Magazine Suggestions?

JMow

JMow

New member
Joined
May 18, 2023
Messages
11
City
Lancaster County
Hello all,

I am hoping to get some recommendations on some fly fishing-oriented publications that can help further my knowledge alongside the resources on this forum. I already receive/am subscribed to the following ones:

Dark Skies Magazine: Free resource, love the format and website, no complaints here at all with it.

TROUT (w/ TU membership): a little ad heavy but content is good and varied, sometimes a little skewed to fishing in the west.

PA Outdoor News: PA-focused publication that covers trapping, hunting and fishing. I use this to keep up with general news, I really enjoy the coverage of a public piece of land in each publication that covers what can be done in each park, game land, etc.

I am also looking to subscribe to Fly Fisherman Magazine ($15 for 1 year digital subscription) but I stopped reading In-Fisherman, which is also published by the same company, due to the amount of ads in it. I know they are a necessary evil but it became crazy recently.

Any suggestions on other free or paid resources from everyone?
 
If you’re into tying Fly Tyer magazine is excellent. Step by step instructions and some excellent articles to boot.
 
There is so much more, and often better, information available online these days that many magazine publications are not worth subscribing to/paying for.

I’m not going to name them, but there are quite a few Internet forums, similar to this, pertaining to fly fishing, fly tying, etc. that pretty much cover the world of fly fishing, many of which have more information in their archives than you could ever read in your lifetime - all you have to do is search them.

Here is one free online flyfishing magazine pertaining to Montana that you might be interested in, even if you never plan go there. https://mtflyfishmag.com/
 
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mt_flyfisher said:
There is so much more, and often better, information available online these days that many magazine publications are not worth subscribing to/ paying for.

I’m not going to name them, but there are quite a few Internet forums, similar to this, pertaining to fly fishing, fly tying, etc. that pretty much cover the world of fly fishing, many of which have more information in their archives than you could ever read in your lifetime - all you have to do is search them.

https://mtflyfishmag.com/
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This is obviously the case, but I too have recently been feeling it would be nice to get some print magazines. I stare at my phone or a computer too much already; it would be a good change to have some hard copies of magazines laying around for when I'm... um... doing important things.

I've only really read Trout and Fly Tyer, and neither commanded my attention to keep up a subscription, unfortunately.
 
Pennsylvania Angler is a pretty good magazine. It is only bi-monthly but it usually has at least 2 articles (often more) pertaining to fly angling in our state. You can subscribe to it on the same website as you get your license online.

Fly tyer is the only other one I get anymore.
 
Obviously not fly fishing, but I thought I'd re-subscribe to North American Whitetail magazine to bring back old times/memories. I bought their very first issue waaay back in the 70's. It WAS an awesome deer hunting magazine for a lot of years. Boy, what a letdown that was. I couldn't believe how much it had changed, and for the worse! In fact, it was so bad that I discontinued my subscription. I'll never try that again with any magazine.

As mentioned, there are just too many other options via the internet where you can read/learn about pretty much anything, at zero cost.
 
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American Fly Fishing. It's more of a destination magazine, but the articles on flies and tying are good. You'll get plenty of hints and hatch charts for these destinations. The other way to go is to type in a stream in your Google search and behind it, Hatch Charts. You really need to know three things- how to cast, what to put on the end of the line, and what size tippet needs to connect to the fly. Get those right and you'll be off to a good start. You'll refine your education more later when you get skunked. Your best success will be fishing in streams that contain a decent number of fish. It ups your odds. Also, get off the beaten path. The fewer flies that fish see, the better your odds. Lastly, the best spot to catch fish is where the fast water meets the slow water. You're welcome.
 
"On the Water" . I get the Mid Atlantc edition. About 30% is Fly fishing and the magazine is mostlly saltwater but does have a freshwater article or two. The seafood articles titled Living off the Land and recipes are excellent.
 
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I ended my fly fishing magazine subscriptions years ago after reading the same articles year after year written by different people. In addition, there WAY too many ads and other unrelated material, for example, Fly Tyer becoming more of a fishing rag than a fly tying rag.

