Sounds like one of you warmwater guys needs to take the bull by the horns and start your own magazine. If I was a warmwater guy and all I had to read was
magazines on stamp collecting, I'd be upset. Somebody is missing out on an obvious niche market. Can someone talk a little more about Fly Fusion. I met the
guy or father of the guy who runs it. He sure enjoyed talking about it. I've never seen a copy.
photo by Bulldog1935 |
 |
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Fly Fishing Magazines
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 cofisher |
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Posts: 870 (08/12/08 15:22:55) Administrator
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dudley |
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Sport
Posts: 66 (08/15/08 08:11:44) |
Like a lot of others, I no longer subscribe, but my fly fishing magazine collection dates back to '78
The cover photos from the earlier magazines are a lot different than what you see now. Patched waders, tee shirts, flannel shirts, John Deere caps....... All that stuff doesn't fit the image/lifestyle that they're trying to portray and it certainly doesn't help the advertisers. Warm Water Fly Fishing was good while it lasted, but there's only so many ways you can say.....'use an 8 wt with a stout leader....." Same with John Lakakis's first, self published magazine, 8wt. Journal |
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DT David |
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Sport
Posts: 8 (08/17/08 20:28:44) |
I'm an avid reader and since I can't get on line at work to read during breaks and lunch, I have subscriptions to Fly Fisherman, American Angler, Fly
Rod & Reel, Southwest Fly Fishing, Fly Tyer and one of my new favorites, Flyfishing and Tying Journal.
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flyflingerandy1 |
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Master Guide
Posts: 525 (08/24/08 11:19:41) |
Trout, trout, trout, trout, trout...that is all the print magazines focus on. I will only buy a magazine if it has a FEATURE length warmwater article. For
example, this spring I bought the issue of FlyFisherman with the Whitlock sunfish article. I cannot stand the articles on fast action rods with Sharkskin line.
If anyone else read the review on Sharkskin lines, on the Gunnison, where they switched to the SS line and he was casting on the bank beyond the bank, but
rather than adjust, he said he used the same power and motion...I believe he was fishin with an S4 as well, which happens to be a broomstick...What am I
saying? Well, simply, I cannot stand 99% of magazines on fly fishing. They all drive me nuts with their promotion of fast action rods and lines that are half a
line weight too heavy, so that you can say you are still throwing a 5wt, when you should be using a 6wt...Marketing...God, I am ranting, and making no sense,
but this is one of my pet peeves.
Andy |
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cofisher |
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Posts: 900 (08/24/08 12:11:09) Administrator
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I'm like DT David, I love to read. And, what better to read than an article about something you love...fly fishing. I quit subscribing because most
magazines don't meet my specific interests or needs. That being said, I still crave pictures and tips and yes, sometimes a little destination article to
help me dream about places I would like to go. Yes, most magazines focus on trout fishing. I suspect that the reason is excellent public relations jobs. When
you think of trout you think of majestic mountains, fields of wild flowers, wildlife, huge beautiful fish and clear Rocky Mountain spring water. This is not
to say that warmwater fisheries aren't as beautiful in their own way. Bulldog and many others here on the forum have shown some magnificent scenery and
fish to die for. But when most people (at least people that I've talked to.) think of warm water fishing, it conjurs up images of NASCAR-like pro bass
fishing, with lots of color and flash, big noisy boats and large crowds. Just the opposite reason why most of us fish. I suspect that advertisers and
marketing genius' figured it out. From my perspective, you warm water guys ought to thank the lord that the advertisers and marketing people haven't
discovered your secret...imagine fishing your favorite stream with 50 or so of the great unwashed breathing down your neck...
Yesterday I shared my favorite small stream hole with a visitor from Houston (not a trout fisherman) on one side and a newly arrived fellow from the Dallas area (not a fly fisherman) on the other. I spent the best part of my time teaching one guy how to cast and the other reading the water. What a blast.
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 Cameron |
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Posts: 2242 (08/24/08 17:13:30)
Administrator &
Chat Room Host |
When I first started fly fishing I bought most issues of American Angler, Fly Fisherman, and Fly Rod & Reel...but a few years into that I realized that
they were regurgitating the same type of articles over and over on the same places and techniques. I leaf through most of the magazines now at the book store
and usually get to read one or two articles that interest me.
