I think the Mail lacks any real variety. Andy 'Big Hands' Little fishes the same venues time and time again. I like the Specialists or whatever its called section, but wish it was bigger. I think they need another collumnist... Reviews are pretty good.
AT, not brought it for a while, quite like Matt Hayes writing... Sometimes, when the plugs aint too much..
I agree about Andy little. he does seem to do the same thing at similar places every year.Fox must love him though.Matt hayes has caught more big fish than i could ever dream of but i still feel hes a lightweight compared to some of the anglers out there.He professes to be a thinking angler and i cant remember him ever having a original thought.The specialist is the kind of thing i like.Mostly they are modern anglers who have a record of catching specimen fish with interesting thoughts and ideas to put across.
intresting thread. Anyone read Barneys bit in this weeks Times?
Quite refreshing for the everyday 'average angler' I thought. And nice to see a Drennan recognition for 'just' a 6lb chub.
The trouble with the weeklies is, they would have you think we are all 'Stefs' or Martin B's or Frank Lampards.....
When was the last time any river got recognition for a fish that was a 'specimen' in proportion to where it was caught?
Now then dave.Who is Barney?My reason for asking is tues night i went to a pac meeting at which a lad from lancs gave us a talk on the river ribble.During this talk he absolutely slated another well known angler for publicising his catches.The next day i bought the mail and the lad who had been doing the slating was stood there proud as punch publicising his own captures.He had offered to take me fishing on the ribble im glad i declined.
"When was the last time any river got recognition for a fish that was a 'specimen' in proportion to where it was caught?"
Shame that init Dave, thats how it used to be many years ago. Was not just based on the size of the fish but the photo and in relation from where its from.
The how-tos which used to be the backbone of the papers I bought and loved as a kid have all become glorified ad-features for Fox and the content's all the worse for it.
Warren's so right. The Times has paid lip service to this via Andy Burden's occasional stuff from the north-east in The Specialists series, but size is still generally everything when it comes to the weekly awards etc.
I can't complain though. I've had my moment of glory.
I was on the front cover of AT circa 1979 landing a stillwater barbel for a mate and I got sent a fish of the week sticker last year, even though they never used the pic of the fish or the story.
I always wondered if they got me mixed up with someone else, ie my pic was returned to some other poor sod by mistake and I got their sticker.
One of my heroes as a teenager was the late John Sidley. He had this hat covered in those orange Top Ten sew-on badges from the Angling Times of the day.