Shake Up At AEG Media

B2 and Rathbun (the Woodward and Bernstine of the fly fishing industry) over at Moldy Chum got the scoop on a big shake up among the Trout Fish Bums over at AEG Media on the Eve of the Fly Fishing Film Tour. Follow this link for more info.

DVD: Fish Bum I: Mongolia

It is always hard for me to think of fly fishing as a spectator sport. In my mind watching someone else fly fish just isn't high up on my list of priorities. Of course if I am watching the guys from AEG Media fish for the largest known trout in the world all bets are off.

I have been acquainted with the guys (and occasional gal) from AEG Media ever since their initial film, Trout Bum Diaries Vol I- Patagonia, was released a few years back. Their videos have been ground breaking and in my opinion (and that of my 16 year old son) the sort of thing that could interest a new generation in what might well have once been known as "the quiet sport." If you are not familiar with their style of film making, then you should know that they eschew the "visit a lodge and teach a technique" style of presentation in favor of fast paced films that showcase exotic locations and big fish. You won't learn to tie a fly by watching their films but you will be entertained.

The latest offering from AEG Media, "Fish Bum I: Mongolia - River Wolf" chronicles the adventures of Chris Owens, Thad Robinson, Justin Crump, and Brian Jill as they travel to Mongolia in search of the world's largest known trout, the river wolf or Taimen. Taimen are salmonids that feed voraciously and grow to sizes of a meter or more. They live only in the most remote areas of the world and when you find them you had better be throwing them something large. Flies the size of small dogs would not be out of the question.

One of the things that I have always enjoyed about the AEG video projects is the fact that chronicle the good right along with the bad. This video is no exception as it becomes clear early in the film that just finding these fish is going to be a major undertaking. In Fish Bum I, the AEG crew has to deal with travel in a country with few roads, scarce fish, bitter cold, blizzards, and yak milk vodka induced hangovers, in their search for these prehistoric behemoths. The also get to wear some very cool Genghis Kahn hats and ride camels.

All things mature and AEG Media is no exception to this. Fish Bum I: Mongolia is certainly the most polished of their projects to date. The film work is excellent and the music chosen as a backdrop for the scenery is the best yet. The lack of big fish early in the film might be a negative for some viewers but I felt it spoke to the scarcity of the resource and the difficultly of getting in to a postion to catch these giant fish. It also allowed for a bit more story telling than their previous projects bringing a deeper look at the geographic area and people of Mongolia. Don't worry though, despite early setbacks they manage to catch several very large fish.

"Fish Bum I: Mongolia - River Wolf" is 70 minutes long and is filmed in a widescreen format with Dolby Digital Stereo sound. It is available via the AEG Media Website for $29.95.

Found in today's mail

"Fish Bum I: Mongolia," from Justin Crump and the AEG crew. The popcorn pops even as we thumb type.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Fly Fishing Film Tour - Charlotte

The Fly Fishing Film Tour hits Charlotte tomorrow at precisely the same time as the ACC Basketball Tournament. With ticket books to the tourney hitting close to two grand, the $15 admission for a night's entertainment at the film tour seems a major bargain. If you attend either event leave us your thoughts via the comment section.

Oh and for the record Go Heels!

Fly Fishing Film Tour

Could events such as the Fly Fishing Film Tour be a catalyst for the sport the likes of which hasn't been seen since "A River Runs Through It?" Judging from all the news buzz and sold out shows at the AEG sponsored event there might just be a bit less space on the river this spring.

From a recent article in the Denver Post:

His group toured just 11 cities in 2006, its first year. That number swelled to 30 a year ago and now stands near 70 for 2008. Such success is sure to spawn a procession of imitators, as happened with the Miller ski films. Where it all stops is anyone's guess, but this much is certain: Find that spot and you'll have located the new heartbeat of fly-fishing.

You would think that its only a matter of time before this sort of thing catches on. When all these young film makers become famously rich and are living on private tiaman ranches in Mongolia we will be pleased to say we at FlyFishMagazine.com were firmly on board when it all started.

The "Fish Bums" (we can only say that somewhere their is a ticked off John Gierach attorney story yet to be told) and the Fly Fishing Film Tour will be hitting our home town of Charlotte, NC on March, 13th at the McGlohon Theater. Tickets are on sale now.

Give us a shout in the comments if you are planning to attend the Charlotte event and maybe we will join you for a post show brew or two.

The site for the next Trout Bum Diaries?

National Geographic reports that a vast network of rivers and lakes exists under the Anarctic ice cap.

This watery environment may be more than one-and-a-half times the size of the United States, scientists say, which would make it the world's largest wetland.

"This is essentially a whole new world that ten years ago we didn't know existed," said Michael Studinger, a geophysicist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University in New York.

Photo: National Geographic.com

AEG Media: Fly Fishing Film Tour 2008

The trout bums from AEG Media have announced the schedule for their Fly Fishing Film Tour 2008 and we are pleased to say that it includes a stop in our home town of Charlotte, NC the day after our editorial birthday (March, 13th)! The tour will be crossing the United States so be sure to look for it to make a stop at a venue near you.

AEG Media is launching the 2008 film tour this winter. With an aggressive marketing and advertising campaign we are increasing the number of venues and plan to boost the number of attendees to over 50,000.

What can people expect to see at the Fly Fishing Film Tour?Films shot in extreme, exotic and distant locations; epic scenery, cutting edge music, and conservation pieces that are as entertaining to watch, as they are important; and of course gigantic fish on the end of a fly.

Our credo: “No stereotypical instructional programs.” PERIOD!The films we select to take on tour focus on action, adventure, excitement, humor, and lifestyle.

AEG Media is taking people on a journey to see what it takes to be truly committed to capturing fly fishing adventure on film.If you fly fish you are going to be blown away, if you don’t fly fish you are going to be inspired.

Catching the River God's Daughter

National Geographic is doing a feature on Megafishes and just recently got around to the world's largest trout, Hucho tiamen of Mongolia.

This fish is not like other trout and salmon species," said Zeb Hogan, a fisheries biologist with the University of Reno in Nevada.

Waist-deep in the clear, fast-moving waters of the Eg, Hogan prepared to release a newly tagged, 44-inch-long (112-centimeter-long) taimen back into the river.
The fish, which takes up to nine years to fully mature, can live for 50 years, said Hogan, who is a National Geographic Society Emerging Explorer. (National Geographic News is owned by the National Geographic Society.)

"We only see a few animals this size per mile in the river, so if you remove one of them, it's going to take a long time before it can be replaced," he said.

For additional information and a unique view on fly fishing for Tiamen check out the AEG Media blog, Trout Bum Diaries, which chronicles the making of their latest film.

AEG: Trout Bums off to Mongolia

The trout bums from AEG Media are at it again. This time they are heading for the waters of Mongolia and blogging all about it. Can you say Taimen?