The Best Flyfishing DVDs Make Great Gifts
Beautifully Shot DVDs Put Viewers into the Crazy Side of Flyfishing
Dec 17, 2008
Most flyfishing DVDs are simply fish porn. Shot after shot shows jumping fish and hooting anglers, but there is no story beyond anglers endlessly flogging the water.
But a new breed of flyfishing films - at long last - show viewers the stories - and craziness - of anglers traveling long distances and spending big bucks just to catch a few fish.
People and places are as important in these films as line-ripping, splashing fish. And the stories lure viewers back again and again.
Fishing for Baja Roosterfish
Roosterfish are big - up to 120 pounds - strong, beautiful fish that prowl the warm surf in Mexico and Central America. The Sea of Cortez, which is between mainland Mexico and Baja California, is the best place on the planet to cast a streamer fly to these fish.
Running Down the Man from Felt Soul Media shows just how tough, addictive and crazy it is to run up and down a scorching Baja beach chasing roosterfish with a fly rod.
Anglers sprint down the sand, stop and fire casts at roosterfish cruising by in the clear water.
Most of the time, the fish chase - but don't eat - the streamer, which imitates the small baitfish roosterfish wallop. The frustration and insanity builds and builds.
The movie costs $20 for a stunning 20 minutes of images, sounds and stories.
A free preview and ordering information is on the website.
Two Trips to the Tropical Flats
Just about every fly angler dreams of hooking a bonefish - which rip line of reels off at freeway speeds. There's also big tarpon, which jump six feet out of the water with rattling gill plates and land with belly-flop splashes.
Chasing Silver and In Search of a Rising Tide are two HowardFilms DVDs that put viewers onto the sandy, shallow waters of the Bahamas and Florida.
Chasing Silver shows one man's addiction - former Olympic skier Andy Mill - for casting a small fly to 150-pound tarpon.
Mill, one of the world's top tarpon anglers, hooks and loses fish after fish - but he keeps on fishing and hoping. The sights and sounds of the tropical flats are beautifully shot - and there are lots of tips on fishing for these giant fish.
Bonefish Pioneers at Play
In Search of a Rising Tide takes viewers into the world of Bahamas bonefish guides who have spent their entire lives chasing spooky, almost invisible fish that have the acceleration of a sports car.
The viewer is right there with world-famous guides as they share stories, cast, hook and release bonefish.
These guides are pioneers of fishing for bonefish, and their stories flow like music.
Previews of both films are available at the HowardFilms website.
New Zealand Trout and Trout Bums
A small band of unshaved, unemployed anglers are making a career out of jetting off to trout waters on the other side of the world and turning their adventures into compelling DVDs.
The latest effort from the Angling Exploration Group is Trout Bum Diaries Volume 2: Kiwi Camo.
That's a long title for what is really a long road trip - with a lot of hiking - throughout New Zealand's famous trout-fishing areas.
Trout bums forsake a normal life to fish their brains out, and that's exactly what happens on this film.
But it takes time to find - and cast to - giant brown trout in pristine, vodka-clear rivers, and all the mishaps seem like a small price to pay.
The DVD is $29.95 at aegmedia.com.
A Warning
These films are inexpensive, but they may lead to crazed behavior.
Many anglers report a raging desire to lug their rods onto an airliner after watching these films.
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