Interesting reading.......

[Damned67]

We have a small, second hand, book store at the bottom of our street. I was looking at their ancient fishing books on the weekend, and noticed a pile of old fishing mags.
They had a large collection of something like 'the Australian Angler', or something.... One of those collections from the late 70's/early 80's that you'd put in a ring binder!

Anyway, I grabbed some old Bush and Beach and QFMs from about '94 through to about 2001. Now, I didn't start fishing until about 3-4 years ago, and certainly hadn't bought any mags before that.
They've been great fun to have a read through, and quite eye opening.

It's quite interesting how the price of a lot of fishing gear is around the same price today, as it was back then. Recent specials on 'Charter Special' combos are cheaper than the reels were 15 years ago!

And the fishing gear itself is very interesting to look at. Even from the few magazines that I bought, it's easy to see how things have gone out of, and come back into, fashion. Vibes, for example. They certainly seem to be the big hit in the last year or two, yet there's ads for vibe type lures 15 years ago.

Boat prices are also quite interesting to look at. They're not that different (for small tinnies, anyway) to todays prices. Certainly cheaper today if one was to take into account the change in the average salary over that time. That said, some of the 'glass boats did seem much cheaper 15 years ago, and not too dissimilar in price to the tinnies.

Different tackle stores that have come and gone (probably due to BCF? can I say that here?)....

Catches are quite different. Or at least the photos of the catches. These days, the mags don't often (at all?) publish pics of massive catches of whiting or bream, likely for fear of offending the catch and release squad (which is a fine 'squad' by me)...

The layouts have certainly improved over the years. Not just the colour aspect, but the ease of reading and following a story.
And plenty of familiar names of writers still writing for the same mags.

Oh, and we wont even begin to talk about the 'fashion'! '95 I was in Uni, and I certainly don't remember the clothing to be so.... .well, the good ol' 'stubbies' are everywhere! They're barely a step up from the ol' budgie smugglers!

Oh, and these are just my observations from just a handful of magazines, which may or may not be representative of what really was the case...

Point of this thread? nothing really. I'm just bored. Just urging people to go back through their old fishing mags (or try and find some), and to see how things have or haven't changed!

Cheers!

[finga]

And the Stubbies are back.
Lowes or Best and Less have them again.

Not that I wear them. I prefer Can't Tear Them's.....'cause King Gee's aren't made here anymore.

[Lucky_Phill]

OH......... I've worn stubbies ( business days ) since 1975. Hard to find the short leg ones..


Thanks Damned 67, yes, I go back over old issues from time to time.

I also have a squizz at old DVD's ( were videos when made ). Some stuff recently from 1995 have been pushing the C & R and also Take what ya need attitudes. Also looking at old Mal Florence movies.. ( 1974 -> ) he was jigging the depths off cairns with feather jigs...... also using bibless minnows etc.

How long has the Mister Twister softie been around ?????

One thing that has stood the test of time............... Alvey Reels. :)





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[Si]

i have a stack of old fishing magazines that i look at from the same era. I have been buying fishing mags for at least twenty years. One thing i did notice is that the length of the articles is a lot larger and have more detail back then and also there were more articles vs advertisements. now its all the same commonsense statements, heaps of pictures and ads and a only a bit oif info. the value of mags have gone down in my opinion. one thing i have leartn also is that dont take the authors techniques or story as gospel as some of them are full of it.

[kevy]

hi damned 67, the australian angler was the forerunner of fishing world ron calcutt kicked it off. rod harrison being one of the field editors & many others i agree that they were damned good reading back then, cheers kevy.

[Damned67]

Kevy,
I'll head back there to double check exactly what it was, though am pretty sure it as Australian Angler, also had some similar vintage 'Professional Angler/Fishherman' mags there too.
I'll then post up the address of the place for anyone thats interested.
Cheers!

[Noelm]

I have also had a browse at a few old mags over the years, and some stories that I know what really happened, are just so much more exciting when written by one of our well known writers, (especially if embellished by a couple of photos that they dig up from somewhere) there is plenty of trends that have come, gone away and then come back again as being totaly new and revolutionary, jigging is one, plastics are another, fast tapers on rods, soft tapers on rods, after all there is only so many options available, so like Stubbies, the legs get short, then long, then short again! Jesus I even had a pair of pinkish stubbies at one time (can't believe I just owned up to that)

[fishel]

Noelm

I know what you mean about the pinkish colours. '70's??? I remember my ex had a pink shirt in that era, and purple pants were hot!

