[SMART20]

Hi,
I am an unhappy reader of both these mags, but nothing else out there guys. However, been reading numerous threads bemoaning the big two, and lets face it, they both have their good and bad points. What I would like to see is the much bigger picture with the articles.
Somebody posted a while back on the quality of the Paul Kerry composition, and I wholehartedly agree. But looking at it more closely - what did it tell us. There were no leader knots or rigs shown, no piles of fish, just a good discriptive
account of a past trip, that made you want to get your gear out and go. This to my mind is what I would like to see - in both mags. TSF has the edge currently, mainly because of the Steve Almark articles, where the planning and thinking is revealed. The Daz challenge I thought was also good - he didn't win much, but thoughts on tactics and an idea on homework, were showed to good effect also
Most of the top anglers, pleasure and Matchmen, spend a huge amount of time and effort in planning, bait collection and trace making, before a trip is made, with the results on the beach being the pay off for preparation that average Anglers never see. A very small minority catch the majority of the fish for this reason, and things like tackle reviews, knots and traces, as well as casting hints could be thrown in whilst reporting on the trip in question. All of the contributors to both mags are VERY good anglers, and should all be capable of recounting red letter days in the mould of PK 's article, which I believe would be well received.
Guys like John Holden and Alan Yates are top top anglers - I would just like to see well written and flowing articles, much like John Darling used to write, rather than do it by numbers type of thing. I even believe that poor sessions would also make readable material, if the content was right.

Hopefully a thought provoking topic ?

Mart.

 

[solehunter]

Some good points there. I don't bother with either mag anymore. This site and others are better by 100% than any paper magazine that should be free anyway due to all the money made by the advertising.
`Sea adverts` is guilty of many things, the worst being the amount of bias reviews and the amount of advertising being rammed down your throat at every turn of the page.
The mag is so money orientated that i`m surprised its not called `Money monthly`.

 

[Daz Taylor]

Hi Mart, thanks for your comments on the Daz Challenge.
Okay, and as you say, I didn't win much, but I have to admit that I learnt more about sea angling in the couple of years that this series ran for than I ever did in almost 30 years of sea angling.
Currently I am off ill and Barney is at the helm, but I do hope to be returning soon. I also believe that you have a valid point and I'll certainly take it onboard for future articles

FAO Solehunter: You would be surprised at how little money these magazines are making from advertising. And it's getting tougher as advertisers are now online themselves and feel they don't need the extra spend. What money is made each month has to pay a variety of magazine costs from wages to distribution and it doesn't leave a lot left over, if anything at all.

However, I also believe that something has to be done about the reviews. Unfortunately this is out of my hands, although it is something that I do always fight for as I was once a reader myself. I do believe that more unbias reviews would increase readership figures.

All the best

Daz

 

[dabcatcher]

someting i always do here when doing a local report on a session is try to give a good description of a venue, why i chose it, the bait and rigs used and why.

how it went on the day plus little things that you noticed going on around you. what was caught and how. it all goes to make more interesting reading.

i could be that each article is allocated a certain slot and only so much can be written within it. so its edited so tight that you only get a breif over view of the session.

 

[kelvindavies11]

daz, hi and welcome to the site mate. Thanks for you honest views.

kelvin

 

[fish force]

Got to say I don't mind the ad's which I tend to read through after I've read the articles. I'ts a good way of keeping up to date with new products / offers. Combine it with a question or two on here if I'm thinking about spending the cash and I'm pretty much set.
On the subject of articles, I must admit that I'm getting really fed up reading the same old stuff done in the same old ways.I quite liked the Daz Challenge series, even though I gave up match fishing years ago and haven't done any shore fishing for a year or two. I suppose I liked it because it had an angle, it was a little different.
As a boat angler I'm very, very fed up reading about other peoples trips. The only articles, that I personally have found really intersting lately, were the ones by Jim O'Donnell on using a sonar to plot a wreck, good, informative, interesting stuff written by a pro.
There is plenty info in there for people new to the game, so how about some more interesting articles for the rest of us. Not just the same old boring description of a trip. Come up with some new angles on the stories to keep us reading - now there's a Daz Challenge.

