I've noticed that this has not been discussed....

[JohnR]

... or mentioned, but does everyone know that Charlie Levine is no longer the editor and has left the NE Fisherman?

His last day was over the weekend and if what I understand to be true is infact true, he should now be working for a Florida Magazine.

Now, we were not best buddies or anything. Fact of the matter is that I've only traded and e-mail or two with him and spoken briefly with him at a meeting or two. I am fairly convinced that he wasn't the kind of guy that could fill Tim Coleman's shoes with that magazine - tough job for anyone in my opinion.

In the year he was at the helm, I think the weekly lost ground versus Internet sites and OTW and the new infusion of blood did not make the weekly more interesting than before. I also think and several others have concurred and even brought this topic up in conversation that the NEF was regurgitating A LOT more old articles that had previously run. A few people I've talked to have not renewed their subscriptions or are planning not to at this time...

Now the question(s) I have for you is:

If you ran the New England Fisherman, what would you like to see happen with it to make it a better read once again.

Do you have any opinions on who would be a good editor for the weekly?

Anything else you would like to add?
Thanks,

John

[TheSpecialist]

For one I would make it easier to find he rest of the article you started reading in the front of the magazine. Sometimes you just can't find the second half. I would try and make the fishing contest more surf friendly, it seems like most if not all of the fish are caught by boaters. I really like the how-to articles, and I think they should expand on that somehow. I personally get sick of reading how the big charter guys killed em every week, I know they are the advertisers, but come on.

[Saltheart]

I used to buy it every week but lost interest. I think it was the report that said something like ...... So and so at MVP sports reports good fishing at the mouth of the Narrow River. To get there , park at scarborough and walk left down the beach...... I still chuckle at that one!.

What would help? I think maybe writing about what's coming up rather than what has happened. For instance , it would help for people to read about herring fishing in early April so they could get ready , not mid June when its about over.

[Jaiem]

I didn't know Charlie Levine nor do I read the NE Fisherman (nor the LI Fisherman for that matter), but my 2 cents on these kinds of publications (localized fishing magazines) is they are all having difficulties.

IMO, the net hurt them badly. Sites like here and others allow anglers to exchange info and ideas much quicker and more detailed than a print publication can. Printed magazines can help new anglers and more casual "weekend warrior" anglers. But the more serious harder-core angler doesn't follow them too much.

Most localized publication just aren't going to print the kind of info anglers crave. Specifically, anglers want to know more exactly where, when and any insights on how. Magazines just aren't going to publish that kind of info. It's OK for a national publication to be more on the generalized side, they have to appeal to a wider audience. But local publications have a narrower readership and I think sooner or later people come to say "It's the same old, same old each year".

You really can't blame the publishers or editors. They just aren't going to print detailed info about spots and techniques, especially when it comes to surf casting. No one wants 200 casters in their prized spot that can normally hold only 10 casters at best. Or, the "secret" access down an unmarked private road or along a fence in a posh residential area to be published. Here on LI we even have anglers complaining over articles about fairly well known beaches and spots, saying there are already too many fishermen there.I've seen field editors berated by readers thinking they gave out"too much" info about a spot (caused more than a few good field editors to quite too).

While you're always going to have someone who finds something to complain about, being the editor-in-chief of such a publication seems like a very hard job. So what's left for print fishing media - Tide tabels? Reports? Ads?

I wish I had some better ideas. I'd apply for the job myself!

[Scotch Bonnet]

I take the Fisherman for what it is. I get it thur. afternoon and I'm done with it 15 min. later. Maybe one or two decent artiles and some pictures. The fishing reports are taken with a grain of salt. I really enjoyed the mag when I started out surfcasting but it has become stale as I have gotten more experience. I am amazed they don't have a website, maybe there waiting to see if this new fangled internet thing catches on .Although I will keep my subscription to support the local guys, they need to catch up before someone comes in and beats them at there own game

[STRIPER77]

I THINK A WEB-SITE WOULD DEFINITELY HELP. IT'S ANOTHER SPOT FOR THEIR SPONSORS AND I'M SURE THEY COULD GET A FORUM GOING. IT'S REASONABLY PRICED AND A GOOD QUICK READ EVERY WEEK. KEEPS THE BLOOD FLOWING ALL YEAR LONG!!IF THEY CHANGE IT TOO MUCH---IT WILL DIE. IT'S IN A CATEGORY BY ITSELF. IT SHOULDN'T TRY TO COMPETE WITH OTW. IT'S A SMALL,QUICK,PORTABLE READ. NOT A BIG COFFEE TABLE---MAKE SOME ROOM MAGAZINE. I WISH THEM THE BEST AND HOPE SOMEONE CAPABLE STEPS UP TO THE PLATE.

[Bazza]

I look forward to getting the Fisherman Magazine each week, it usually comes on thursday or friday. I enjoy reading the articles. I like how some the articles are on freshwater i.e. bass fishing, trout fishing, and flyfishing/fly tying. I am surprised that they do not have a web site, they could have some good forums and a way to get their sponsors names out.

