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3. Publications you read

What troutfishing publications to read on a regular basis?

I have subscriptions to... Fly Rod & Reel, Fly Tying, American Fly Fishermen and Hatches

Currently - FlyFisherman & Eastern Fly Fishing.

Fly Fisherman, but I'm not a big fan of the material in it.

Moldychum.com is a nice blog to read daily.

Thisisfly.com is a interesting online magazine published every month and a half or so.

I used to subscribe to American Angler and Flytier, but at some point I started wanting to carve my own path and stop getting my ideas from other people. I've found that for me that's the best way to be truly creative. So now I don't read much in the way of tying and fishing. I would like to start reading more about the insects themselves and then use that knowledge to tie and fish using my own patterns and methods, but I've always been a lousy student of biology - I hate memorizing stuff. So it's an ideal I'm not sure I can reach. But I am fishing patterns these days that are almost exclusively my own, so I feel good about that. And I feel even better when the fish are foolish enough to oblige me.

-Shawn

Troutbum wrote - "Fly Fisherman, but I'm not a big fan of the material in it."

While I've been a subscriber since the first year of publication I actually agree with Troutbum. Fly Fisherman magazine, and it's contributors, has probably been the biggest contributor to the overcrowding of every good trout stream and river in this country. I can vividly remember one article in particular written by Al Caucci proclaiming the West Branch of the Delaware as "The Big Horn of the East". Admittedly the WB is an outstanding eastern wild trout river but by no means is it in the league of the Big Horn. I've fished the Big Horn extensively and even a rank amateur can land a dozen fish a day in the 16" - 18" range throwing a nymph under an indicator.

I'd much rather see technical articles, fly tying articles, tackle reviews and generic locational articles than the in depth exploitation of the trout rivers of the USA. Do the readers really need little maps of the area and explicit directions on how to get there, what to bring, and where to sleep?

Eastern Fly Fishing is equally egregious in this matter as their whole philosophy for being is writing about places to fish and send even more guys to overrun these waters. I'm so worked up I'm going to let my EFF subcription run out and not re-new.

Best Fishing Buddy is a magazine nut. lately, most of the fly fishing magazines published today have graced our overloaded mail carrier's bag, but honestly, i only read three with any regularity, Fly Rod & Reel, Fly Tyer, and MidAtlantic Fly Fisherman (?). the first has a good blend of equipment, tying, fishing, and good writing, the second is full of stuff i plan to tie when i get a round tuit, and the third is essential if you fish between CT and VA--conditions, fly recommendations and patterns, local ads from local fly shops, and you can't beat the price. Free at your local fly shop!

Are there good free magazines in other parts of the country?

I like "The Drake"

At the risk of sounding pretentious, I currently don't read any fishing publications regularly. At one time I read Fly Fisherman, Field and Stream, Eastern Fly Fisherman, and Fly Tyer. Now, I tend to Google stuff if I need to. It seems that almost every fly shop or magazine has moved online. This website and Jason's Troutnut forum (unabashed plug) are great examples of how online resources have replaced the need for fishing mags. I agree with the comment about how certain authors have contributed to the degradation, overkill, over-fishing of some watersheds.

Good Thread!! I still have a subscription to Fly Fisherman, but seldon read more than one article per month.
I have never been interested in reading articles about far away and expensive. I still long for the articles I used to read by Ray Bergman, H.G.Tapley, and Ted Trublood. I want to know how to catch fish where I live, not specific techniques for some place I'll never get to. If I ever do get to these remote destinations, I'll not remember what I read a year or 5 years prior. Besides the auther got a free visit to write the article, isn't that a conflict of interest?? Some magazines seem to be nothing but a sales effort. I would rather read the flyers from the grocery store, at least you KNOW they are advertising.

As for me, it's the TU magazine and Fly Rod & Reel.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, Journal of Fish Biology, Ecological Modelling...

I guess they're not directly about fishing, but there's a lot more to learn in their pages than in the 1,382nd generic magazine article about BWOs.

Good comments from all. NE, I also love Trueblood, Tapply, Bergman, Lyons et al. These writers have a homespun quality and a practical, common sense approach that is characteristic of their work In my opinion, many of the writers today take a very narrow, technical approach -- for lack of a better way to say it -- they rely more on specific knowledge and less on wisdom. As Jason says, who needs another article about BWOs.

please remember that there are new anglers every day! some magazines have "beginner corners" where neophytes can get information that everyone else just "knows", which is a great thing. the surest way to drive someone away from a new interest is to write and speak as if the reader/listener knows a great deal.
this is year five in my latest lifelong quest--to understand fly fishing--and only lately have i begun to "get" BWOs (blue winged olives). that is why i like MidAtlantic Fly Fisher: by concentrating on local conditions and needs, it's like a fly shop in your pocket, full of local info (but not so much that you don't need to stop at the shop once in a while!)
there is a reason a lot of publications are called fish porn; and you'd be surprised how many folk really don't care for pornography!

Casey, good point. For the benefit of all readers i will refrain in future posts from using acronyms without first explaining them. But neophytes need have no fear here -- my experience in this forum is all good, and the folks here are generous about sharing info on fly tying and fishing. Just don't ask for driving directions to my favorite fishing hole ;-)

But how many of those new anglers have a subscription to a fly fishing magazine already?

I agree with you that good material for beginners is extremely important. There's a lot of it online, and there are some even better books. Magazine articles just don't seem like a good format to teach people about the sport.

But when so little in flyfishing is actually new, what else are magazines to publish?

Most flyfishing literature presents ideas which are either hackneyed or don't work. And there are new magazines cropping up all the time. ?

-Shawn

Pictures of wood nymphs!

and could you perhaps include a good recipe?
ohhhhhhhhh...wait a sec...;-) ;-)

I don't get it, Casey. Are wood nymphs a hot new nymph? Are they wiggle nymphs? Do they float?