Friday Film Festival 04.22.11

Film Festival2

Welcome to another edition of the OrvisNews.com Friday Film Festival, in which we scour the Internets for the best fly-fishing footage available. This week’s films have a salty slant, including more blown shots and breakoffs than you can shake a stick at. Trout guys get looks at some great freshwater action from Wales to Alaska. Enjoy!


There “out of our element” – Faceless – Fly Fishing – from faceless fly fishing on Vimeo.

The do-it-themselves crowd at Faceless Fly Fishing doesn’t even try to make it look easy in this video from Central America. There are plenty of blown casts, busted tippets, and even a dunking on display here. But they also do a great job of making the whole project of discovering fish seem exciting and adventurous. Those of us with jobs and kids can get a vicarious thrill from their pioneering expeditions.

This tale of two very different early-season angling days in Wales captures the quickly changing fortunes of spring on a trout river. The scenery and trout are lovely, and there is excellent footage of trout feeding. My only quibble is with the choice of music, which seems slightly incongruous with the pace and beauty of the imagery.

You’ve finally hooked a permit, which is streaking away across the flats, when you notice a big knot of fly line heading for your stripper guide. Quick, what do you do? You’ll be surprised by this angler’s reaction and by how it all works out in the end.

I was really excited to stumble on this video because I immediately recognized that it was shot on the Copper River, on the Alaska Peninsula, where I guided in the mid 1990s. I dream of going back there for the beautiful scenery, the close encounters with bears, and the gorgeous rainbows. Although it gets a huge run of sockeyes, the Copper is a true trout river–one of the best in the world.

Slam by WorldANGLING fly fishing South Florida for Permit, Bonefish, Tarpon, Snook, and Redfish from WorldANGLING on Vimeo.

This one is a couple years old, but it’s one of my favorite saltwater videos of all time. The World Angling guys aren’t professional filmmakers, but they know how to combine great fishing action, humor, and music. I gotta get myself back to the Keys and get rid of that tarpon skunk that’s been haunting me.

Fly Fishing Ohio…The 216 Experience from Ohio Steelhead Alley on Vimeo.

When you’re dreaming of great fly-fishing destinations, Cleveland probably isn’t one of them. But as this video from the guys at Steelhead Alley shows, there’s more to the The Forest City than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Fly Fishing Ohio…The 216 Experience from Ohio Steelhead Alley on Vimeo.

Finally, we end with a short tribute to Billy Pate, the famed reelmaker who died on Monday. Check out the man’s many accomplishments, and it’s clear why he was a giant in the saltwater fly-fishing world.

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