In my humble opinion the place for evocative writing is in blogs and books rather than magazines, mainly because you have to be 'tuned in' to that persons writing style and seek it out. What I might enjoy reading, you may not, so it will always be hit and miss in a magazine context.
I have to disagree with Mark on circulation copies. CAT and CF combined don't even print half the number of copies that IYCF sells. IYCF is Europe's largest selling fishing magazine. It frequently outsells Angling Times and the proof can be found in the Audit Bureau of Circulation figures (ABC).
As I always understood it, to apply for an ABC accreditation a publication had to sell 25,000 copies minimum. Coarse Angler in Colin Dyson's editorial era had one and published it. Five minutes after the editorship changed it went bust!
I think you would be surprised by how few copies CF and CAT actually sell. They are very much niche publications and do not have the clout to get on supermarket shelves which is now vital to volume sales.
Ron touches on a sore point with some, ie, giving away locations but I doubt it would make a gnat's difference if he did publish pics because so few anglers would go and target perch on the Trent. There are perch pretty much everywhere on the river running far bigger than the ones he caught. Archie Braddock had about 50+ river three's from the Trent Valley a couple of seasons back. Didn't make any difference to the number of anglers around. Everyone still points two rods at the heavens with one specie in mind.
But what a selfish attitude to take if we want great angling articles from others if we then keep our own catches, techniques and locations a secret...
It isn't possible to have it both ways, surely?
Self-take photos have never been easier to take since cameras went electronic and the information recorded digitally. You either set it up on a tripod or on a bank stick. How hard is that? A couple of test shots allows you to establish the correct exposure and framing, then you're away.
I have a fairly expensive (£70) remote that can be programmed to fire multiple shots at intervals at the push of a button. I can shoot scenics and action should I wish if I go to a little trouble first. Much cheaper ones are available.
How many anglers rush for their camera when they catch a fish yet fal to take shots of the dawn and the sun setting? How many look for pictures while they're out on the bank? How hard is it to create an interesting tackle/ still life shot?
Sorry, most anglers are lazy so we get an uninspiring picture of a fish laid flat on a landing net, coverd in bits of grass and mud. It doesn't have to be that way - look at the simple fish compositions of a Bailey or a Bob James...
It isn't the responsibility of those who currently write articles to change the media. It's the responsibility of editors to lead and inspire. But more than anything, it's up to those who complain to do something about it. If you don't buy the mags you hardly have a right to compalin what's in them but you can do something constructive like writing your own articles, taking great pictures and submitting them to the magazines.
But could you honestly bring something new and refreshing to the table? And if so, for how long?
The idea that only the chosen few are allowed to write articles is a complete misnomer. They are the ones who make an effort and they do it consistently. Any fool can write one good article. Some might write three, but you try and deliver top class copy on a weekly basis backed up with aspirational pictures.
Then throw in a couple of monthlies, a blog, forum posts, catalogue material, shows, TV, DVDs, etc, etc, and see how you get on. Not forgetting that you also have to catch fish in between all this.
Is it different for those who are making 'secret' captures of remarkable fish?
Yes, probably because they aren't wasting half their lives trying to keep media readers happy and they stick with what they know works in the same old places. If they had to invent a new rig, bait, technique, accessory every five minutes and catch fish on them to keep a fickle readership amused they'd soon see their catches diminishing...
