Sadly, I just caught Madison River episode, and it fell far short.

The trailer is cool, but the episode is disappointingly stiff and slow moving.

While host Smethhurst (of Running Down the Man fame) will almost certainly get better as the series progresses, I’ve got to ask why the producers are still subjecting viewers to hoary, staged scenes that are feigning spontaneity?

In several instances, we’re supposed to believe Smethhurst is meeting someone for the first time, yet the camera’s already there to record the moment.

With fly fishing video shifting to an engaging documentary style (witness the rise of AEG, Felt Soul Media, and others), you have to wonder why On The Rise is playing out the stilted cliches of years past.

Transitions are slow, the scenes plodding, the narration ponderous, and we only catch glimpses of Smethhurst’s fly fishing talent.

A glance at the credits enlightens us; Barrett Productions is the company behind On The Rise (the folks who subjected the fly fishing world to all those glossy, quarter-inch-deep celebrity fly fishing videos and the painful-to-watch Fly Fishing Masters series).

On The Rise is a great concept (Smethhurst traveling the country in his trout-painted trailer) that fails to captivate.

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Yes — especially in light of Saturday’s "pulp outdoors journalism" post — it’s a hilarious reminder that "pulp" outdoors journalism is alive and well (if refined a little) at the broadcast level.

Yes, it’s one of the best outdoor video spoofs I’ve seen.

And definitely, it may be the funniest four minutes of your day:

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In truth, fish porn — in the absence of any real insight — pretty much bores the hell out of me, but I am willing to make an exception when the folks seem to be having a good time and — in this case — I’ve actually fished the water in question (and want like hell to get back).

Ian and Charity Rutter posted this as an antidote for the winter blahs, and I’m pretty sure I fished that run on the Holston River once or twice myself, though I only had Ian and Rich Margiotta for company, so the in-boat scenery kinda sucked in comparison.

I can even live with the soundtrack (did I mention I saw Dave Matthews in concert years ago? I have? Oh). Enjoy.

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Preemptive Memorial Honors Future Victims Of Imminent Dam Disaster

Technorati Tags: the onion, folsom dam, fly fishing

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That’s why this on-camera interview with 36-time champion caster Steve Rajeff caught my eye. Sadly, my lack of broadband means I haven’t seen it yet, but hell, I thought you might want to.

Post your comments about the interview below (If it truly sucks, let me know so I don’t waste my time like you just did.)

See you on the casting pond, Tom Chandler.

Technorati Tags: fly fishing, fly casting, fly rod, steve rajeff

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I catch huge fish all the time (while fishing from my luxury barge and getting fanned by attractive women), but the rest of you will probably be impressed by the somewhat impressive breadth of these specimens — and some of the dazzling camera work.

Enjoy! See you in the popcorn line, Tom Chandler.

Technorati Tags: fly fishing, fishizzle, rollcast productions, fly fishing video

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In fly fishing, timing is everything. That’s why — when the Undergrounders fire up a discussion on the state of fly fishing videos — it’s not that surprising when one shows up to make the discussion a wee bit more interesting:

I’ll write a longer review of Fishizzle when I get the DVD back from a recuperating Chris Raine (I watched it on my laptop in the Denver airport — not exactly the place to concentrate).

For now, I’ll post the trailer, and let you tell me: is this standard fare, or a “young guy” fly fishing video — complete with fish porn, soundtrack and all the requisite hero shots — that also knows how to poke fun at itself (Wooligans?).See you at the candy counter, Tom Chandler.

Technorati Tags: fly fishing, video, fly fishing video, fishizzle, steve apple

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Felt Soul produced last year’s “Running Down the Man” video, which made obsession seem somehow reasonable. Will we see its like again?

Are We Already Self-Parodying Ourselves?

The lads at Felt Soul Media won the Drake’s Fly Fishing Video Contest at the Fly Fishing Retailer Show with this three minute trailer, and deservedly so.

As we all jammed ourselves into the ballroom of the Oxford Hotel, I was looking forward to some innovative stuff. What we saw — outside of Felt Soul’s three minute setup of their documentary effort — was pure fish porn, some of it of pretty good quality.

What we didn’t see was innovation, new directions, or even a different approach to fish porn. Compared to the videos of the previous year, I was disappointed.

The Daytripper blog cast a wider net of condemnation surrounding today’s “edgy” new fly fishing videos when he said “They all look the same.”

The good news is that new technologies have liberated video production from the hands of companies interested only in how much advertising they can move.

The bad news is the new wave of fish porn videos is already in danger of becoming a parody of itself — the same way the earlier “cue the elevator music, cue the wildflowers, cue the soaring eagle, cue the exotic big fish location, cue the celebrity fly fisher, cue the wader walk into the sunset…” videos became parodies of themselves.

Strip the classic rock soundtracks and video effects, and what you’re left with is a little cool footage of big fish from (surprise) exotic locations, a lot of standard dripping fish/hero shots, and damned little insight, perspective, or innovation.

Attitude I’d venture, is not enough.

Technorati Tags: fly fishing, fly fishing video, the drake, drake fly fishing video contest, felt soul media, pebble mine

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Once we’ve Disneyfied Salmon, recovery is assured.

(via Blogfish)

Technorati Tags: salmon, hip hop salmon, salmon dance, hip hop

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Years ago, I worked as a photojournalist in Southern California, and part of the gig was shooting the wildfires that raced through the tinder-dry brush. Once I photographed a fire in a small valley: the air grew very still, the fire seemed to stall, the valley grew hotter, and eventually, the the 12-foot high brush on the far side of the break superheated.

A single gust of wind blew down the ridgeline, and the whole far side of the canyon spontaneously ignited. Just like that. 300 feet of flames.

Which is why videos like this one of the Cascade Complex fire in Idaho still make the hair on the back of my neck stand up (found via the Western Watersheds Project blog — a worthwhile read).

Technorati Tags: fire, brush fire, wildfire, western watersheds project

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Technorati Tags: fly fishing, fishing, brown trout, youtube

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz0tEONDslk

Ian & Charity Rutter appear regularly on the posts of the Trout Underground (whether they want to or not), but this time it’s not because I’m tramping around their part of the country and eating their food.

They just launched a new Web site (complete with “Fishing Report” blog), and also fired up a new video about their trip to Belize:

My favorite video moment? Those frantic seconds where Ian’s bonefish zips all over the flat like it’s on rails, throwing up a rooster tail behind the line.

Visit the site, add the fishing report to your RSS reader, and enjoy the video. I will ask nothing more of you (today).

Technorati Tags: fly fishing, ian rutter, bonefish, video, belize

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Or not. It’s really up to you:

If you’re like me, you’re just waiting for the fly fishing version (which will cost $585 instead of $39, though it will be made from rare Unobtanium instead of that cheap, bait-slinging “alloy”). Sure, it’s no Rocket Rod — the best combination child’s fishing rod and assault weapon ever made — but it’s what we’ve got this morning.

As always, the floor is yours.

Technorati Tags: fishing, fly fishing, fish pen, moldy chum

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I gloat. I preen. I strut about obnoxiously. (And more to come).

Technorati Tags: fly fishing, puffy, trout underground, baja

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Next time you start wondering why you fly fish, play this video, and remind yourself there are worse things than spending lots of money, driving for hours, catching fish, and then releasing them.

Technorati Tags: cheese rolling

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