Launch of new UK angling magazine - Adventure Fishing

Looking at a post on another forum I picked up reference to the launch of a new specialist UK magazine – Adventure Fishing – aimed at, the travelling angler. One of the key contributors is, I understand, Henry Gilbey – a well travelled angler cum photographer - and this was the reference to it on Henry’s blog - http://www.henry-gilbey.com/bl…he_shelves_this_week.html. There’s a reasonable indication of content (and photographs) for this inaugural edition in that blog.

Now this is me demonstrating my age but it’s, to my mind, effectively resurrecting a concept from the '60s, CREEL Magazine. That unfortunately was something launched too early but this may well hit it on the button for this specialist market.

I'll certainly subscribe. Seems reasonable value at £22.95 ( or EU £32.95, RoW £38.95) for six, bi-monthly editions if this launch edition's anything to go by. Unfortunately the on-line subscription service isn't working yet! But I gather you can subscribe by contacting them at +44 (0)207 618 3472 (Mon-Fri 9.30-5.30) or e-mail subscriptions@adventurefishingmagazine.com for further details.

For anyone interested this is their web site - http://adventurefishingmagazine.com/default.html.

I have just received a letter from the magazine's publishers, Newquest Specialist Media, advising of their decision to discontinue the title after publication of its April/May edition. That's if I've got it right after just five editions! Um ....

I sure everyone's likely to have their own view as to where they went wrong ranging from their initial Market Research, through its balance of content to superficiality of what, on occasions, could only be described as padding.

Alright it's my personal view but these were a few of the observations I identified to the Managing Edition after the publication of just the first two editions.

Zitat

To illustrate this, looking at articles first of all, I guess the one that has attracted the most criticism was the one on river carping. It seemed completely out of context in the magazine and, leaving aside any tenuous link to adventure, lacked any meaningful substance. Certainly I very much doubt that it would have been considered for publication in any of the specialised Carp or Coarse Fishing magazines.

Unfortunately that was also true of a ‘brief’ on Eastern Canada. It was patently too big a topic to attempt to cover in less than a page of text. And does the author really think that anglers would deliberately target Cod in Newfoundland? The commercial fishery collapsed in the ‘90s and still hasn’t recovered. Norway offers better potential for aspiring cod-fishers. Also I can assure you with better management of the stock in the Eastern Atlantic, and now increasing numbers, Bluefin Tuna are the prime saltwater target for adventurous, travelling anglers along Canada’s Maritime Provinces.

Then some of the Gear News/Gear Greats. The consensus was that readers would not be looking in a magazine focusing on adventure fishing for a review on a landing net head or a centrepin reel. (Admittedly the latter did make a passing reference to ‘steelhead in BC’.)

Moving on then to balance of content. Currently it does seem to be somewhat biased towards fly fishing. And whilst certain of our members do exclusively fly fish the majority – in part, I would have thought, your target readership – are more expansive in their interests. As well as wielding ‘the long rod’, they also enjoy targeting pelagics, and ‘extreme’ fishing poppers and speed jigs.

Now I’d readily accept that our membership, in the main, represent one end of the sport fishing spectrum. But there are others, potential readers of your magazine, to whom adventure fishing involves, for example, shore fishing in Cuba as part of their annual package holiday. They may only catch Barracuda, Jacks and Snapper plus hook the odd juvenile Tarpon but it is still none the less adventure fishing to them. Perhaps you need to cater for them as well?

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There was an attempt to broaden the magazine's appeal but I guess given time and budget it was a case of too little too late. R.I.P.