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 slow and thoughtful, builds to some serious excitement, and then ends with a video that just may haunt your dreams—especially if you’re an ophidiophobe. At this shoulder season, we’re still pretty US-centric, with films from the Rockies, the Keys, the Southwest, and the Northeast. But we do venture a bit to Europe and lands beyond. (Although I’m sure our New Zealand and South American friends are polishing their lenses and waxing their ferrules in anticipation of the season to come.) There’s a bit of a toothy theme here, as well, so watch your fingers. 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!
Into Autumn from Luke Bannister on Vimeo.
We kick things off with a beautiful short about autumn fly fishing for sea trout in Wales. The joys of a quiet day on the stream by yourself are on display here, and the river shrouded in greenery is just lovely.
Cape Cod flyfishing- video postcard from Don Himsel on Vimeo.
We’ll get to the more intense stuff farther down, but here’s another ruminative piece that seeks to portray the quiet side of fly-fishing for striped-bass—where anglers gather in the twilight of dawn or dusk to cast into the surf for cruising fish. There are no blitzes or shots of stripers crashing bait, but just a couple of anglers enjoying time with the sea. There are some gorgeous shots here that have nothing to do with fishing itself, but are part of the whole experience.
Eric Schmidt | Something About The River from Paula Gren Representatives on Vimeo.
By now, you’re thinking, “Is it philosophy Friday?” This week’s crop of videos features several that buck the trend of using “extreme” action and pumping music to portray fly fishing as a sport of pure excitement (which it certainly sometimes is). Most of the time, however, time on the water goes by slower, and you get into the rhythms of the current and the wind.
Fly Fishing for Sharks in Louisiana from Shallow South on Vimeo.
Okay, enough of the quiet stuff, how about a dozen acrobatic leaps from a hooked shark? Watching all those toothy predators swimming around the boat might give you the willies, and the presentation is certainly nothing too fancy. But once that fish goes ballistic, you’ll understand why anglers enjoy fighting them.
And, speaking of sharp-toothed monsters, here is some pretty fantastic pike action from New Mexico, which is hardly considered an Esox hot spot. I will say that one of the scenes here strikes me as unethical, even if it is exciting, and I would hope our readers would refrain from such shenanigans. But the fishing itself is spectacular, and the trophies impressive.
September Rock from Yukon Goes Fishing on Vimeo.
Yukon is back, this time on Rock Creek in western Montana. As usual, he provides great self-shot footage of his day on the water, featuring some fine browns and gorgeous scenery. The casting sequence at about 1:55 is particularly impressive; methinks he’s even getting a little artsy.
Clarity from Capt. Scott Owens on Vimeo.
Here’s a trailer for an upcoming saltwater film (I think) called Clarity, about three friends in search of flats action. It’s all about the music here, though, which adds an over-the-top epic feel to the project.
This video is also a trailer, this time for a how-to video about fishing terrestrials. But I include it here for the great fishing and underwater action. I especially like the brilliant hookup scenes near the end. There’s something so cool about seeing the take, watching the angler react, and then see the line go tight. Huge brown trout add to the experience.
Snake eating a trout from Bryan Berg on Vimeo.
Finally, here’s a little freaky video that has nothing to do with fly fishing, but does show a fisherman of a sort. Just another of the cool things you can run into during a day on the water. Have a great weekend!