Welcome to another edition of the OrvisNews.com Friday Film Festival, in which we scour the web for the best fly-fishing footage available. This week’s collection has got it all: freshwater, warmwater, and saltwater action. From the chilly northeast of Norway to the marlin-filled waters off the coast of Australia, anglers continue to produce high-quality footage for the rest of us who can’t be there. But it’s not just entertainment: there’s educational value here, as well. Did you ever want to know what the best kind of Scotch to toast a lake with is? You’ll find out here. Choosing the videos to include every Friday is getting more and more difficult because there’s so much great stuff out there. Remember, we surf so you don’t have to. But if you do stumble upon something great that you think is worthy of inclusion in a future FFF, please post it in the comments below. Enjoy!
Porsanger på kryss og tvers (TEASER) from Salmo Trutta Production on Vimeo.
We kick things off with a great trailer for a film about fishing in Porsanger, a municipality in the Finnmark region in the extreme northeast of Norway. Although it’s entirely in Norwegian, you’ll have no problem understanding the obvious affection the filmmakers have for this arctic land and the gorgeous rivers there.
Fly fishermen have been using ladders to get above the water for years, in places such as Pyramid Lake in Nevada and along the striper flats of the East Coast. This video features an ingenious kayaker, who straps the ladder to his watercraft to access deep flats full of stripers. The height afforded by the ladder helps the angler spot fish and make longer casts, and it allows us to see what’s happening on a couple of great strikes from big stripers.
grown from Yukon Goes Fishing on Vimeo.
The filmmaker known as “Yukon Goes Fishing” marks his return to the FFF with this excellent video about fishing for big cutthroats in Montana. I love the underwater release shots. The soundtrack is, I’m sure, the filmmaker’s tribute to the late Amy Winehouse.
Fly Nation Season 2 Trailer – Milton Lake Saskatchewan from Fly Max Films on Vimeo.
This trailer for the upcoming season of the TV show “Fly Nation” offers some excellent shots of big pike hammering flies on the flats, not to mention some honking-big lake trout, as well. There’s some great grayling footage at the end for dry-fly lovers.
Perhaps this one should have been called “Hell’s Anglers,” since it’s about a couple of hardcore bikers who also love to fly-fish. These aren’t aren’t the kind of guys you’re used to seeing on the water, but it’s great to know that the sport appeals to all kinds of people. I am sure that the kind of meticulous care that it takes to restore old motorcycles translates well to fishing for trout. Hat tip to Danny, who posted this on our Facebook page.
Teasers from Dean Butler on Vimeo.
You might want to turn down the volume on this one (unless you’re a big Nickelback fan; then rock on!). But this video captures the manic excitement of teasing striped marlin close enough that an angler can deliver a fly. You’ll see some cool jumps, but also some heart-breaking refusals, as the fish seem to be able to tell the difference between the live-bait teaser and the feather-covered hook.
The World Fly Fishing Championship 2009 @ Loch Awe from Rob Wilson on Vimeo.
Wouldn’t it be great if every fishing day started this way? Shot during the 2009 World Fly Fishing Championships in Scotland, it features beautiful footage of Loch Awe and then shows the morning prayer and toast. I really respect the thoroughness of the host and his assistant, as they ensure that the Scotch is, in fact, good enough to throw in the water. Have a great weekend!