DVD Review: The Search Tahiti

Ask any dedicated angler and they will most likely tell you that no matter how good the fishing is where they live, they have spent some time pouring over maps looking for new water to try. The Search Tahiti from Gin Clear Media tells this same sort of tale as it chronicles the story of a group of fly anglers who set off from their home waters in trout rich New Zealand on a search for big bonefish on virgin salt flats.

Most fly fishers would take a map or a rumor and venture to drive a few hours in search of promising fishing. However, how many would hop a freighter to French Polynesia's 120 remote islands in search of a new fishery? (if our wives would let us and money wasn't and issue maybe a few more of us.) Throw in razor sharp coral heads, the fact that food and water are almost non-existent, and sharks that have seen so few people that they simply think of them as more food and you begin to get an idea what they are up against.

The scenery is beautiful and the film does a great job of giving you a sense of both the area and the culture of the islands. It also does not pull any punches or allow any illusions that this kind of exploratory fishing does not come with the very real risk that you could travel a great distance only to come up empty in the bonefish department. I like the part where the angler who planned the trip worries what his buddies might do to him if they go all that way only to find no bonefish. I can only think what my fishing com padres might consider.

I won't spoil it for you but they do find the bones and when all the moving parts come together they end up in a pristine lagoon that lends itself to the feeling that these might just be the first anglers to ever cast a line in its waters.

Other highlights not to be missed include fly fishing off of the back of a coconut boat and an excellent look at ongoing research into bonefish genetics. Be sure not to miss the "trout strike" short in the special features. It will ring true with any trout fisher who has tried their hand in the salt.

"The Search Tahiti" from Gin Clear Media runs 63 minutes and is available via their web store for NZ 49.90 (that's around $35 US) including a 28 page photo booklet.

DVD Review: Sporting Fly - Madison River

The anglers at Sporting Fly sent us a copy of their latest "reality style" destination video about the waters of Montana's Madison River. This video from Sporting Flyo's might best be described as allowing the viewer to ride along with host Dave Long and Director Rob Pontello, as they fish the Madison River. On this trip we get to spend some quality time with several famous Montana fly fishers, including guides Bob Jacklin and Craig Matthews. These pros give some excellent tips that would assist anglers of any skill level.

This is a reality style video, and true to the format, we get to see fish both hooked and missed and also caught and lost. Slippery fish are released in some pretty acrobatic, albeit inadvertent ways, sometimes going flying through the air and back into the water. Often this is followed by the refrain, "That's one way to release a fish." I was glad to see that this happens to other anglers and not just me.

During a float trip there is no attempt to indicate that our hosts and their guides have the river to themselves, but rather they go out of their way to show that the river is used by lots of anglers and that heavy use of the river doesn't have an adverse impact on the fishing. It also gives host Long a chance to talk about river etiquette both while rowing and while using the river bank.

The big fish moment of this video comes when Bob Jacklin is shown landing a 10lb brown trout which he considers to be one of the largest ever caught on the Madison. How the host addresses the fact that Jacklin elected to keep the fish to hang on his wall is well worth watching and it shows these guys aren't afraid of talking about controversy.

Overall I would say that this DVD is a great look at one of the nation's top trout rivers. The hosts do an excellent job of letting us tag along on their fishing trip and we get rewarded with great scenery and a feel for what fishing the Madison river is like for the visiting angler. It is not your typical "destination" video, but it also does not fall into the genre of the hip new fast paced, music blaring, fish porn. It is a nice middle ground that will appeal to a large audience.

The more I watch video's hosted by Sporting Fly, the more I like them. You have to appreciate the passion that an angler has for his sport when he breaks off in the middle of an interview to cast to a big trout rising to a salmon fly. I am not ashamed to say that I would have done the same thing myself.

Sporting Fly's Madison River - Montana DVD runs 45 minutes and is available via the Sporting Fly web site for $29.95. As of this writing, shipping is free. They feature several other rivers and offer their videos for download to your Ipod or other media player.

In today's mail

From the folks at Sporting Fly Productions comes this weekend's reason to break out the popcorn. Review to follow.

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