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The History Of... Total Fly Fisher
As the biggest publisher of angling magazines in Europe, DHP had long held the ambition of adding a fly fishing title to its portfolio. The problem was in finding an editor.
DHP’s philosophy is simple: where editorial staff is concerned, DHP employs anglers that can write, not writers that go fishing occasionally. There’s a big difference, not just in terms of expertise but also in the feel for the sport. Real anglers will be more in touch with their readers than an editor who goes fishing occasionally because it’s ‘part of his job’.
DHP’s search came to an end when a friend put the company in touch with Andy Petherick – an ambitious young man who had been working as a branch manager for Orvis and who, importantly, held a STANIC (Salmon and Trout Association National Instructors Certificate) qualification. Andy came along for an interview and it was clear from the outset that he had a similar view of fishing to DHP’s. Andy’s presentation was near faultless and it was obvious he was a fly fishing junkie. He’d tried just about every fly fishing destination you could think of, he’d guided on remote Scottish islands, he’d chased salmon across Russia and he regularly fished some of the best beats on England’s chalkstreams.
It took many meetings to come up with the structure of Today’s Flyfisher. DHP wanted a magazine without snobbery and one aimed at any angler that enjoyed using a fly rod. Game fish would feature strongly but the idea was to demonstrate that fly fishing was for everyone. There would be articles about targeting sea species and coarse fish – something the existing game fishing titles ignored – and full use would be made of Andy’s qualifications; the idea was to help anglers catch more fish by showing them the latest methods, the latest tackle and the best ways of using it.
For too long, fly fishing magazines had basked in the comfort zone; the traditional fly fishing year is fairly predictable in that buzzers buzz as soon as the water warms up and trout go fry feeding when the water starts to cool. DHP felt that the existing titles simply regurgitated the same editorial content in much the same order every year, with the same tired list of contributors being photographed from slightly different angles but doing much the same thing they’d done 12 months and 24 months earlier. A new title was long overdue.
Employing anglers is the best way to ensure an angling magazine keeps in touch with its readers but it’s no guarantee that you’ve found someone who can write. It‘s all about knowing the game. Thankfully, Andy was a bit of a natural with words and with some gentle manipulation he was soon writing to a style that DHP could make the most of.
There was always a danger that Andy’s enthusiasm to stay at the cutting edge of fly fishing might mean that some traditional favourites and values could be overlooked but we got around that by teaming Andy up with fly fishing ‘guru’ and watercolour artist Charles Jardine. Charles worked from home but liaised closely with Andy on the structure of the title and as a main contributor. His excellent watercolours were a major part of the new magazine and his illustrations for series such as ‘A Bug’s Life’ and ‘Rise Forms’ gave Today’s Flyfisher a quality that none of the existing game fishing magazines could match.
The first issue of the magazine arrived at the newsagents on May 16th and was launched at the 2003 Chatsworth Angling Fair. It found instant approval from the angling trade and several of the features broke new ground in terms of the way traditional subjects were treated. Some of those regular features are still a part of the magazine three years later and remain firm favourites with the readers.
In December 2003, and with TFF safely through it’s launch period, Tim Smith joined the team as assistant editor. Like Andy, Tim was a mad-keen fly fisherman who could write a bit. He’d been through no traditional editorial training but quickly got up to speed and within months was writing and taking photographs like a seasoned pro. It was just as well because after two years in the hot seat, Andy upped sticks for a job in marketing.
The truth is that without Andy Petherick we might still be waiting to enter the fly fishing market, but his departure was Tim’s big chance. After proving himself capable of taking control, in April 2005 Tim became editor of Today’s Flyfisher.
Like Andy, Tim was qualified instructor when he joined DHP but since taking over the reins of Today’s Flyfisher he’s gone one better and has qualified with AAPGAI (the Association of Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructors) as a salmon fishing instructor.
In September 2005 the TFF team was brought back up to strength with the arrival of Steve Cullen, a Scot from Galashiels.
Steve’s something of a fly fishing specialist who’s comfortable targeting anything that swims – as long as it’s with a fly. His main love is river fishing – being brought up on the banks of The Tweed and Teviot it’s hardly a surprise – but he’s also very adept at targeting some of the over-wintered trout that frequent many of the midlands reservoirs.
Steve took to his new role very quickly and was soon bringing new ideas and contributors to the magazine, helping it evolve and grow. The magazine went through a makeover in June 2007 becoming Total Flyfisher and again breaking new ground with feature ideas and concepts, like ‘Hatch, Match, Catch’ and ‘Fight To The Finish’.
Tim stepped down as Editor in December 2007, deciding it was time to move on – to be nearer his beloved Cornwall.
Steve had been making major contributions as a deputy and it was decided that he would be the man to steer the magazine in the right direction, making sure it was continually at the forefront of all things fly fishing.
So how does Today’s Flyfisher 2009 compare to the early issues? The young, passionate editorial team has ensured that the title remains at the cutting edge of fly fishing. The all-species approach remains with the obvious game fishing leaning and the list of regular contributors combines the sport’s rising star, with ‘establishment’ writers such as Charles Jardine and John Bailey, Hywell Morgan and Mickey Bewick.
In the timescale that is David Hall Publishing, Today’s Flyfisher is still a young title but it has made a big mark in a hotly contested sector of the magazine market and the future looks bright.
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