It is definitely NOT fly fishing, but the only fishing magazine I still subscribe to is the PA Angler & Boater to learn about new places, read about conventional fishing & tactics and keep up with PFBC stuff.

IMHO - The Internet has all over magazines and if I use my tablet, I can still read stuff while taking a dump. 😉
 
Try hatchmag.com. I've been reading online content for free the past couple of years, which includes fictional stories, how-to's for several species and trips, gear reviews, and conservation news. I haven't committed to paying for it since the content is more than I need to read.
 
dudemanspecial said:
Pennsylvania Angler is a pretty good magazine. It is only bi-monthly but it usually has at least 2 articles (often more) pertaining to fly angling in our state. You can subscribe to it on the same website as you get your license online.

Fly tyer is the only other one I get anymore.
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I only recently started subscribing to PA Angler. I don't enjoy it quite as much as I used to. Seems more geared toward kids and newbies than I remember. The writing just hasn't pulled me in like it did in the past. I enjoy articles that include some history, a family tradition, just a bit of how to, and some good storytelling. I also like when they feature a specific watershed even one that is not prime water. They still do some of this of course, but the articles seem very short lack the detail and descriptions I remember from the past.
 
riverwhy said:
I only recently started subscribing to PA Angler. I don't enjoy it quite as much as I used to. Seems more geared toward kids and newbies than I remember. The writing just hasn't pulled me in like it did in the past. I enjoy articles that include some history, a family tradition, just a bit of how to, and some good storytelling. I also like when they feature a specific watershed even one that is not prime water. They still do some of this of course, but the articles seem very short lack the detail and descriptions I remember from the past.
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Yea I see that magazine as more of like one huge advert on why one should give the fish commission money in the form of a license rather than primarily real outdoor writing. Lol its not really working, look at trends in license sales. Maybe they should go back to more substantive write ups?
 
Dark Skies Fly Fishing -- This is a new online magazine that I think you can Google up. It is published by Ralph Scherder of n/c PA. The third issue is now online. He has done print versions of his first couple of issues, too. If you are good on your computer, I think you can find this. The first couple of issues have been pretty good.
 
rrt said:
Dark Skies Fly Fishing -- This is a new online magazine that I think you can Google up. It is published by Ralph Scherder of n/c PA. The third issue is now online. He has done print versions of his first couple of issues, too. If you are good on your computer, I think you can find this. The first couple of issues have been pretty good.
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Couldn't agree more. There is some really good content in his magazines which is relevant to the waters we fish. Here's a link to his latest edition, which is LOADED with great material!
 
I stopped my Fly Fishing subscription. I was frustrated with all the articles about fly fishing in places I will never see.

It was the same thing when I was playing golf; Golf magazine was always "...the five courses you have to play before you die". It was places around the world that I would never see.

The only magazine I subscribe to now is Fly Tyer.

steve
 
JMow said:
PA Outdoor News: PA-focused publication that covers trapping, hunting and fishing. I use this to keep up with general news, I really enjoy the coverage of a public piece of land in each publication that covers what can be done in each park, game land, etc
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I would agree with this as a very good choice for learning about the broad range of floral, faunal, and ecological related issues in Pa, and not strictly from agency fishing and hunting perspectives. If you are interested in the latest on what the f&w agencies are doing, however, it’s a good way to keep up on activities and proposals. In the final 25-33% of my employment years, this was where I got much of the most current and up-to-date info about my agency’s and the Commissioners’ activities.
 
I agree with Mike's Post #17. "Pa Outdoor News" is a wonderful publication regarding PA's hunting, fishing, and conservation topics. It is blessed with fine columnists Tom Venesky and Ben Moyer; and Mark Nale and Deborah Weisberg do a nice job of covering many outdoor news topics. Its editor, Jeff Mulhollem, has been able to maintain a circulation of around 30,000 for many years, while other magazines and newspapers have been discontinued. If you are interested in all PA outdoor sports and topics, this is a great publication, and I urge you to subscribe. As an old guy, I like the tabloid form, though you modern guys might prefer the digital edition.
 
Fly Tyer is currently the only magazine that I subscribe to. I used to get FlyFisherman, but as stated above, there were more articles of places that I would never visit rather than actual article on the sprot itself.
 
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