Sign of the (Angling) Times?

[Steve Walker]

Today, on a whim, I bought a copy of the Angling Times. I stopped buying the AT fifteen or twenty years ago, on realising that it had become The Sun with fish. Maybe it always was and I just got old enough to smell it. It would seem since to have absorbed a little of the Daily Mail, with an editorial blasting "immigrants" and a columnist moaning about dole scroungers. John Wilson writes from Thailand, where in his inimitable style he's been skulldragging enormous non-indigenous catfish from overstocked muddy puddles. He begins his article by stating his dislike of UK style commercial venues before describing how much he enjoyed the concept carried through to the point of parody.

 

There is news of a new commercial water, along with handy tips on how best to catch newly stocked carp who think man is a kind of fish-pellet dispenser, and over the page an article on an EA crackdown on overstocking. Further on, news of a couple of ready-made thirty pound carp being slipped into Llyn Y Gors (along with 350 chub; I thought the EA took a dim view of stocking stillwater chub). A couple of features on "bagging" on "commercials", a nice article on grayling and pointless tackle endorsements everywhere. I don't really care precisely which 13' match rod Martin Bowler used to catch his grayling, nor the brand of his hooks, chubber float or mainline.

 

The whole damn publication strikes me as looking more like a marketing pamphlet than something I paid for with money. I found the "6 of the best specialist rods" feature, including the rod I'm considering buying, and thought I might get an objective comparison of the kit. I guess picking a winner or at least pointing out strengths and weaknesses compromises the advertising revenue from the losers, because they certainly didn't tell me anything about the rods that I couldn't have gleaned from the manufacturer's claims. Oh, and while I'm at it, "speci-rod"? "Speci-rod"? What? Are we Australians now? Should we take a few tinnies and a barbie with us when we use the speci-rod? For God's sake.

 

I don't suppose it's fair to slag the AT off too much. Des Taylor's article was worth reading, after all. I guess what I object to is the whole tawdry commercialisation and dumbing down of angling culture. The obsession with tackle sold by the same promise as the overstocked carp puddles and the culture of the off-the-shelf carp angler; the promise of instant gratification and the cult of mail order authenticity.

 

Sod it, I must be getting old. Time for me to join Chris Yates and his merry band and just cover my eyes and ears and pretend it isn't happening. Seek out places to fish where I won't see the herd and continue to avoid the mainstream press.

 

Bloody depressing, though.

[gozzer]

Today, on a whim, I bought a copy of the Angling Times.

 

Bloody depressing, though.

 

I stopped buying the Angling papers a few years ago too, for much the same reasons, but mainly because all they seem to do is plug some commercial carp pond or another. Then I found The Angling Star a sheffield paper, they have a much wider range of articles, and I always find something of interest.

[geffaz]

Today, on a whim, I bought a copy of the Angling Times. I stopped buying the AT fifteen or twenty years ago, on realising that it had become The Sun with fish. Maybe it always was and I just got old enough to smell it. It would seem since to have absorbed a little of the Daily Mail, with an editorial blasting "immigrants" and a columnist moaning about dole scroungers. John Wilson writes from Thailand, where in his inimitable style he's been skulldragging enormous non-indigenous catfish from overstocked muddy puddles. He begins his article by stating his dislike of UK style commercial venues before describing how much he enjoyed the concept carried through to the point of parody.

 

There is news of a new commercial water, along with handy tips on how best to catch newly stocked carp who think man is a kind of fish-pellet dispenser, and over the page an article on an EA crackdown on overstocking. Further on, news of a couple of ready-made thirty pound carp being slipped into Llyn Y Gors (along with 350 chub; I thought the EA took a dim view of stocking stillwater chub). A couple of features on "bagging" on "commercials", a nice article on grayling and pointless tackle endorsements everywhere. I don't really care precisely which 13' match rod Martin Bowler used to catch his grayling, nor the brand of his hooks, chubber float or mainline.

