What would you like of an angling weekly?

[Peter Waller]

Personally I think Anglers Mail is stuck in a rut. Its found a successful formula and that is that. AT, apart from Keith Arthur, has lost its appeal for me. Lacking in substance and depth.

 

So what would you like of a weekly?

 

Me, I'd like a return to a Friday publication, one that gave me the low down on the previous weekend's results. The present 'where to fish' type guides have next to no value when it comes down to results.

 

Keith Arthur, the only plus in AT at the moment for me.

 

I'd like to see smaller pictures, rather less comic like as you might say!

 

I do like AM's carp and barbel coverage but I find their pike page rather errrr, arrogant! More in depth help wouldn't go amiss for me.

 

I would like to see rather less of the 'I'm the Greatest' type pages. Got to say it but Matt Hayes and John Wilsons writing about pike is not for me.

 

I would just love to see tackle testers that aren't afraid to upset the advertisers!!

 

I would love to read articles that aren't blatant pandering to sponsors. Infact I would like writers who aren't sponsored!

 

I would like to advertisers who vary their adverts, they would be more interesting and likely to be read.

 

I would like to see sea angling back in the Times.

 

I would dearly love a carp free publication, well, once in three months.

 

And I really would like to see more news and more comment.

 

A FACT page would be good too.

 

Come on folks, perhaps we can then let them know what we want!

[Peter M]

How about bring in some trout fishing and more articles about fishing in some of the countries less fashionable venues, more articles from ordinary anglers for a bit of diversity, apart from that i would agree with more honest appraisal in the where to fish section. some of the venues they feature i know are really hard yet they don't say this in their feature.

[chesters1]

free beer ,no tackle sponsership in the guise of "write ups" ,no tackle reviews unless they "test" ALL available tackle of the same type ( they test drive graphics cards in pc mags and compare £300 ones to £60 you can guess which ones get the ratings ,if i bought a sportscar costing four times the money of a saloon i would expect it to outperform the saloon ) so ratings should be on tackle in bands comparing like with like and all of them or none at all.

a page or two dedicated to old tackle ,youngsters may scoff but their super dooper stuff is worn out in a couple of seasons

peeks into the past old photo's with modern day ones to compare the changes .

a page dedicated to beginners with shotting patterns ,choice of floats etc.

less free stuff on the cover and more stuff in between them please

all tips to be current its no good giving tips on piking in april when its tench your after

personal collections pages so we can see who collects what so exchanges of info can happen or holes filled in research etc

 

[ 29. March 2005, 09:02 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

[WEB]

Hi Peter,

 

What I hate in magazines is all the crap that goes on with sponser's. We have so called top anglers who write articles about tactics and how they caught the big fish, but in reality they are just plugging their sponsors gear. I caught this carp using Fox......, Korda....... etc , etc, etc; how many real-life anglers do you know who have a tackle box with nothing in it but one manufacturers gear.

 

I would like to see articles from real-life anglers, free of sponsorship, who can write about their tactics and give advice without mentioning their sponsor every other word.

 

WEB

[peterthefisherman]

Would pretty much agree with you Peter.

I would however, say that living in Scotland I find the Anglers Mail interesting but largely irrelevant (bought last weeks). We would either need National coverage or a local edition.

Up here some fly-fishing reports would help. Also bait fishing for trout /grayling, details and reports.

There are far too many pictures of carp and catfish but I suppose they use up the space !!

As i say with a local flavour it may become more useful perhaps even down south there could be regional variations for reports fishery adds etc.

Course fishing is catching on up here but many of the publications havent picked up on this.

[Alan Stubbs]

1) Remove the sensationalism

2) Use writers than can

3) Less pandering to the biggest advertisers- they should be big enough to cope with negative feedback, which means

4)tackle reviewers that aren't shopkeepers or 'yes men' - and a resultant increase in credibility

5) Tackle reviews of products not advertised in the magazine

6) Adopt a responsible attitude to angling - Andy Little take note.

7) If they must run competitions, don't make it a profit-making excercise using premium rate phone numbers - the cover price is ample for the quality of product prsented.

8) Articles which are just that, and not advertorials unike AM's recent Carp World pieces

 

That covers the list to which Elton took offence a while back

[StevieH]

I find it difficult to understand how in head-to-head reviews of rods, very often the action is not referred to at all, just test curve and fittings – so annoying.

 

I have seen comparisons of weighing scales where accuracy hasn’t even been mentioned.

 

It seems as though the reviewers just take the items out of the packaging, read the bumph and write what they see without any real testing of the items. Why bother?

[Mr Nice]

The angling weeklies are nothing but adverts from beginning to end, even the so called articles that fill the spaces between the 'sponsors messages'. If the advertising revenue isn't coming in, then it wont get printed. That is why the weeklies are tools of the tackle trade, designed to sell first and inform second.

Just my opinion

 

PS They can stop naming pike waters for a start.

[Newt]

StevieH:

.. very often the action is not referred to at all, just test curve and fittings ...

They always manage to go on about how beautiful, how absolutely stunning the finish is. Or do you include that when you speak of 'fittings'?

[StevieH]

Thanks for pointing that out, Newt. I meant to add that bit.

 

I can’t pass a review by, but usually wish I had – AN reviews apart, that is.

 

I agree Thursday or Friday would seem to be a good publication day. And don’t bother with the free gifts.