The only magazines I usually purchase now are more "lifestyle" magazines and less how to such as Grey's Journal and The Drake. I really enjoy their articles and perspective. I subscribe to Wild on the Fly but now sure if they are still working or not. I haven't gotten an issue for some time. I also very much liked Fish & Fly but I believe they folded in the last couple of months. Right now I am really enjoying an online publication called This Is Fly. It has a fresh look and has a very cool feel to it. |
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JohnnoNZ |
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Sport
Posts: 23 (08/24/08 23:00:50) |
I get Flytyer and have done so since it first came out in the new version. Managed to collect a lot of the older one as well. Great magazine. Also Flyfisherman
which I don't really like anymore. However I have every issue since 1979 and quite a few of the very early ones as well so I knida feel I have to keep
getting it to keep the collection going. IMHO it was at it's best in the '80s. Sadly past it's best now.
And I too am bored to death of big fish pics on the front cover. Some of the earlier FFM covers were great. Was it a FR and R mag some yrs back that had the painting of a bear witha few tattered remains of a vest and a broken fly rod at it's feet? There was also another with a painting of a snake rearing up to bite. Great covers. |
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southernflyfisher |
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Sport
Posts: 32 (08/26/08 07:14:34) |
I subscribe to Fly Tyer and that's it. Having worked for Fish & Fly (now folded) and Fly Fishing in Salt Waters, I can tell you, the fly fishing
magazine business is tough to make a buck in - and complain as we like, somebody has to make money at it in order for them to stay in print, which means an
awful lot of ad selling, from an awful small group of folks who can actually afford to purchase ads. The margins on fly equipment are very small, and since
folks like TFO don't advertise, because they don't have to (they get tons of relatively free publicity all over the internet), you see the same guys,
who are basically sponsored by the same advertisers - Sage, St. Croix, SA, Rio, Cortland, Pesca Maya lodge, etc . . . , writing the same articles, year after
year.
I like Gray's for print, everything else can be found online for free. I sure do miss Charley Waterman and the like writing those great stories -
"The ferocious, slashing strike of a good Bass taking a popping bug - well, that's the story reserved for when real outdoorsmen gather around the
campfire after a fine day with rod or gun." Tom Nixon
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cofisher |
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Posts: 904 (08/26/08 08:13:29) Administrator
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The magazines that I the most useful and enjoy the most right now are the tying magazines. It's amazing the amount of talent that's out there. Tying
has really become an art form.
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Mountainshark |
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Guide
Posts: 86 (08/31/08 08:06:07) |
I subscribe to Northwest Fly Fisherman, it covers my area pretty well and seems to give accurate descriptions of the areas and fish. My biggest problem with
all of the magazines is they seem to make the sport out to be a fashion contest and to see who can spend the most money. It appears to me that a vast majority
of the people in the magazines have forgotten when, where and why we became fly fishers. Many of the magazines have forgotten the excitement that follows the
first fish caught by a beginner or an outing with a dad and daughter. The magazines have done an outstanding job of promoting large companies, and a better job
of turning people away from our sport because of the impression that you need high dollar gear to play, exotic destinations to travel to and the sport is very
"technical", thus making it hard to learn. If we took half of the stories from this board and put them into a magazine format, we would all have a
magazine worth reading.!
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BassYakker |
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Sport
Posts: 10 (09/01/08 17:18:10) |
At one time, I received all of the Abernaki products (Fly Tyer, WWFF, Saltwater Fly Fishing, American Angler) but when they killed Warmwater Fly Fishing, I
cancelled all but Fly Tyer.
Last Edited By: BassYakker
09/01/08 17:23:00.
Edited 2 times.
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roadking |
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Sport
Posts: 2 (09/04/08 21:55:08) |
I too have subscribed to most at one time or another. When I first started fly fishing I learned a lot from them. After a while it seemed like the same
articles re-hashed with a little new content. I still get one though, California fly fisher, it has a nice mix of trout, warmwater, surf, tying etc and it
pertains to the area around me. A pretty good mag.
Mike |
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Arctic Grayling |
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Master Guide
Posts: 37 (09/05/08 01:52:48) |
After a bad day at the office nothing lifts my spirits more than to come home and find the current issue of Northwest Fly Fishing (or other similar
publications) in my mail box. I head for the couch and go through it page by page. By the time I get to the last page I've forgotten all about the rotten
day.
For this reason, and to make it through long, cold, dark, fishless winters, I still subscribe to several fly fishing publications. I don't even mind the advertising! I especially like the publications that have great photography. |
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tonemike |
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Master Guide
Posts: 396 (09/05/08 02:14:12) |
used to read the fly fishing and tying journal religiously, but as i've allowed the subscription to lapse, i've found that i don't miss it much. i
think forums like this fill the same need, but even do it better IMO.
