit of the other when Im good and ready, thus establishing my role as the dominant partner! Simple logic.

Peter Bishop · Jul 13, 2006

As I said if you want to read something enjoyable and utterly non educational,non promotional and with hardly any adverts, try 'Waterlog'.

Peter Bishop · Jul 13, 2006

As I said if you want to read something enjoyable and utterly non educational,non promotional and with hardly any adverts, try 'Waterlog', its not just for the split cane brigade.

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