Exit Strategy

Exit Strategy

Two recently published pieces by well-respected angling figures caught my eye, both with a less than complementary view of angling websites. The intriguing twist being that the writers concerned have been quite happy to make use of the ethereal medium in the past.

In a recent edition of Coarse Fisherman magazine, Bob Roberts appears to not have his happy head on at all. The article is peppered with comments such as:

‘Websites are insular’

‘The purpose of the printed angling media is to educate’

‘There’s a world of difference between typing and writing’

‘Publishing on the Internet is easy, it’s playing at it’

Those were just a few among other barbed, even dismissive comments about the place of fishing websites, particularly in relation to the ‘proper’ printed angling media. It appears to Bob that those of us who do have articles published on websites do so to enjoy the adulation and backslapping of our (Internet) peers.

Bob also comments on the Internet forums where posters perennially complain that there is nothing new in the printed media, and that all we ever see is the same old regurgitated articles by the same old faces.

Well, perhaps it’s not a shock to say that is true to an extent. Those editors involved have a comfort zone, and are not very likely to stray out of it. Using a ‘name’ is a safety blanket (They’re famous so they must know what they’re talking about) and stick to carp/barbel or whatever is ‘in season’ and you can’t go wrong, ‘cos that’s what most of the punters fish for, so that’s what they want to read about- isn’t it?

Or is it? Do you think that if 100 anglers wrote into the ‘Letters’ pages bitterly complaining about repetition that any of those letters would see the light of day in print? Probably not, because those letters have to be ‘edited’ and when was the last time you saw anything critical in print?

And no, I’m not a supermarket ‘skimmer’, I get both the angling weeklies, Coarse Fisherman every month and occasionally other titles too, so I think I am entitled to comment on what I am reading, I just don’t believe that it will make it past the editor’s blue pencil.

And there’s the rub, because who is it that sits in adjudication to pronounce whether an article is good or not? Just because a piece appears in the angling press doesn’t make it a good article, appearing in print is not a cast-iron guarantee of quality. Even the revered Dick Walker wrote the odd duff article, which I don’t doubt would have been rejected out of hand if someone of a lesser standing had offered it up.

But to continue, after his mauling of angling websites, Bob then does a seeming about-face and proceeds to advise any aspiring writers that they are the ideal place to hone their writing skills. These sites are seen as a natural progression, a stepping-stone to ‘proper’ writing in the printed media. Websites are a place to develop your own style and then find the publication that best suits the way you write.

Well, that’s all fine and dandy if you write in the approved ‘house’ style for that particular publication. If not, be assured that the square peg and round hole formula will be rigorously applied.

So is this just sour grapes and a bad attack of thin skin from me? Maybe…… Six years of ‘practicing’ on FM and apparently I haven’t improved from a typist to a writer. I’ve had a grand total of two articles published in the ‘legitimate’ angling press, one done as a favour and the other because I conformed to the necessary rules in place for that article to be accepted.

During these past six years I have received favourable comments on my ramblings from angling ‘names’ such as Dave Chilton, Tom Legge, Jim Baxter, Jim Gibbinson, even Mr. Roberts himself as well as many of you on FM. (And I am, of course, taking a huge gamble in assuming that Graham actually approves of the stuff I send in).

[I wouldn’t publish it if I thought it wouldn’t interest FM’s readers – Graham]

Despite that, editors from the angling press have not been beating a path to my door, and that is because what I write (or should that be ‘type’) doesn’t ‘fit’ into their matrix, being neither instructional nor educational. Trying to be entertaining isn’t on the radar.

Well, I’m too old to change now, and why should I, just to become another writer churning out production line pieces to set parameters, when there’s more than enough of them already doing self-aggrandisement articles and advertorials as it is.

And then there is Steve Pope having a more genteel swipe at angling forums in the current edition of ‘Barbel Fisher’. Well the problem with barbel anglers is one of image, and attitude. To use a footballing analogy they are thought of along the same lines as Chelsea. Throwing money at something at an attempt at being successful, eject the dummy from the pram and bawl your eyes out when it doesn’t happen then, moan ‘cos no one likes you, is no way to win friends and influence people.

Are websites perfect then? Well, no, obviously not. They have immediacy that print can’t hope to match, unrivalled access to archive material, forums where members can air views without too much censorship, and the opportunity to contribute articles. Above all, they offer a sense of belonging that is something no paper can ever hope to achieve. Apart from the regular on-line discussions it is possible to meet fellow members at fish-ins or just individually, and you can ask for help and advice and it is usually freely given.

The contradictions begin where this sense of belonging does not extend to involvement. And a case in point is the excellent thread started by Steve Spiller, asking us to vote on the river Closed Season. All we had to do is vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ and to date, only some 200 of our 40,000 members (that’s half of one percent) have bothered to do so. Not really joining in, is it?

Given this is probably still one of the biggest issues in angling, the lack of interest is frankly astounding. Particularly so for the river fishing barbel anglers, who you would think would be engaged in an internecine meltdown between the more modern anglers wanting to get extra time to fish for their quarry against those traditionalists who would want to battle to preserve the status quo.

Oh well, ramble over, onwards and upwards. Having sided with those who feel there is too much repetition in the printed media, I certainly shouldn’t now start being hypocritical. During my six years of typing for FM, I have, wherever possible, refrained from going over the same ground. But that does mean if I carry on the same vein then eventually I am going to run out of things to type, and I don’t want to just type something for the sake of doing it.

So, time for an exit strategy, and I have decided on a new plan. Hopefully I can scrape together enough decent pieces for FM to get to the 250 mark, and then I am going over to the dark side. In order to face my demons, I am going to join the Barbel Society. This is so I can gain as much information as possible about the species to equip me to set out on my own in an attempt to lose my barbel virginity.

I don’t have unrealistic expectations, my target is to catch a fish of 6lbs or more, (let’s face it, my first fish will be my PB, so that’s not a bad start to any campaign!) and during my adventures I hope to find out just what the fascination is with this species. Perhaps I should stress that this is to be a purely solo project, I hope to succeed by putting what I can learn into practice, not by letting some well-meaning fellow angler plonk me down in a pre-baited, barbel-infested swim where I ‘can’t fail’.

Hopefully, my trials and tribulations will make interesting reading, and I’ve even knocked up a catchy title for the piece in the hope of getting it accepted by some faction of the angling press, who knows, maybe even a feature in the Barbel Fisher magazine (Well, I can dream, can’t I…)?

I live within 10 minutes drive of the Ouse ‘above Bedford’, or failing that, a fair chunk of the Thames is less than 40 minutes away from me, so getting to know a venue that is purported to contain barbel won’t be too difficult. And I am hoping to make do with the tackle that I currently have (apart from the deadbaiting and spinning rods…!). It’s actually something that I am really looking forward to, firstly doing it, secondly writing about it and thirdly trying to get some one to print it, just to prove to myself that my six years of practice typing on FM weren’t entirely wasted……..