The Company One Keeps Part I

Hit up the Fly Fishing Film Festival. The scene was very cool. The show was moderately decent. A lot of saltwater stuff. A solid steelhead bit (Metalhead) - although I know little to nothing of steelhead fishing... A cool piece on mouse-eating trout in exotic lands. And more saltwater stuff. It makes a person consider his place in the world of fishing. This is a total fish-bum, max adrenaline, I'm super cool, look at this footage, check this take, etc. deal. Seems like that whole front is wearing a bit. Some sort of succession needs to roll along. Something brainier and more thoughtful maybe. It's always cool to watch fish eat. I'll give them that.

They were thoroughly lacking in the roughfish department. There was one ~3 minute bit on carp. Here are my three memories of it (1) the guy was casting to a big glob of carp - not sight fishing; (2) he caught a mirror, but didn't call it a mirror - instead looked at it in somewhat puzzled fahsion and said to the camera: look at that crazy scale pattern; (3) when he was holding up the mirror, the guy behind us in the theater said what the hell is that? Plus, at some point the fugger in the movie gilled a carp and held it high in a solid show of disrespect.

Anyway, I wouldn't have gone alone. The company was key: The Roughfisher. Hung out before the festival (Bigfoot barleywine in play). And stayed over (thanks) so a person could relax and not be taxed for a drive home late at night. A little more beer and some relevant discussion on into the night regarding various angles and tangents on the subject of fishing and fishes.

I'll think about this a little more. One thing I know for sure: the shizzy that John Montana pulls on a regular basis is at least as interesting as all those videos. Probably more. He really just needs a fancy camera and some music as backdrop.


And came home to this... geez: