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 got a banner crop: ten videos to soak up your lunch hour or to spread out over the weekend. Throughout, there is a theme of questing: embarking on a journey in search of something valuable. We’ve got three such videos here, two from the U.S. and one from Sweden, each with a different focus. There’s also a bit of Christmas cheer from Montana, giant trevally from the far-off Seychelles, and some hardcore float-tube action from the Land Down Under. And for those of us who dream of the perfect fishing day, there are a couple examples of things going horribly awry, just to remind us that fly fishing can be a cruel mistress. 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!
A Journey West from UpCountry Films on Vimeo.
We kick things off with the first of three epic journeys featured in this week’s FFF. This film documents a 30-day trip from Maine to Montana. Some sweet New England accents are on display, as in “cold-weathah fishin’.” But there’s also plenty of great cinematography and beautiful trout.
high country salmonids. from wy-fly media on Vimeo.
FFF regulars know that I can’t pass up a good small-stream video, and this film from southeastern Wyoming captures the experience of traveling into the backcountry in search of solitude and small mountain trout. That said, there are a few honkin’ brookies on display.
Silver and Gold from Yukon Goes Fishing on Vimeo.
Ivan, of Yukon Goes Fishing fame, has put together a trout-fishing film with a fun Christmas theme, featuring his namesake, Yukon Cornelius. This’ll fill you with holiday cheer, for sure.
This is the third video shot at the Farquhar Atoll to appear in the FFF, and there’s something so cool and brutal about giant trevally hammering a fly. If you head to the Seychelles to fish for these beasts, make sure you bring a couple extra rods.
Trout is all from Rolf Nylinder on Vimeo.
Ah, Rolf, we’ve missed you! The Frontside Fly boys are back with a contemplative piece filmed in upper Vindelälven. There are none of the hijinks we’ve come to expect from these guys, just sheer gorgeousness.
GOLDFISH from Detonation Studios on Vimeo.
Think carp fishing is easy? There’s plenty of frustration on hand in this paean to a trash-fish-cum-trophy-species. But there are lots of grip-n-grins, too, right up until the end, when things get a bit ugly in the boat.
Here’s epic journey number two: which takes you from Yellowstone National Park to the Grande Ronde River. This video is long, but well worth it, featuring great non-angling footage. I do believe that this film is made by French anglers, which gives it an interesting twist.
We’ve seen giant tarpon taken by float-tube anglers, and here comes the Australian version. Casting in submerged timber, these guys lay into some serious barramundi, a species that’s definitely on my life list.
Slow Walking Water from Jazz and Fly Fishing´s Jazzcam on Vimeo.
And here’s epic journey number three, as Jazz and Fly Fishing’s Håvard travels to Lapland, in the far north of Sweden. It’s got a real slow, Scandinavian feel to it…a starkness that matches the landscape. It’s a lone man’s quest to catch big trout in the wilderness.
Finally, here’s one that oughta make us all feel good. This angler endures troubles that we’re all familiar with, yet he maintains a smile throughout. A lesson for us all. Have a great weekend!