Weekly Angling Papers/Mags

Firstly, this is not a pop at anyone!

My thoughts have come from Lee Swords comments in the NEC thread.

Personally I am bored of reading the same old stuff week in, week out. Lee made the point that the papers need people/anglers/writers like him and I agree.

I can see where Lee is coming from, new writers with fresh new ideas, anglers that are performing week in, week out on their own waters. Or anglers that travel like Wol, Andy and Matt Brown with great success, to name just a few. I would much rather read about how these anglers approach their chosen water with the why/how what rig/bait they use, than read about re-vamped same old rigs by the same old faces.

Am I being too critical?

Your thoughts?

I like the old stories and experiences of anglers, but I expect the weeklies are not really what this is about, its about news and tips, a few pictures of women and guitars wouldnt go a miss I suppose

Sorry Ian I think it's too late, the national weekly and monthly publications have had their head in the sand for years and seem unable to change.
For years they have tailored all their articles towards a clique of advertisers and sponsored anglers, the angling public have just got bored and have voted with their wallets.
The rise of the local monthly angling paper/magazine has seen anglers happier to part with ?1-99 a month for regional news and stories, contributed by enthusiastic amateurs. (Like the AT of old)
When the internet websites copy what these regional and local angling papers/mags are doing the national angling publications are in for even more circulation problems.
FM could have regional sections for articles, stories and reports, anglers don't travel that far anymore for their fishing.
It's a point that even local evening and weekly newspapers have been quick to spot.

Wot,no funny bit?

I have to agree with Terry,I get the AT, and the first thing I look for is information on my "region"
Most of the other stuff get's a cursory glance, and is passed on the my next door neighbour.
The monthly Angling Star, on the other hand,gets a good thorough read.

Yes the Angling Star appears to be set out like the AT in the old days, loads of interesting stuff, funny stories etc, yeah OK no naked women or guitars, but I can live with that, well done Angling Star

The only thing I dislike about the AS,is the habit of starting a story on one page,

and then having to find, the articles end, elsewhere in the paper!

Who's Ian? ;-)

I agree Terry, I'm also fed up with pages and pages of adds. I might start buying the mag that the Boss writes for. I've read the Angling Star, much more enjoyable, but hard to get hold of down here. The Southern angling paper is rubbish, carp carp carp!

Damn it, I posted a serious reply!
I have enough seriousness in my profession Fred.
I come on here to relax.
(Like reading a good angling publication in fact)

Sorry STEVE!

Deffinately an angling story or adventure. I could do one telling of how I have been awarded the Bailiffs cup for the sixth succeccive year on the run, for snatching the most cards in a season.

<u>Interview with Baz.</u>

Interviewer.
How many club cards do you have Baz?

Baz.
Last count I had twenty three in my back pocket. And I never forget to smile.

How many times have Lee and Matt and many others had their photos shown in A.T last season with a brief description of the capture?

It would be great to read the whole story behind the picture, written by the angler and it should be rewarded with a payment too.

Baz, why don't you write one each month for FM (Bailiffs Month?) a kind of Tom Williams My River style piece.
I for one would look forward to it.
(No sponsors name dropping or wearing sponsored clothing allowed)

There we go then. I am not on my own in wanting to spread a little misery. Give me a minuit Terry and I will put my favourite bailiffing story up. This is where it all began.

<u>The biggest Bailiffing clanger I ever dropped.</u>

I had just discovered that all my fishing tackle had been nicked, a situation that I?m sure a few of you would have been in. So I thought to myself that I would go out along the canal and try and see if I could catch anybody using it. In fact I thought I would just be a right awkward so and so with anybody I came across, just for the heck of it.
As I went through the entry on the canal I saw two blokes sat on their boxes just fishing and enjoying themselves. My first thoughts were that I did not recognize them, and that I would take my anger and frustration out on them.