[JohnR]

Bazza - shhh! The best forums are right here

[Mr. Kav]

I CANCELLED THAT AT LEAST A YEAR AGO. I USED TO LIKE THE "TACKLE DOCTOR" SECTION IN THAT MAGAZINE. PEOPLE WOULD RIGHT IN QUESTIONS AND THEY WOULD DO SOME RESEARCH AND PRINT THE QUESTION AND ANSWERS. NOW IF I HAVE A QUESTION I WRITE IT HERE AND RECEIVE MANY ANSWERS AND WITH IN A DAY OR TWO. I ALSO USED TO I LIKE READING ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN CAUGHT IN MY FISHING AREA AND WHAT METHOD WAS USED.

[Blitzseeker]

I agree with Scotch Bonnet, who essentially said "It is what it is."

I also get it, read it in 10-15 minutes and toss it. The fishing reports are interesting to me at times, particularly in the spring when you can at least tell when the fish have arrived in broad areas(well, at least you can tell they arrived a week ago). The other times they are interesting to me is when I'm going to fish somewhere I don't get to very much(Nantucket or the Vineyard, for instance). I can at least get some baseline feel for whether anything has been happening there or not, then follow up for more detail at the tackle shops when I get there. As stated, you take everything with a grain of salt because you know these folks are trying to drum up business.

The worst example of pumping the report section for business has got to be Surfland in the Plum Island section. All winter long they've been saying how "die hards" are fishing for cod off the beach. It's so transparent that they are trying to drum up traffic through their shop. It's a great shop and I like it a lot, but give me a break. I'd bet you there have not been 10 cod caught off that beach all winter.

I also enjoy a freshwater article or two...particularly the trout articles they run in the spring. They get me fired up for opening day.

Basically, I find it fun to read about fishing, even when the information isn't all that helpful or current. That's pretty much why I still read it.

[fishsmith]

I like the fisherman, I've been subscribing to it for years(and have most of the issues filed by month back to 1997). Like anything it's got to be taken with grain of salt. I agree that you cannot give out exact locations but if you fish and your given a general area, 1/2 the fun is finding the good spots.
I would like to see more how to's (ie. tie knots, clean reels, spool reels, make flys/lures, ect..).
The articles are a bit rehashed, but so is my memory so I don't mind the reminder. The flow/order of the magazine is unique to say the least, but at least it's consistant.

[chris L]

its my bathroom reading ! I read it and enjoy it ! the reports are history not news . I have every copy since the early 80s . I used to look back at stories now they just rerun stories every now and again . Met him once and he didnt seem to fit the NE mold . Bye Charlie ( the shoes are too big ?) Levine .

[fishweewee]

Interesting news John.

Until recently I had been subscribing to all four editions of the Fisherman (Mid-Atlantic, NJ, Long Island, and New England).

I have to say, the New England one was probably the best in terms of content out of the four editions (also more relevent for me since I live in Southern New England). I've always been a fan of Tim Coleman's work too.

A few thoughts on the weekly (for all four regions):

1) It's tired and old. Much of the non-ad content is short on substance, and you even see reprints of the same stories year after year. I mean, I love Freddie Golafaro...he is a sweet and tremendous guy with a boatload of fishing knowledge, but gosh how many times do I have to hear about the "I-livelined a bunker-and-almost-got a-30 lb.-bluefish but-it-got-away" story?

Anyhoo, more to the point compare The Fisherman to OTW...the latter is much more dynamic and substantive.

2) As I understand the situation, the owners (and not the senior editors mind you) of the Fisherman franchise (based in Long Island, NY) have been slow in even agreeing to set up an online interactive medium to complement the printed weekly. In the process, 1) The Fisherman has failed to address the market for younger, tech-savvy eyeballs, and 2) other print weeklies with web sites (notably Noreast) have had a huge head start.

My understanding is that they are now just starting to get it set up!

3) What's left? Advertising methinks. It's nice that I can pick up the magazine anytime and get an advertiser's phone number, but, come to think of it, I can now pull it off the web too.

I hope that publication is able to get some fresh blood into it, it certainly has one of the most loyal regional subscriber bases that I know of.

I remember reading The Fisherman before I even opened up the Wall Street Journal in the morning.

Times have sure changed!

-FWW

[gf2020]

The April 4th edition arrived today with Charlie's name still on the masthead.

I have been a suscriber now for 2.5 years, or about how long I have been saltwater fishing. If you get the 2 year subscription, the magazine is 50 cents per week. How can you not buy it at that price?

As I said, I am new to this game and I find the articles valuable. I save the whole year and then go through it again and tear out the articles that are relevant to me. Then I sort them in folders by topic. I don't keep many of the freshwater articles and I toss all of the RI and CT stories because I don't fish there.

I imagine the job probably doesn't pay a whole lot and it is probably hard to find someone for the job. Charlie sure did seem to get lots of pictures of himself in the magzaine though!