2012 FLY FISHING FILM TOUR RECAP
“So, what do you do during the winter?”
It’s the follow up question. It’s the inevitable sequitur for those who have just learned of your obsession. It was preceded by one of many initial questions such as, “What do you do for fun?” or, more likely, “What’s with the crazy sunglass tan?” or “Why do you have those bugs hanging from the visor in your truck?” That initial cross-examination lead to the inescapable confession that you are one of the afflicted, one of the plagued, the blessed; one of those fortunate enough and irresponsible enough to have answered the sirens call. You are a fly fisherman.
The inquisitor moves quickly to a question that will surely change the subject, remove the far off look in your eye, and reel the chit-chat back into more familiar waters. “So, what do you do during the winter?”
Little do they know it’s different for you, for the consumed; fishing has no off season, it has only other waters, new challenges and fresh excuses for long, hastily-planned, heavily-caffeinated road trips, and impulsively purchased plane tickets.
The days may be shorter as our hemisphere rotates farther from the sun, but that just means more time to dream. Dreams of new patterns in the vice, dreams of far-flung locations and exotic fish, dreams of solitude, clear water and taut lines.
No more long days on the boat, no more wasted time when that cursed orange ball forces fish into their deepest sanctuaries; just cold days, dark nights and defiant, truly gratifying fishing.
Though, in the depth of those callous, stony days when guides freeze and fingers falter you may need a little shot in the arm, a little spark to keep the engine going. That’s where we come in. For while you’ve been dreaming… and fishing, and fishing… and dreaming, others have been capturing stories and images of fish and fisherman in astounding places where the two come together.
The Fly Fishing Film Tour is merely the means to bring these stories and images to you. It’s nothing extravagant, no circus (ok, maybe a little circus), no fanfare (aside from maybe a bbq and some beers at the local fly shop), no smoke & mirrors (though what you do after the show is totally up to you), just fisherman and fishing films and a little fuel for the dream machine.
The 2012 was the biggest film tour yet! With 24 of our Hosted shows selling out across the country. Big props out to these towns and especially to the local fly shops for getting the word out to so many people. Their contribution helped the tour give back to the film makers as the film tour supports independent fly fishing film by sharing proceeds from the tour.
Here are the towns where we sold out and people were doing anything to try and get a ticket into the show:
Denver CO 2 shows!, Bend OR, Portland OR, Seattle WA, Spokane WA, Missoula MT, Billings MT, Boise ID, Salt Lake City UT, Ft Collins CO 2 Shows!, Minneapolis MN, De Pere WI, Ann Arbor MI, Grand Rapids MI, Nashville TN, Atlanta GA, Charleston SC 2 shows!, Jacksonville FL, Tampa FL, Fayetteville AR, Boulder CO.
New to the F3T schedule in 2012:
Ketchum ID, Redwood City CA, Reno NV, Grand Junction CO, Daytona FL, Fayetteville AR, Breckenridge CO, Park City UT
There was so much good that came out of 2012 for us here at the F3T:
Conservation and Charity money raised through the F3T
Hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised this year for local conservation groups and charities.
Trout Unlimited is at the forefront inspiring local TU chapters to host shows as a fundraising opportunity for their local communities and organizations such as Rivers of Recovery were able to use the event as a charity fund raising opportunity where the event raised over $70,000 and will be able to sponsor 35 local combat disabled veterans to participate in the Rivers of Recovery experience.
Over $125,000 was raised thought the F3T for conservation and charitable organizations. WOW!!!!
Independent Show Highlights
The tour screened at 61 Independent locations this year. (?)
Truly International
14 shows across Canada and 2 screenings on the streets of Caye Calker Belize
We can't wait to see what happens on the tour in 2013, as we are expanding again! We are adding new stops across the country for 2013 including new shows in the Northeast and Southwest and more screenings in Canada.
Submissions are already coming in for 2013 and there are some killer films that look super entertaining. One in particular was shot over in Thailand fishing for Mahseer. The short clip we saw had us rolling on the floor and had some unbelievable footage of the fishery.
We also created a New Film Maker Grant Program. Three up and coming film makers will be chosen each year to receive a grant from The Fly Fishing Film Tour to help them in their efforts to create a film. It is our way of trying to help and show our support for the independent filmmaker. The Grant program will also open the doors to new faces and footage for 2013. It is supper cool that the tour has grown to this point and we are stoked for 2013 and we know everyone else will be to.
Each year since its inception the Fly Fishing Film tour has grown the depth and caliber of its films. 2013 is no exception. Our merry band of pranksters is hard at work putting all the pieces together for this year’s tour. With nearly 150 hosted and independent shows already on the books it’s very likely that the tour is coming very close to where you live. If the tour is not coming to your town maybe you should host a tour stop yourself. Either way it’s definitely coming to many places that have great fishing, so you really have no excuse not to make the road trip.
Keep your eye on this blog for updated tour info, stories from the road, and from the filmmakers that make this whole thing possible.
See you on the road in 2013!
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