 

The whole damn publication strikes me as looking more like a marketing pamphlet than something I paid for with money. I found the "6 of the best specialist rods" feature, including the rod I'm considering buying, and thought I might get an objective comparison of the kit. I guess picking a winner or at least pointing out strengths and weaknesses compromises the advertising revenue from the losers, because they certainly didn't tell me anything about the rods that I couldn't have gleaned from the manufacturer's claims. Oh, and while I'm at it, "speci-rod"? "Speci-rod"? What? Are we Australians now? Should we take a few tinnies and a barbie with us when we use the speci-rod? For God's sake.

 

I don't suppose it's fair to slag the AT off too much. Des Taylor's article was worth reading, after all. I guess what I object to is the whole tawdry commercialisation and dumbing down of angling culture. The obsession with tackle sold by the same promise as the overstocked carp puddles and the culture of the off-the-shelf carp angler; the promise of instant gratification and the cult of mail order authenticity.

 

Sod it, I must be getting old. Time for me to join Chris Yates and his merry band and just cover my eyes and ears and pretend it isn't happening. Seek out places to fish where I won't see the herd and continue to avoid the mainstream press.

 

Bloody depressing, though.

great stuff mate! somthing thats been bugging me for yonks!

waste of good wood pulp! also gives free reign to some of the right wing ranters! (with children and the ill informed being the reader)

i got kicked off a forum once for slagging it down!

 

fed up with spending nearly a fiver on rubbish like carp addict that is filled with ads

and would have you believe you had to spend 6 months on a MOD sniper training course

and its some sort of mystical art!

infact hate the whole fishing super star thing! im sure i could catch like say terry hearn

if id had the lake closed off and had my swim baited for weeks with 100s of pounds worth of bait!

all so transparent, spose its ok for kids tho!

dont bother now as i know how to tye a knot and wer the fishes live! and wot a gudgeon looks like!

[Elton]

infact hate the whole fishing super star thing! im sure i could catch like say terry hearn

if id had the lake closed off and had my swim baited for weeks with 100s of pounds worth of bait!

 

Yeah, 'cos they just picked Terry off the street, at random, and said, "There you go, lad, here's some new gear and a load of bait, you go catch a record fish or three."

 

Speak to some people who know Terry Hearn (there's at least one on here who's a good mate of his) and ask them what he's like as an angler. And as for having lakes closed off and his swims baited for weeks with 100's of pounds worth of bait, it just doesn't happen. I can only assume you've been listening to too many cynics.

[Elton]

Sod it, I must be getting old. Time for me to join Chris Yates and his merry band and just cover my eyes and ears and pretend it isn't happening. Seek out places to fish where I won't see the herd and continue to avoid the mainstream press.

 

Think you've hit the nail on the head there. I feel similar when Top Of The Pops is on, and I used to watch that religiously

 

Newspapers are made to appeal to the masses and not all of us fit into the masses. It's common for internet users to slate the angling media, but I believe that's because many have found this 'new' media we call the world wide web and now prefer to glean their information here, rather than from paper publications.

 

Newspapers and magazines do what they're designed to do - sell as many copies as possible, whilst maintaining as good an advertising base as possible. They can only fill a demand that's already there, although I must admit that the wide range of 'specialist' carp magazines astounds me. I live in a tiny village and, even here, our village shop must stock six or seven different ones.

[Alan Stubbs]

Think you've hit the nail on the head there. I feel similar when Top Of The Pops is on, and I used to watch that religiously

 

Newspapers are made to appeal to the masses and not all of us fit into the masses. It's common for internet users to slate the angling media, but I believe that's because many have found this 'new' media we call the world wide web and now prefer to glean their information here, rather than from paper publications.

 

Newspapers and magazines do what they're designed to do - sell as many copies as possible, whilst maintaining as good an advertising base as possible. They can only fill a demand that's already there, although I must admit that the wide range of 'specialist' carp magazines astounds me. I live in a tiny village and, even here, our village shop must stock six or seven different ones.

