If you're an avid fly fisherman, who still uses that old school rod and reel your old man gave you, and still appreciate the ink on your fingers after reading the Sunday newspaper (after a long morning on the water, of course), you'll enjoy The Flyfish Journal, too.
In an era when newspapers are going belly up, and outdoors magazines are cutting back and moving their "dead-tree medium" to the Web, The Flyfish Journal is a breath of fresh air.
Additional Details About The Flyfish Journal
The Flyfish Journal publishes four times a year, with U.S. subscriptions running $39.99 a year and $75.99 for two years.The Journal, which published its first issue this fall, is as fine a fly fishing publication as I've seen.
The photos are top notch. It's a great read. And the passion that goes into the journal is unparalleled.
I think Jeff Galbraith put in best in the Publisher's Notes of the first issue when he wrote: "And now this, The Flyfish Journal, at a time when the world at large would tell us we are crazy to attempt such a thing. But flyfishing, and its culture of freaks and fanatics has always provided us an island of nonsensical joy in a world of over-efficiency. Nothing about it makes sense, which is perfect. And a collectible journal is the ideal way to capture this glorious nonsense."
Pros About The Flyfish Journal
The inaugural edition, for example, had seven colorful photos – each with very unique perspectives and catching subjects you don’t necessarily see in fishing magazines. The opening sockeye shots, for example, were followed by blue shark, tarpon and roosterfish pics.
The photos not only covered the full spectrum, but so did the story selection … with in-depth pieces on everything from California shark to Oregon crappie and downtown Denver carp. There was a little bit of everything for every type of fly fisherman in the initial edition.
Cons about The Flyfish Journal
Honestly, for a first edition, in this day of age, I didn’t find too many. I guess the biggest concern I had with The Flyfish Journal is that it only comes out four times a year. Not sure if I can wait another three months for the next issue.And $39.99 might be a bit steep for four issues, but if the next one hits the stands in time for Christmas, that $40 won’t be such a big deal (if my wife or daughter are reading this review).
Conclusion about The Flyfish Journal
In all, The Flyfish Journal is one of the best fly fishing publications I’ve seen in quite some time. It reminds me a lot of The Surfer’s Journal, another fine publication that’ll spend time next to The Flyfish Journal on my coffee table. And by comparison, a year’s U.S. subscription (six issues) for The Surfer’s Journal is $59.99 – so The Flyfish Journal’s subscription price is actually spot on … especially for a new journal that isn’t bombarding the reader with many ads.And like The Surfer’s Journal, The Flyfish Journal only got better as the pages turned. Forty-one pages in was one of the best steelhead action shots I’ve seen, by Cameron Miller on the Alaskan Peninsula. The fish is completely airborne, largely in-focus, thrusting its tail so forcefully the its nearly touching the tip of his tail to his nose … shooting hundreds of beads of water into the cool morning air.
It’s a powerful shot that puts you in the angler’s shows and gives the reader insight into just how powerful these steelies can be. And that is extremely tough for a magazine to do in this day in age.
