fraserking Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 I'm sure that this is nothing new and seasoned anglers have worked this out already, but I cannot bring myself to buy carp magazines any longer. I'm a sporadic purchaser, but this months Total Carp is just one big advert. With very little information about tactics, every article is one sponsored angler after another pushing their bait, tackle and equipment. What looked like an interesting article on fishing with sticks was in fact Nick Helleur praising the virtues of Solar's stick mix and what is in it. TCs big brother ACF is no different. There is more information in one or two threads of this forum than there there is in the whole issue. Just as an aside having read a few anglers blogs, it's abundantly clear that nothing in the copy has been written by them. No more magazines for me, I'll just rely on learning as I go. And of course reading threads on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt859 Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 well dont just read them get posting your own posts, let us know all about you, your kit, where you go, what you caught, what you didnt. ask questions and offer answers. its all good fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wamps Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 I totally agree with comments about too much sponsorship and advertising in the magazines and its progressively getting worse but its still nice to have something to read now and again especially when there is absolute rubbish on the telly. newmarket 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salokcinnodrog Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 You can guarantee that I will not be buying Advanced Carp Fishing or Total Carp again Of the magazines available, I reckon at the moment Carpology is probably the best, although I still have a soft spot for CarpWorld. Advertorial, basic plugging in an article really does wind me up, and as Wamps says, its getting worse. You always had adverts, they effectively pay for the magazine, its not the end buyer who make it profitable, but now there are almost no unsponsored articles, and some tackle and bait brands are worse culprits for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobleyn Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 Just Carpology for me too. I bought advanced carp fishing one day last year when I had a long train ride and and it was the only mag they had. Jesus- it was painful...I think I must have read a few pages and the rest was just dirge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carperjake Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 I haven't bought a magazine for years. If I need to sort out a problem then the internet is far easier. the tackle reviews are far more honest, if something sucks then you get to hear about it, if something's good then the same thing goes. If you can't solve a problem then there's always someone available to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamieh90 Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 I subscribe to angling times as I do both carp and coarse fishing. It has started getting more and more carp pages in which is a bonus. Never bought a carp mag dedicated to carp fishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bones46 Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 They're all a total waste of paper- even Carpworld which was once worth reading is now a vehicle for Nash et al to peddle the latest thing we don't need. Luckily at least one publisher has spotted a niche in the market- a carp magazine that's not full of adverts- overt or otherwise, or trotting out the same lazy tosh. I understand that Gaz Fareham is bringing a mag out fairly soon with minimal ads and with an emphasis on quality informative writing- maybe two issues a year. Search "calm productions subsurface" for a bit more info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albatrossx1 Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Is Big Carp Magazine still going, that used to be ok and seemed like it was based on alot of good articles from good anglers who just had a good story to tell !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albatrossx1 Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Is Big Carp Magazine still going, that used to be ok and seemed like it was based on alot of good articles from good anglers who just had a good story to tell !!!! Aswel as to much advertising in the mags, all the articles seem to keep going over ol ground, but just tweeked a little, and im not just on about carp mags, i personally would love to see more adventure and humor written , I love the writings of Bill Cottam for his humor and Tony D Partick for the adventure. The Point im trying to make is that there are thousands of great anglers out there with a great tale to tell, i would love to hear about more angling adventures abroad. OR May be its all the carp forums on the web now thats ruining the mags, i bought Carpworld a week ago and havnt picked it up yet......im always on hear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salokcinnodrog Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 I think that a lot of the problem with magazines is that most anglers are anglers first and maybe able to write after if they are lucky, whereas we would prefer angling writers rather than anglers who may just write or ghost script an article. Not sure if that makes sense, but because they are anglers they aren't good writers. Fashions go round in circles, what was fashionable 10 years ago has come back round a few times, or even different times on different waters, where a method that worked for instance on Redmire in the 1970's has only just been used on Roach pit. What doesn't help is anglers who can only fish one method effectively, so every article that they write is almost the same each time. I prefer reading original CarpWorld type articles, and learning about a venue rather than rig or bait method articles, it may be because everything in them goes around and comes around and is rehashed. Yet DH publications are aimed at new carp anglers over older more 'intense' older experienced anglers who have the romance ingrained in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodchester17 Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 only mag i get now is carpworld,and that is only because im addicted to paul forwards writing and globetrotter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraserking Posted March 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Think I'll try some titles that have been mentioned. It's nice to have a read but the blatant plugging is just too much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules007 Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 