 

 

The trouble is Elton, I feel the same about the Angling Mail, which I get passed on to me - I simply refuse to part with my hard-earned any more. For God's sake the racist politics, cartoon strips like 'The Fabulous bagging Boys' or the various perceived types of angler may be funny to some, but they do little to encourage respect for other types of fishing than your own.

 

I've said before, that angling journalism is generally poor, and more often than not, it's just a puff for the writer's sponsor or large, regular advertiser. Sam Goldwyn's famous old demand comes to mind 'Don't give me them old cliches, gimme them new cliches!'

 

Sadly, the same has to be said for Improve Your Coarse Fishing, which since Kevin Green took over as editor, has truly started to plumb the depths of 'red top' journalism. It may be me, but sensationalist writing, scantily clad women have no place in a magazine whose title suggests tuition. Tuition there is, but I still question the impartiality of tackle reviews, and the accuracy of some of the reporting. It was nice to see them publish a letter from someone who took such offence at some of the stuff in the Kevin Green version of IYCF that they cancelled their subscription.

Edited January 23, 2006 by Alan Stubbs

[Guest rabbit]

On the whole I agree, only very occasinally do I buy these papers. But there is a danger that perhaps we may be getting a little precious on how we see our sport. If the Times and Mail appeal mainly to a younger audience then fair enough, that alone is enough th encourage new young blood into Angling.How long do you think Birmingham AA and other clubs can continue to exist without new members? Without these clubs the best waters will be controlled by the syndicates and no longer the venues for the ordinary people.

 

As far as the complaint that there is just too much advertising in the angling press well thats just economic reality I am afraid, without that income revenue the two papers would not be able to exist.

The brief for the two papers should be entertaining and informative and I think they do achieve that, perhaps some members on this forum would like to contibute to the content of these papers.

[Wordbender]

infact hate the whole fishing super star thing! im sure i could catch like say terry hearn

if id had the lake closed off and had my swim baited for weeks with 100s of pounds worth of bait!

all so transparent,

 

Do you actually know Terry Hearn, Geffaz? I do, and your 'lake closed and swim baited for weeks' claim is utter rubbish. Terry Hearn catches what he does because he's an extremely skilful angler who has dedicated his life to his craft.

 

You see, Terry was brought up as a hunter by a father who is one of the most knowledgeable countrymen I've ever met - and I've met more than most. Terry's field and watercraft was implanted in him as soon as he could walk and he's been a dedicated student of nature and especially watercraft, ever since. I also know the obsessive level of study Terry Hearn puts into his campaigns and the amount of graft that goes into his 'pursuit of the largest'.

 

The only way for you, me, or anyone else to 'catch like Terry Hearn', is to fish like Terry Hearn does. The fact is, mate, we can't - because we don't want those catches as much as Terry Hearn does and we don't have his range of skills.

 

Here's another fact for you; Terry Hearn started with nothing and became one of the most successful carp anglers of all time. After years of scratching a living, he now earns well from his talent and has remained the friendly, helpful, down-to-earth lad he always was. Above all, he's done it the right way and what he's achieved has nothing whatsoever to do with 'having swims baited for weeks'.

 

Just putting the record straight, like.

[Steve Walker]

Rabbit,

 

I don't have any problem with advertising, what I object to is when the need to keep advertisers sweet compromises the integrity of the content.

[Alan Stubbs]

As far as the complaint that there is just too much advertising in the angling press well thats just economic reality I am afraid, without that income revenue the two papers would not be able to exist.

 

 

I totally accept this, but my point was that editorial should be just that, and not additional advertising.

 

The new season's product launches were pure unpaid-for advertising made to look like articles. The quotes about how brilliant the products are, all came from employees of the company.

 

Impartiality and trust go straight out of the window - especially when the editor defends what is obviously hagiographic, deadline-driven work.

Edited January 23, 2006 by Alan Stubbs