Where to begin… It usually starts on a cold day in the middle of winter, with a giant list of to-do’s, countless bags and boxes and a bunch of dates marked in a calendar. Coordinating locations that we will need to end up at, maybe some rough plans to fish if the weather cooperates, our truck and trailer loaded up with three fish-obsessed individuals ready to spend countless hours crossing our great country’s interstate system and stopping in some of our favorite cities to put on the yearly Fly Fishing Film Tour.
For the past three years now this job has become a huge part of my life, from January to April myself and two other road crew guys hit the road to cover a very different kind of “spring break.” But more than just a job, it is an all-encompassing project. Before the crew even hits the road there are months spent in prep to make this thing come to life. Hotels need to be secured, theater contacts finalized, cases of tour gear organized, sponsor materials sorted, our truck and trailer freshly detailed, window decals hung with precision (sort of), audio devices scheduled, entry sheets input and more.
The days on the road themselves are long, filled with loud music, new faces and the occasional hot meal.
Once the crew hits the road it is non-stop. We are in a new city every few days along with all the film screenings. More time is spent talking about what we have all been getting up to on the water, trips they have planned or just simply getting restaurant recommendations from the locals in each town. It has been a very eye-opening experience to see how much love there is for the tour itself. From the amount of people who leave the fishing chat to attend their local theaters and sit with some new movie friends from their local fly shop. This amount of care is very inspiring to see, and it reminds me of how long ago I and other young kids just getting into fly fishing.
The 2025 Tour will be my fourth trip doing this shift, I didn’t expect this to be the career I was going to take on when I did it. I didn’t even know what to expect from that first year what would come. This gig turned my once-close friends into full on roommates. You spend 3 months of the year with the same 2 dudes in a truck together you learn way more than before. We have countless memories, good and bad, from our time on the road.
This whole experience has led to one new Dad with that same first child still riding in the cab, one road first winter to help deliver the gear to the road team before the season and even one wedding! We even had one guy move across the globe to start a new life in New Zealand after his time on the program.
Also a thank you is in order for all of our sponsors every year for supporting us and helping make the Fly Fishing Film Tour possible.
Looking forward to seeing you all this year. 🎣
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