When I walked up to them and asked if I could see their licences, they just said: sure mate no problem. At this they got up off their boxes and went to the fence behind them, where they had hung their jackets. As they were getting there cards I said, do you mind if I have a look in your boxes? To which they replied: no problem mate, help your self.

To be honest I don?t know what I was looking for, I think I was just enjoying being awkward. The two men came up to me and handed me there licences, when I had finished scrutinizing them, I then asked them if they had any identification on them. Again all they said was: sure mate no problem, and went back to their jackets.

By this time I was feeling quite pleased with myself, seeing that I had two fully grown men at my mercy and jumping through hoops. As they came back towards me, I said: do me a favor mate, and check before you leave that there is no litter left in your pegs.
Again, the same reply was sure no problem mate. Then they handed me their I.D's.
Guess what, they were both C.I.D. from the Cheshire branch, OOOPS! Sorry occifer I?ll be leaving you now.
I later learned that they were on a job.

So Baz,how many years did you get for intimidation? ;o)

Terry wrote: "FM could have regional sections for articles, stories and reports, anglers don't travel that far anymore for their fishing."

We've had a Local Info section for the past 6 years. Click the Local Info tab at the top. Terry himself contributes the Midland's News. The only reason there isn't more local news is due to the very simple fact that very few send us anything. Week after week every couple of months or so we asked on the site and in the newsletter for local news, but very little comes in.

It's all very well telling us what you would like but unless someone supplies us with it, it won't happen. And rest assured there is more opportunity to have local news on here than in a national weekly when they can fill yet another page with the same old tips from the celebs.

Fair enough, we don't pay a fee for contributions, but there again, neither do we make a charge for reading it.

And fees and prizes do make a difference. How many of our own members have you seen in the weeklies in the past 12 months, but not seen on here with a picture of their prize catch? And sending it to us wouldn't affect the payment/award they get from the weekly, for all they've got to say to us is, "Please don't use until it has appeared in ******* weekly."

If you want FM to be more newsworthy then send us your news - it's as simple as that.

Anyway, onto the main topic: There are other things to consider regarding this call for the printed journals to dish out less of the repeat stuff. First of all, just how much is new out there for anyone to write about? The answer is 'very little'. So whether it's Matt Wilson, John Nudd or Joe Bloggs you are not going to read about any incredible revelations regarding methods and bait.

Of course you're going to get a little variety in an angler's approach, you may get somebody who sets out to be controversial, somebody who prides himself on being 'in yer face', or whatever, but that isn't going to last long before he's yet another 'name' who is generally repeating himself, controversies included. And yes, tales of actual fishing days are good to read, but not a paper or magazineful of them; you'd soon get bored with that.

I'd welcome a bailiff's diary type piece off Baz, he's a good writer and it would be an interesting read.

I'd welcome any of the articles that some of you are suggesting (apart from naked women and guitars - well, not guitars anyway) so instead of just telling the angling media where they're going wrong, write a good article for us as an example of what you think is right.

Any offers?

More fiction! But that would really test the editors imagination

Don't know about that John, there's already plenty of fiction; you just don't realise it. Not in FM of course!

I'll step up production when I can Graham.
I talk to loads of anglers each week, they tell me there's just not enough 'old style' angling story telling, being published, especially regional type stuff.
Come on lads/ladies, all of us have a tale or two to tell from our travels each month.
Send them to Graham, he'll knock them into shape.

We can all moan as much as we like about the same dross every week and month in the mags but at the end of the day,there is a market for it.
I dont have any particular must buy favourite mags,i tend to have a quick thumb through and then purchase if whats inside grabs my attention and intrests me.
For instance,there was a couple of piking articles and matt hayes doing some chubbing on the ouse in last months improve your coarse fishing,that i enjoyed reading.
Next week,i might be in the mood for some non too instructional writing,something a bit more personal etc.... and then go and hunt down a copy of coarse fisherman.
I agree with some of the comments about how much nicer it would be to see articles written by the non angling elite.It makes a refreshing change to see and hear things from a totally new perspective.