American Angler Gets Eye-Opening Redesign

We got our latest issue of American Angler on Saturday and noted that all the changes promised for 2008 are right there in the year’s first issue. The magazine has a crisp, clean new look, an entirely new 16-page saltwater section (thanks in part to the redirection of resources from the now defunct Saltwater Fly Fishing), and a new editorial vibrancy. AA’s illustrators (e.g. Jonathan Milo and Bill Tipton) and photographers are the best in the business, in our opinion. Even the cover breaks from the currently popular practice of putting a smiling 20-something-year-old female fly fisher on the cover: no babe, no fish, not even a grinning face, just a guy sitting on a rock doing what we actually do when we fish — examining a fly. Kudos to Phil Monahan and his team for putting freshness back into the publication and having the courage to deliver a solid package that is not just another rehash of last year’s lineup. If you are still looking for a stocking stuffer, an American Angler subscription will set you back less than $20. A pretty good deal if the January/February issue is any indication.