[samsnap]

Dont laugh boys Mr Sammy Still owns the Pink Stubbies & the hyper colour T shirt to match (how cool) - but the Flanno still lives on!!!! what a statement - its just the hair thats missing now (the good old mullet) Funny things is they still fit.
He's gonna kill me - better get cooking that roast with all the trimming :)
Sammy xx

[HeadBanger]

I love reading old fishing books and stuff like that. It's interesting to compare everything to modern times. I've got Martin Bowerman's Fishing Australia, published in 1989. It's gives barely any attention to bag and size limits throughout the book, whereas limits are one of the mandatory things to add in fishing books nowadays.

Thanks,
Kaidon

[Noelm]

I have an old "fishing world" at home that has a full page picture of my wife in it, I dug it out last night and had a bit of a look at some old adds and articals, the most amusing thing to me was the adds for Quintrex Centre consoles with old (well they were new then ) Johnson outboards on them and a host of adds for reels including one for Policansky game reels, anyone old enough to remember them will know how back then, without a "polly" or a Penn Senator, you might just as well not go fishing, because you needed them to catch fish, and there was an artical from some guy about catching Cobia on a Butterworth "Jig King Delux" geees what a rod they were, straight off the shelf, fast taper, double locking reel seat, high speed guides, and wait for it, a roller tip!

[finga]

but the Flanno still lives on!!!!
Mines on today. Winds a bit on the chilly side...

[charleville]

there were more articles vs advertisements. now its all the same commonsense statements, heaps of pictures and ads and a only a bit oif info. the value of mags have gone down in my opinion.


Ditto for me.

After subscribing to the two main Qld mags for many years and buying a lot of the glossies from time to time, a few months ago I ceased buying any.

Likewise, there are several speakers who I won't bother listening to in fishing seminars at boat shows because all that I am likely to hear is an overt advertorial for a particular brand of soft plastic or a particular brand of sounder.

It does not worry me, say, when Gary Howard does his motor maintenance seminars using all Yamaha stuff because the information that he presents is not restricted to the merits of Yamahas.

However, many of the speakers wearing sponsors' tee-shirts when they speak sound as though they are selling Tupperware most of the time. >:(


They might as well be as the products that they promote are probably made from the same materials. :D



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[kevy]

hi noel. you are right about the senators, star drag, the policansky were lever drag but prone to breakdown. jigging & soft plastics were all the rage then, things certainlly dont change much, new generation rehash the same methods, & they still catch fish, cheers, kevy.

[Noelm]

yep, I seem to remember the Policansky's were made in South Africa, and indeed they did have a few "issues" but none the less, a lever drag on a reel that was almost affordable by the average fisherman. I still had a couple of Senators untill they were stolen a couple of years ago, hadn't used them in years, but would still love to have them back, along with the jig sticks they were on, just so I could go for a "new age" jig with a couple of my old home made metal jigs and catch some Kingfish, just like the good old days when life was simple and not so fast paced.

[kevy]

yes i,ve still got a few coffins, undertakers, henchmen. & a few homemade from the jigging days, good kings etc. does lamiglass, ironglass, ring a bell, cheers, kevy.

[Noelm]

sure do, I still have 2 ironglass rods, I think they were all started with GH? for the two American guys who came out and showed us what was going on in the US and started a revolution back sometime in the 70's I think their names were Wayne Handstedt and Joe Gausphal or something like that. Best jigs for me were the 7oz irons in a green sort of slimey mackeral colour, almost irresistable to a Kingfish. Spent many a long day jigging Kings on the Humps at Shellharbour and the Banks at Currarong, every now and then a "proper" one would near rip you right out of the boat! yes sir, heady days indeed!

[kevy]

yes. i think joe gospel stayed in queensland i,m still useing a wayne hansted rod bucked. i lived at shellharbour for many , years, & quite familiar with areas you mentioned. the banks were a bit dicey re the prosthey wer,nt to keen on small boats in there spot, cheers, kevy.

[Horse]

See if you can find some of the first season of Fishing World. It was about 1974 I think. Even reading them now you will pick up more information in one than 1/2 a dozen of the current crop of glossies

[Damned67]

Seems I was quite wrong with the title. The pile of mags is actually 'The Encyclopedia of Australian Fishing'.... I should grab a few next time I have a couple of bucks in my pocket and am walking by.