This was in the paper today about the deal.
A movie on the fly-fishing lifestyle showcases world-class angling
Sunday, March 13, 2011
By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Gambit StoneFish bums Hardwick Caldwell, left, and Taylor Kirkpatrick fly fishing in New Zealand.No responsibilities, except to pick the right fly. No limits, except to your level of expertise and extent to which the fish will cooperate.
It's a fish-bum fantasy for most of us. Some anglers get to live it, lured by a sense of adventure and followed by film crews who tape the expeditions, edit raw footage into short films that are packaged into feature-length productions.
Billed as the largest event of its kind, and halfway through its three-month schedule of 90 stops in the U.S. and Canada, "The Fly Fishing Film Tour" returns to Pittsburgh this week with a new collection of short films depicting the fish-bum lifestyle at exotic hot spots around the world.
The film is hosted by International Angler and will be screened at 7 p.m. March 20 at The Oaks Theater, 310 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. Tickets are $15 at the door, $12 advance at International Angler (5275 Steubenville Pike, Robinson, 412-788-8088) and www.internationalangler.com. The show benefits Casting for Recovery, which teaches fly fishing as therapy for breast cancer survivors.
"The film tour is more entertainment than education. It's more inspiration," said coproducer Chris Keig, of Colorado. "It's really about the trip, the adventure of fly fishing in different places and the personalities that go along with it. "It's what we'd all aspire to do: Let's drop out of life for a little bit and go fishing."
The movie is compiled from shorts submitted by filmmakers and produced in Colorado. If you've seen it before, you haven't seen it -- different adventures are showcased each year.
"The Fly Fishing Film Tour" isn't only about the film. Part of the attraction is the party atmosphere at The Oaks, where fly anglers gather to hobnob, partake in give-aways and coupon promotions, and peruse literature on fishing, waterways and conservation.
"Basically, this year's tour is a pretty good microcosm of what [we] like to show," Keig said. "In one, two kids in their late 20 took the summer off and traveled to New Zealand to fish, and did it all on foot -- they didn't use helicopters, they didn't use guides, they created their own adventure. They weren't afraid to put on 60-pound packs and take the advice of locals who'd say, 'If you really want great trout, hike over that ridge.' "
Spectacular wildlife cinematography is a hallmark of the film series. This year's edition follows the stories of a Cook Islands bonefish netter who experiences a philosophical conversion and becomes one of the top bonefish fly-fishing guides; fish bums who drive 8,000 miles from Oregon to the tip of the Baja Peninsula and across mainland Mexico in a vegetable-oil powered truck; and Wisconsin anglers who trick muskies into taking flies.
"Red Like Winter" showcases redfish fly angling in the Louisiana marsh. "Black Tailed Devils" and "Satori" are travelogues through the Florida Keys in search of permit, and "Wisconsin Smallies and Bluewater" turn the cameras to North American bass and Central American billfish.
In "Speed, Muscle and Teeth," the film's most thrilling segment, San Diego fly fisherman Conway Bowman takes on Mako sharks.
"They're the apex predator at the top of the food chain, and they don't spook," says Bowman, in the film. "They circle around the boat, looking right up at you. You are the one being hunted."
The cameras capture explosive 60 mph runs, 20-foot jumps and the adrenaline thrills of a 300-pound shark taking a fly and an angler breaking concentration for one breathtaking, chilling, perilous moment.
John Hayes: jhayes@post-gazette.com.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11072/1131512-358.stm#ixzz1GUYDBa3Q
