In a family newspaper, should we be talking about an “incredibly tight wobble” and a “Double Cowgirl?” Only if the topic is fishing equipment and the great outdoors. You may safely read on.

Field & Stream ranks the “30 Best Lures,” and the champ is the “Sabile Magic Swimmer,” which will “swim seductively as it drops.” Building on that theme, “Let the lure sink to the desired depth, and impart subtle pops of the rod during a medium-speed retrieve,” the mag counsels. Hot-and-heavy prizes also go to the “Salmo Hornet,” a “European import” that “has an incredibly tight wobble,” and the “Musky Mayhem Double Cowgirl,” whose “thick Flashabou body forms into a pulsing cone on the retrieve.” If you’re on the prowl for wild turkeys instead of fish, know that “every tough tom has a weakness. You just have to find it and exploit it.”

Outdoor Life is all about hunting and survival. There is a captivating feature about a deer hunter surviving an Alaska grizzly attack, but this issue is more a what-to-do-guide for when your boat hits dangerous water, or wild hogs attack you or, of course, a wild bear. Then it takes on what turkey gun to buy and what cameras can take a beating in the wild and take good pictures. By the way, Outdoor Life makes the case for unlimited ‘light’ goose hunting.

Instead of complaining, hit the road. And take along Backpacker. Or better yet, don’t leave home without this magazine, jam-packed with tips and trail-tested gear that’ll help you survive and have fun in the wilds far from the maddening world. The current issue is the annual gear guide, which touts 446 products and skills you’ll need for treks into isolation, ranging from backpacks that turn into warm tents with a tidy set of cooking tools, to boots for every climate and terrain (expect to drop up to $450 for footwear). Among gadgets: mini-stoves the size of a coffee can, and electronic compasses.

It’s May and we’re thinking sunshine, but Outside‘s cover is a winterized Stephen Colbert. The Comedy Central star pens a guest article about sailing in the Bermuda Triangle — complete with a photo shoot of him dangerously posing inside a fridge. It’s all in his trademark satirical style. Colbert writes about pumping out the porta-potty on the yatcht. “My one great fear of this adventure suddenly vanished. I now knew that I would not drown. I would die from amoebic dysentery,” he writes. This issue is titled the “Human Performance Special,” and it comes with stories of hardship and endurance and victory. There’s an article about a blind man being taught to surf by a deaf instructor and a piece about a group of marathon runners who test the theory that man can outrun the fastest animals on earth. It wouldn’t be Outside without the obligatory mountain rescue but we recommend reading the training schedule for those with busy lives.

In the ‘Around the World’ issue, New York offers plenty of sizzle and not much substance. First there are the features, including a profile of Knicks star Carmelo Anthony that does not say much except he thinks it is cool to visit the Brooklyn Red Hook projects where he lived until he was eight. No interviews with those who know him who could tell us what makes him tick. Worse is a feature on the Yemeni UN Ambassador who gave up his lush Upper West Side apartment when he quit the government in protest. Interesting premise, but the feature goes no deeper to see how he is coping. The cover story that includes art and separate pages on what is cool in many leading cities has big pictures and not much information.

North Dakota Ho! New Yorker gives us a look at America’s biggest oil strike in a decade, deep underground in North Dakota. This raises the controversial issue of fracking, and is topical considering the Middle East turmoil. Catching up with Queens native Nancy Lieberman coaching a minor league basketball team is worth the read, as is a Malcolm X book review. A long feature on Coach designer Reed Krakoff helps fill out the well-rounded issue.

Time, as usual, has some solid features but too few news pages. The lead story on how the government can cut $1 trillion out of the military budget without hurting our strength is convincing (eliminate many aircraft carriers). A cover story on Evangelical pastor Rob Bell, who has written a best-selling book ‘Love Wins,’ which questions the existence of hell, is quite timely and thought-provoking with Easter around the corner. Then there is a story on Chinese activism and the news pages basically end.

Newsweek is looking mighty personality-driven. The cover story is on the Beached White Male, white men 35 to 64 with a college degree, who are increasingly out of work. Neat nickname, but a five percent jobless rate among them hardly rates as the pressing issue of the day. A lead column on how President Obama outmaneuvers his opponents does not seem logical since the Democrats lost the House and almost the Senate. There is a short feature on where former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stashed his money, but it lacks important details.