 

[Rajabatis]

Hi Mart, thanks for your comments on the Daz Challenge.
Okay, and as you say, I didn't win much, but I have to admit that I learnt more about sea angling in the couple of years that this series ran for than I ever did in almost 30 years of sea angling.
Currently I am off ill and Barney is at the helm, but I do hope to be returning soon. I also believe that you have a valid point and I'll certainly take it onboard for future articles

FAO Solehunter: You would be surprised at how little money these magazines are making from advertising. And it's getting tougher as advertisers are now online themselves and feel they don't need the extra spend. What money is made each month has to pay a variety of magazine costs from wages to distribution and it doesn't leave a lot left over, if anything at all.

However, I also believe that something has to be done about the reviews. Unfortunately this is out of my hands, although it is something that I do always fight for as I was once a reader myself. I do believe that more unbias reviews would increase readership figures.

All the best

Daz

That's a very telling point you make Daz about the advertising being affected by the internet. It must be hurting magazines. I used to spend a lot of money with EMAP on advertising but the web now brings in all the business I need. I have not advertised in a magazine for seven years now. The revenue lost by them must be considerable.

 

[Daz Taylor]

No worries Kelvin.
I'll answer as many questions as honestly as I am allowed to on this and similar subjects.
If I can't answer it for legal/compamy reasons then I'll say so. That's the best I can do.

Fire away...

Daz

 

[The Skink]

Just a quick one daz to say hope you are feelin better soon mate. Missed you at Bridlington this year so just partied with the 24-7 boys as usual.
All the best
Neal
The Skink

 

[Daz Taylor]

Hi Rajabatis,

it's not just angling that's feeling it, it's all across the the consumer magazine industry. Most people who want to buy something will now search the net, as this allows them to read many views on the product and search for the best price/service - as many of you will already be aware of, or are doing.

Personally, if magazines are to regain their credibility then they have to deliver a higher service to their readers. But to do this the magazines have to do something completely different and ultimately take a risk with new ideas.
I've been saying it for years, but unfortunately I've only got as far as 'editor' and it's the 'publishers' and accountants that make the decisions.

I believe that magazines are happy to continue losing readers and advertising at a steady rate, as they see it as a 'market trend', because it's happening across the board. But this doesn't have to be the case.

However, there are other ways to turn this around. And the perfect place to start with sea angling involves unbias tackle reviews. Yes it would initailly have an impact on advertising and cost the company more losses. Because I know advertises would threaten and even follow through the action of pulling their advertising spend because they've had a bad review. Reviews have become part of the barganing tool when it comes to tackle manufacturers advertising in magazines. I'll probably get told off for this, but it is a fact and things need to change and someone needs to make the first step to change.

However, I believe that an approach of unbias reviews, while it is likely to make losses initially, it also has an opportunity to become a 'must have guide' that everyone refers to. This in tiurn could mean that advertisers would want/need to be in it and page yeild (cost of advertising space) would increase. In my view it would be a win win win situation for readers, advertisers and magazine publishers.

But who am I to comment?

Daz

 

[solehunter]

Hi Mart, thanks for your comments on the Daz Challenge.
Okay, and as you say, I didn't win much, but I have to admit that I learnt more about sea angling in the couple of years that this series ran for than I ever did in almost 30 years of sea angling.
Currently I am off ill and Barney is at the helm, but I do hope to be returning soon. I also believe that you have a valid point and I'll certainly take it onboard for future articles

FAO Solehunter: You would be surprised at how little money these magazines are making from advertising. And it's getting tougher as advertisers are now online themselves and feel they don't need the extra spend. What money is made each month has to pay a variety of magazine costs from wages to distribution and it doesn't leave a lot left over, if anything at all.

However, I also believe that something has to be done about the reviews. Unfortunately this is out of my hands, although it is something that I do always fight for as I was once a reader myself. I do believe that more unbias reviews would increase readership figures.

