Welcome to Week CXC of ‘Fishing Parkland Shorelines’. Like most of us I am a novice fisherman, loving to fish, but far from an expert. In the following weeks I’ll attempt to give those anglers who love to fish but just don’t have access to a boat, a look at some of the options in the Yorkton area where you can fish from shore, and hopefully catch some fish.
Certain things just seem ideal for film.
Take for example baseball. Hollywood has a long history of creating fine diamond films because the game lends itself to film moments; the pitch, the swing, the close play at first, a steal, an outfielder climbing the fence to steal a sure home run.
As a result, from ‘The Pride of the Yankees’ through to ‘Field of Dreams’, ‘Bull Durham’, ’42’, and a dozen more, baseball has shone on the big screen.
Hockey by contrast, not so much. It just isn’t quite as compelling on film.
So what, you are asking, has this to do with a column on fishing?
Well simply that fishing is one of those activities which is just ideal for film.
Perhaps that is not surprising based on the general beauty of almost any fishing spot. The water, the sky, and the nature that abounds around water. It makes an ideal backdrop for film.
And of course the excitement of a strike and the ensuing fight and landing of a fish becomes a thing of beauty if the person behind the camera knows about fishing and is in the right place to get the footage.
The seeming love affair a film camera has with fishing is why you can just get lost amid the myriad of films made on the subject.
Most are short films, a long fishing film is 15-minutes, and that too helps make the experience of watching such films so refreshing.
They are like sweet doses of your favourite pastime which can be enjoyed over a coffee on days when you really just need the escapism such a film can provide. You know the day in Saskatchewan in January; it’s minus-30 outside and you are facing one of those days on the job when you just want to slip out the backdoor and find a fishing hole to get away from the nine-to-five drag.
So where to find fishing films?
That is a pretty simple question to answer; head over to www.vimeo.com
The online resource is amazing in terms of fishing, and once you get into the site you can easily get lost as one view will lead you to the next.
If you head to the site, and I highly recommend that you do, a great first film is ‘Casting a Voice’ from Barbless Fly Media, produced, filmed and edited by Dimitri Gammer.
“According to longtime angler Rob Brown the Skeena River drainage is “the last bastion of wild steelhead.” This film examines the value of the Skeena River and its fish, and the steadily growing risks it faces to development and energy transportation proposals. The energy industry is vital to Canada’s economic strength, and the Northern Gateway Pipeline project would use parts of the Skeena as a corridor to reach new global markets. This said, there is also immense value in the diverse ecosystems and wilderness that make up the Skeena,” notes the site regarding the film.
This is actually a longer effort, at just more than 35-minutes, and is made all the more interesting because there is a very serious conservation element to the film. It is not just about panoramic footage, and fish. The message in this documentary work is that the area being fished is worth preserving, in particular because of the wild steelhead population.
We sometimes forget that as fisherfolk we need to be diligent in our efforts to maintain natural habitats.
In a world of climate change, urban sprawl, human wastage and the general massive footprint human endeavour has on our natural world a waterway can be lost all too easily, and this film reminds just what could be lost if we are not willing to work on conservation.
In particular this film looks into the huge threat a proposed Enbridge pipeline from the Alberta tar sands to the coast through the watershed area. It makes for a very interesting discussion.
The arguments made against the potential impact of the pipeline were compelling and their concerns were well laid out, and the film is worth a watch to better understand another situation where supposed economic development needs seem to run counter to the safe maintenance of a natural environment.
Another great aspect of the Vimeo site is that you can glimpse fishing around the world.
While only five-minutes in length ‘Looking for French Brownies’ is one example worth a look.
It is a short film summarizing the 2012 season of fly fishing, in search of brownies... Most images of this sequence were made on the banks of the Doubs Franco-swiss.
I particularly loved the music selected for this film. It really set a near fantasy feel for me.
A third stop I can recommend is the short ‘Hard Core Fly Fishing’. The name says it all, and it well worth the seven-minutes of escapism it offers.
The film was shot in New South Wales, Australia, so again it is a wonderfully exotic film with for viewing during a Canadian Prairie winter. The catch of the day are some whopper Murray Cod which live in freshwater rivers, dams and some larger creeks.
Another spot worth a look is at www.rodtrip.com
It was at this site I came across ‘Rena Under the Bridge, the winner of the Golden Hook Award 2015 in Norway.
This is a film which had me gasping out loud on several occasions. The filmography is breathtaking. The number of shots of fishing to insects on the water alone is stunning.
That the film is set in Norway, and for the most part focuses on grayling just adds to the appeal. This is a film not to be missed.
