THIS is just a quick update on the progress of the new Total-Fishing Club site, which we were hoping to go live with in the New Year.
As is the way with these things, there have been delays caused partly by ‘coding issues’ and partly by the main web man, Neptune, falling ill to a very nasty virus which put him in hospital for a week.
Zinky and myself have however been hard at work loading up some fantastic content for coarse, sea and game anglers. That’s us working on it above (Zinky is the one with a few more grey hairs than me and no the new site won’t have a big black line across it!!).
For those not familiar with the plans, there will be no change to the existing Total-Fishing site, which will continue to run as it is. The new site is a very different animal which you simply choose whether to join or not to join.
The raison d’etre of the new site is to ensure the future of the main Total-Fishing site, while the idea of the lub site is to give Total Fishing Club members a more exlusive forum level as well as loads of editorial content plus special offers and competitions and other features such as the chance to add their own news, promote events themselves and even add their own tackle reviews. The exclusivity also means that the forums can not be affected by childish pranks.
Revenue generated will go towards the costs of keeping both sites online. We also hope to set up and fund regional Total Fishing angling clubs which will run their own events and we are working on a club shop which will offer sepcial tackle discounts.
The idea is that by joining, you will more than save the membership cost and get access to another Total-Fishing site to boot, in otherwords a win:win situation. The cost of membership will be released in the New Year.
We now hope to be live with the new site at the start of February, by which time we expect to have at least 200 articles loaded up from some of the top names in angling.
Contributions include instruction from some of the site regulars such as GILES COCHRANE and KEITH ARTHUR, plus a number of magazine editors including Total Carp’s new editor MARC COULSON and Total Sea Fishing editor DAVE BARHAM.
But that’s just scratching the surface. In the match fishing section, you will be able to pick up tips from anglers of the calibre of DARREN COX, PAUL BOOTHBY, ANDY BURT, LES THOMSON, WILL RAISON and MARK HARPER.
In the sea section we have contributions from anglers such as ED SCHLIFFKE and TONY CATON and the Total Sea Fishing magazine team.
Carp anglers passing on their tips and revealing their bait, location and rig secrets include JASON CANN, CHRIS BERRY, LEE JACKSON, SIMON SCOTT and
Meanwhile in the fly-fishing section, you can pick up casting, catching and fly-tying advice from anglers such as APGAI casting instructor JIM CURRY, plus we have accessed some great alternative features such as successfully hunting bass and even barbel on the fly.
The various sections will also include in-depth comparative tackle reviews of some of the top gear on the market in each field.
There is also stacks of really impressive step-by-step instruction as the experts reveal how they tie their flies and knots and make up their favourite rigs.
Make no mistake, this is going to be a brilliant part of the site and I don’t believe there is anything that comes close anywhere on the world wide web.
The features section is only one part of the new club site however, and of course there will be an exclusive forum where you will be able to talk to some of those passing on their instruction in those features, and to all other club members. As it’s paid-up members only, this forum is very unlikely to attract some of the idiots we get from time to time on the main site.
Some of the names who have already agreed to make regular contributions to the Total-Fishing Club forum include Sky TV’s KEITH ARTHUR and match anglers BARRY GANNON, DEREK WILLEN, STEVE RINGER, GILES COCHRANE and KIERON RICH. By launch we expect to have plenty of well-known and respected sea, carp and fly anglers on board too.
I will be sticking to my word and making sure that everyone who joins the new club site will get great value, including some free gifts, and will announce the exact membership terms soon.
This is also a good time to remind everyone that if you intend to take part in Total-Fishing events or represent Total-Fishing in any capacity, you will need to be a club member. It will be easy to join online and we have set ourselves a target launch date of the first week of February.
In the meantime I would personally like to thank you all for your contributions and loyalty to the site over the last year. It’s been quite a journey and a lot of hard work since we rescued it last December, but I think it’s been worth it.
Here’s wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous and fish-filled 2004.
Gareth Purnell (Geepster)
Total-Fishing.com