I used to buy total carp a few years back but not any more, i dont bother with any of them, years ago angling times used to do a supplement on carp fishing and terry hearn was main writer, he did some stunning features and never plugged much, other than the source Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowmanstevo Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 Bought the angling times for 20 odd years but haven't for a couple of years now ..... My mate buys a couple of mags s month and ill cast an eye over them in work but ..... They are repetitive and very contradicting ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmarket Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Have to agree with nick in that carpology is the best mag out there . By a mile. Even that can get a bit repetitive though its worth buying for rob hughes' underwater features alone . My biggest gripe about the mags is that these "famous big potatos" anglers featured in the mags are always grappling with some leviathan carp at sandhurst or frimley etc . I'd like to see one of 'em fish 24hours at my local park lake to see how they get on...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouchthathurt Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 I don't like or but any mags anymore, except the occasional carpworld. Got it this month, there is a thought provoking piece from mark Holmes I think, which was a fair piece about passing information from anglers to others. I only read carpworld when I can find it as the articles are more informative, interesting and not full of plugs and adverts. However, mags need to cater for their biggest audience, which are information hungry anglers. Wanting to know all about PVA, new rigs, wonder baits, how to catch your 1st 20 etc. as an angler, I feel i'm at a level in my fishing that I feel I can use my experience to make my own decisions, and not be guided by "how to" articles. But mags are there to make a profit, their money lies in telling anglers who want to listen how to use PVA, or the new wonder rig. So long as anglers want to read this info, then they will.continue to but them. I don't think mags should be slated for meeting a need. The fact I don't like them is a personal thing, I wood not look at another any less for finding them informative and interesting. I think as you become more experienced, with more skills, you tend to rely less on mags and start to work things out for yourself. I do enjoy reading carpworld from time to time, brought a copy yesterday, 1st mag brought in over 2yrs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraserking Posted March 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 I don't like or but any mags anymore, except the occasional carpworld. Got it this month, there is a thought provoking piece from mark Holmes I think, which was a fair piece about passing information from anglers to others. I only read carpworld when I can find it as the articles are more informative, interesting and not full of plugs and adverts. However, mags need to cater for their biggest audience, which are information hungry anglers. Wanting to know all about PVA, new rigs, wonder baits, how to catch your 1st 20 etc. as an angler, I feel i'm at a level in my fishing that I feel I can use my experience to make my own decisions, and not be guided by "how to" articles. But mags are there to make a profit, their money lies in telling anglers who want to listen how to use PVA, or the new wonder rig. So long as anglers want to read this info, then they will.continue to but them. I don't think mags should be slated for meeting a need. The fact I don't like them is a personal thing, I wood not look at another any less for finding them informative and interesting. I think as you become more experienced, with more skills, you tend to rely less on mags and start to work things out for yourself. I do enjoy reading carpworld from time to time, brought a copy yesterday, 1st mag brought in over 2yrs! Very well put. I agree with that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt859 Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 ok so if we know the carp mags are full of adverts and the same advice rolled out seasonally why are they still being purchased and read? i was at the coast over the last few days and I picked up a copy of Sea Angler to get some advice about rods and baits etc, I was very close to going into a tackle shop and impulse buying a rod n reel and a few bits of kit. I was relying on the advice of the sea anglers in the mag. Surely there must be some newbie carp anglers hoping for the same sort of starters advice. any one on here fish from the beach? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garysj01 Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 ok so if we know the carp mags are full of adverts and the same advice rolled out seasonally why are they still being purchased and read? i was at the coast over the last few days and I picked up a copy of Sea Angler to get some advice about rods and baits etc, I was very close to going into a tackle shop and impulse buying a rod n reel and a few bits of kit. I was relying on the advice of the sea anglers in the mag. Surely there must be some newbie carp anglers hoping for the same sort of starters advice. any one on here fish from the beach? I have fished on a beach a few times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt859 Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 do you still do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wamps Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 I fish the beaches every winter as soon as the carping slows up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouchthathurt Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 I have a subscription to sea angler, as I am well out of practice with beachcasting, in these instances, I have found information that's been useful. I have noticed that their less plugs, adverts and things like the things that put me off carp mags. However as I do more sea fishing, I am now less interested in the mags for information, preferring the diary pieces instead. Mags have a place, and I think newcomers to the sport can get pointers which more experienced carpers need less of. I have noticed that more experienced carpers get more out of forums like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wamps Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 I like sea angler magazine .The WORLD SEA FISHING (WSF) forum is a great place for info. Especially the catch reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garysj01 Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 do you still do it? I haven't for about 4 years now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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