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 starts off with a couple of Aussies heading deep into the rainforest in search of an elusive jungle species. When they finally achieve their goal, you might be surprised. As you might imagine, given the season, we’ve also got plenty of steelhead footage from the Pacific Northwest, as well as redfish action from the Southeast. And if you like big carp, then we’ve got the video for you. These videos run the gamut from slick, professionally produced films for sale to home-made, grainy stories really meant for friends and fishing buddies. But they all offer views into different parts of the sport we love and share the values and ethics we hold dear. 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. See you next week with a fresh set of films!
I love discovering new fly-fishing waters, and here’s a great video from the rainforest of northern Queensland in Australia. What also makes this special is that the anglers are on a quest to catch the “elusive jungle perch.” When you hear the narrator say that, you picture some kind of trophy beast living deep in the wilderness. It turns out to be something quite different. The fact that they would base such a major “quest” on a fish like that says a lot about what fly-fishing means to them and what they love about it. The stunning scenery might be part of it.
Grand: Steel in the Oregon Outback from Outside Bend Productions on Vimeo.
Next up is a gorgeous video, also from the outback, but this time the “outback” is in Oregon, where hardy souls cast two-handed rods for wild steelheead. Great soundtrack and a plethora of “special effects” on display here. Oh, and some sweet chromers.
October trout in Montana – Zant from Dan Zant on Vimeo.
This video definitely falls into the “home movie” genre, without a lot of the flashy camerawork or amazing scenery shots we’ve come to expect from some of the “professional” films featured on the FFF. But it more than makes up for its technical shortcomings by capturing the joys of a father-and-son trip to the great outdoors. My son is only eight, but I can’t wait to do something like this with him. A little Son Volt in the background doesn’t hurt, either.
October is prime time for redfish in Port Royal Sound in Beaufort and Hilton Head, South Carolina, and the guys from Bay Street Outfitters apparently know where to find them. I’m not sure if the “fish lick” manoeuvre is required or just the result of an overstimulated angler.
Moments Fly Fishing from Arturo Monetti on Vimeo.
Here’s some killer small-stream action from an unknown location, featuring lots of feeding fish, some dramatic slow-mo casting, and a couple wicked strikes. The altitudes achieved by the leaping browns starting at about 2:02 are truly impressive.
This is another quest video, in which an angler spends his summer searching for a world-record carp on the fly. There are some true pigs on display, including one that tied the current IGFA all-tackle length World Record. There’s even a guest appearance by Barry Reynolds, one of the top authorities on “freshwater bonefish.”
Here’s a trailer for an upcoming film called “Paid in Full,” about steelheading in the Pacific Northwest. Lots of sweet hits and misses on display here, as well as a truly hard-hitting interview that includes questions about relative swimming speeds.
We finish up with a brief story of failure and redemption. Many of us have found ourselves in this predicament, but I bet few of us have rescued the situation so adeptly. Warning: there are just a couple of f-bombs here. Have a great weekend!