-mike |
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cofisher |
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Posts: 936 (09/05/08 10:20:47) Administrator
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Hi Mike glad to see you again. I agree with you. Online web sites and forums have really taken the place of magazines. Of course I check out our site several
times a day. There are others that I visit once a day. When I'm bored or looking for something specific I start googling and have found tons of information
online. There are some fantastic sites out there and more arriving daily it seems. I get a big kick out of reading other forums, especially when someone asks a
question about fiberglass or classic reels. More often than not, someone (maybe one of us) will respond with, check out this place they'll have an answer.
The link leads you to Fiberglass Flyrodders! That's a real tributte to Tom, Bulldog, Cameron and all of our members. The destination threads posted here
come with photos most times and first hand experience from guys like you and me. And, when I open FFR annoying subscription cards don't fall out all over
the floor.
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yuhina |
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Master Guide
Posts: 1034 (09/16/08 07:58:58) |
I buy magazines when I get bored...or when I was in the airport waiting for my flghts... I recently found the Australian FF Magazine "Fly Life" in my
local Barns Noble. The print, the photos are great. But the price is double...
BTW, I frequently buy books. I think the writings in books are better and more readable. Mark |
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flyflingerandy1 |
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Master Guide
Posts: 617 (09/16/08 11:06:53) |
The offshore magazines are always more expensive. I used to buy Max Power, a British Car mag and I used to pay roughly $9 per issue at Barnes and Noble, but if
you want the content, you gotta pay the price.
I may buy a magazine for one article, like the sunfish article by Whitlock this year in FFM. I have read that article so many times I am considering laminating the pages to keep them from dying. The magazines now are all the same regardless of what is on the cover. Rods have to be faster and lighter, regardless of lack of feel, reels have to cost $400+ and have a multi-layer cork/rulon/teflon/conical drag that has outgoing click only, and fly lines, don't get me started on microreplication. It makes me laugh, just how foolish the magazines make the sport look. You have to have this Sage windstopper fleece sleeveless vest ($80 vs the Cabela's one at $29) and the G4 Simms $650 waders, when a pair of Hodgman breathables are just fine at 1/6 the price. I have a hard time seeing how this is conducive to growth in the sport to be honest. To make someone think that they have to spend $600 on a rod, $400 on a reel, $100 on a line, $500+ on waders, $150 on boots, $150 on a vest, and Lord knows how much on flies just to enjoy the sport is not going to make someone want to try it. I simplified it for myself. I carry two $10 fly boxes, tie my flies, use light rods and reels, a furled leader with a spool of tippet. That is what I use on a day to day basis. I can't see using a full vest to chase bluegill. I think we could all get together and make a magazine about simplistic fly fishing. We could promote fanny packs and lightweight tackle, streamlining gear, and using the most effective means necessary to accomplish the same goal as the guy covered in $3,000 worth of gear. Andy |
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cofisher |
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Posts: 967 (09/16/08 17:21:57) Administrator
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Andy, for once I'm not going to argue with you. I think you've captured the feeling a lot of us have about what's happening or been happening with
flyfishing and pushed by the magazines. None of the flyfisherman/women I know, myself included, would ever be mistaken for an "Orvis' model.
(Substitute your favorite high end tackle supplier) I think perhaps that's why the magazines have started to bug me so badly. I don't want to know
about the tweed and tam, bamboo tossing folks flying to Patagonia to catch their 2 foot long trout one after another. (Not meant to be a slam on anyone who
fishes bamboo or goes to Patagonia.)
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tonemike |
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Master Guide
Posts: 407 (09/16/08 19:17:26) |
cofisher wrote: when are they gonna show the guy (or gal) fishing a full-flexing 6/7wt rod trimmed with gold thread and mylar wraps? maybe sporting a standard arbor reel with one of those bus-stopping click-pawl drag systems many of us relish? |
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cofisher |
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Posts: 969 (09/16/08 19:24:13) Administrator
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I don't know Mike but if I had the money I would produce a magazine with just that sort of cover and it would feature fishing (warm water and cold water)
with those rods and classic reels. What's the population here on the forum....hmmm.
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- Welcome, Messages, Claves, News, and FAQs
- Fishing with Fiberglass Fly Rods
- Glass Tech
- Collecting Fiberglass Fly Rods
- What's New on the Market
- Rod Pictures
- Classic Fly Reels
- Another Spin on Glass
- Rod Building & Tackle Tinkering
- The Tying Bench
- Fiberglass Fly Rods For Sale
- Fiberglass Fly Rods Wanted
- Fiberglass Flyrodders Wiki