All the best

Daz

I guess that told me!
No worries mate

 

[Daz Taylor]

LOL, Nice one Neal and really appreciated. I'll be back to full strength soon, I hope.
How did you get on at Brid?
I was really looking forward to another pool match with the 24-7 boys, maybe see you there next year.

take care

Daz

 

[Daz Taylor]

Sorry solehunter, didn't want to offend or intend on offending, at all. Just stating what I know from behind the scenes. :notworthy

All the best fella

Daz

 

[solehunter]

Sorry solehunter, didn't want to offend or intend on offending, at all. Just stating what I know from behind the scenes. :notworthy

All the best fella

Daz

No offense taken mate!

 

[Rob]

Makes a refreshing change to read a thread about the Sea Angling mags without all the negativity that has blighted previous attempts to discuss this topic, well worded post SMART20.

Some good posts in here, keep it up guys.

 

[robfosters]

I think TSF is a good magazine. I read sea Angler, but I don't think it's as polished as TSF.

I also enjoy the Steve Allmark series, as, like me, he lives in Kent and seems to not like venturing far from home too much.

In regards to reviews, I honestly think that industry is so competitive nowadays (not just fishing, all industries), that most products don't even make it onto the market without rigorous testing and input from experienced sea anglers. Therefore, most products are of good quality with just a few let downs.

One thing I would really appreciate in TSF would be a round the UK guide to good marks for the month ahead. Another idea which would be welcomed by myself and a lot of elderly/disabled anglers, would be an easy access section, which perhaps lists 1 or 2 easy access marks in each region. Most long time anglers know these marks, but there are new retired/disabled anglers starting up all the time. I reckon this would go down very well with them.

Otherwise, I think TSF is very good.

 

[Sgt. Rock]

I think a lot of the problem with the magazines is that they have been "dumbed down" to cater for what the market research guys tell them are there target market. Aparantly the average sea angler fits into the lowest sochoeconomic group and will strugle with an article of more then 100 words! Hence if you look at most of the content it is split into small easy to read and simple section so as not to tax the reader too much.
If however you do not fit into this group, (which if you are reading this you probably do not as you have managed to work out how to turn on a computer!) then you will find the magazines content to be a touch on the boring side....
Now someone could come out and try to produce a more up market and involved sea angling magazine but this is a gamble and could well fail if the market is not there. EMAP used to have Sea Angling Quarterly which neatly filled this description but it was slowly turned into Improve your Sea fishing or angling (I forget which) and was 2dumbed down" to the point where it just vanished into 2 pages of Sea Angler. (As have a number of other magazines)
So maybe the market for a decent mag does not exist and the role of informative sea angling writing is prehaps best dealt withby anothere media such as the internet?

 

[Ian Houlton]

Hi,
rather than do it by numbers type of thing. I even believe that poor sessions would also make readable material, if the content was right.

Hopefully a thought provoking topic ?

Mart.

The Poor sessions are easily as important as the good ones, if not more so i reckon. one thing i would like to do is spend some time with Steve almark and give him some tips on his rigs:whistling
Now theres confidence for you

 

[GrumpyBloke]

I used to read Sea Angler when the only colour in the whole magazine was the yellow on the front cover.
Inside were pages of mainly print , no or very few pictures , and few ads.
It looked awful but was the best read of any magazine I have ever bought.
The contributers actually wrote stories and reviews , not put a few words around some big glossy photos.
Page after page of tales of trips and outings whether successful or not.
I buy TSF on occasions and have Boat Fishing Monthly on subscription but would buy Sea Angler every month if it was such a good read again.

 

[Guest]

Now someone could come out and try to produce a more up market and involved sea angling magazine but this is a gamble and could well fail if the market is not there.

I got sent a copy of the Sport Fishing Club of the British Isles' magazine the other day.

All I can say is WOW!
For a magazine that is produced for it's club members it is incredible and beautifully put together. Articles are by members for members and it well bound and only has limited advertising.
Due to the club that it is published for, it does focus on Big Game, but there are other great articles on more down to earth fishing too.

As a result I plan to join ASAP and look forward to the current edition.

Tom

PS: For SCB1 details contact Panamajack on here.