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 is super trouty, with just a smattering of saltwater and warmwatwer action. The good news is that this week’s videos will take you all over the globe—from southern Argentina, to Mongolia, to South Africa, and back to the good ol’ U.S. of A., with quite a dose of Europe, as well. I am digging the many “season wrap-up” videos, which are probably so great because the folks making them have more time for editing and more footage to choose from.
One programming note: vimeo has been kind of wonky this week, so if you have any trouble playing these videos, just move on and try again later. None of the problems I’ve experienced have lasted very long, and there haven’t been any videos I couldn’t play at all.
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!
chalk stream from Matt Dunkinson Photography on Vimeo.
We kick things off with a gorgeous little piece by English photographer Matt Dunkinson about the chalk streams of his homeland. The visuals are just stunning, and the reprise of Maclean’s famous line is stated with more conviction than you may have heard before.
Mongolia trailer from Gordon Hight on Vimeo.
How’d you like to travel to Mongolia to chase that giant of the salmonids, the taimen? I know I’d love to be there, but it’s the travel that’s a problem. This video features a great hookup sequence, and just look at the wake that fish throws at about 1:23. The head on the fish is simply massive. Want.
Harkers Island 101 from My Leaky Waders on Vimeo.
For some reason, I have a real fondness for videos about fly-fishing failure. Maybe because they feel so honest, and because we’ve all been there. Anyway, I dig this look at the “Sand People” of Harker’s Island, off the coast of North Carolina. There are plenty of fish here, just not the ones the anglers are looking for.
A DELIBERATE LIFE….. FILM TRAILER from RockHouse Motion on Vimeo.
Here’s a trailer for an upcoming film that “explores the stories of five unlikely friends who share the same love of fly fishing and the outdoors and their choice to lead a life according to their passions.” It might strike some as a little strident, but it sure looks fantastic.
This video offers a cool short story about one man’s quest for a Brule River steelhead. The combination of natural sound and music give this one a slightly different, realistic feel. Plus, there’s an overall serenity to this that’s not found in a lot of steelhead videos.
Browntown, USA from Justin Hamblin on Vimeo.
You like brown trout? If so, this is a feast for the eyes.
Sessions from nic villano on Vimeo.
If the video about the Brule above represents the quiet side of steelheading, then this video offers the louder, more aggro version. Thumping music, quick cuts, and wild fish action make this a different beast entirely.
From the Pacific Nowrthwest, we head all the way to South Africa, where they apparently listen to music about the American South while casting for yellowfish. My research reveals that there are six different species of these game fish—click here to learn more about them—and they eat dry flies, which is cool.
Ah, Jurassic Lake and it’s ginormous rainbow trout! It’s definitely another place on my bucket list. It does make one wonder, though: why do some of the world’s biggest trout live in some of the most harsh environments?
Tampa Bay Tails 11-15-12 from FishbuzzTV on Vimeo.
Short and sweet, just how we like ’em.
Hooké + Music! from HOOKÉ on Vimeo.
For my money, the folks at Hooké make some of the more elegant videos we feature here on the FFF. They’re just north, in Quebec, so maybe I oughta look them up next season. Here’s a short pastiche of scenes from 2012.
Dordogne from Bearnishfly on Vimeo.
From Quebec to the Old World, where a group of fly fishers cast on the Dordogne River in fall. Check out the great shot of a leaper at about :48! As you’ll see, autumn in France is just as unpredictable as it is here, alternating between beautiful and brutal.
Dudes from Evolution Anglers on Vimeo.
When you’re a guide and you get to spend time with particularly great clients, it makes everything easier and more fun. Here’s a video shot over two days on the Big Hole, in which a guide and a couple of his favorite “dudes” tear things up and have a blast.
Rodtrip – Fly fishing in the Catalan Pyrenees from Rodtrip on Vimeo.
Regular blog readers know that Spain is one of my all-time favorite fly-fishing destinations, so I was excited to stumble across this video shot in the Pyrenees. It’s just a few buddies working some lovely mountain streams, but it makes me want to head back to the land of wine and tapas soon.
I had to include this one because it features a lodge and rivers where I guided in the mid 1990s. Ignore the sales pitch and focus on the incredible scenery and fish on the Alaska peninsula. I jet-boated all that water, stalked big fish on American Creek, and hung out with those bears. Some of my favorite angling memories and best stories come from my summer on the Copper. Have a great weekend!