This intelligently made film offers a poignant (and often painful) look a the rise and fall of California’s and Oregon’s steelhead rivers – and weaves in a spellbinding story about some of fly fishing’s most iconic figures.

Click for the Rivers of a Lost Coast Web site

Fly fishing legends Bill Schaadt and Ted Lindner began the largely Post-WWII narrative as friends, but ultimately became sworn enemies. Whatever the reasons, the feud divided the nascent steelheading community – which wasn’t exactly an easy club to join.

In interview after interview, people describe the era’s steelhead & salmon runs, the decline in those runs, and how the unique breed of hardcore fly fishermen formed, split, and adapted.

Some didn’t adapt very well – either to diminishing fish populations or the growing crowds of fishermen – and therein lies the true genius of this movie.

“Extreme” characters like Bill Schaadt and Ted Lindner are normally the work of fiction writers, but they’re real – and they’re compelling enough to me that I watched the movie several times.

To sketch the characters, Rivers of a Lost Coast leans heavily on interviews with those who knew and fished with them (including Russell Chatham [read his lengthy Sports Illustrated piece on Schaadt here], Jim Adams, Lani Waller and others).

What emerges is an engrossing – if sometimes hard-to-comprehend – portrait of some of steelheading’s first truly extreme fly fishers.

Most interesting is the picture that emerges of Bill Schaadt, a revered (and often reviled) fly fisherman whose obsessive behavior included hiding his car & boat, and cutting the fly lines of others with razor blades tied in the bends of hooks.

With Chatham and others offering up revelation after revelation during their interviews, the movie flows beautifully – even as the precipitous decline of steelhead and salmon populations plays out (somewhat painfully) before our eyes.

The filmmakers have created something special – something worth a little of your time.

How much did I like Rivers of a Lost Coast? A friend asked me to summarize the film, I told him it’s the movie Ken Burns would have made if he was an obsessed steelheader.

See you at the picture show, Tom Chandler

Resources:

Sports Illustrated article on Bill Schaadt by Russell Chatham
But the Rivers of a Lost Coast DVD
Wikipedia entry on Bill Schaadt

Movie Trailer:

The original group of old- time California Steelhead fly fishing addicts are having a gathering on April 11th to pay homage to our departed friends who made our sport including greats like: Bill Schaadt, Bob Nauheim, Mel Krieger, Mike Fong, Grant King, Myron Gregory, John”Buddy”Tarantino, Andre Puyans, Gary Rowen, Kay Mitsuyochi, and many others. Lani Waller will do a steelhead presentation and Russell Chatham will provide, “A Look Back.”

The program will kick roughly off with a 4:00 p.m. bar opening and hors d’oeuvres, a display of vintage steelhead memorabilia from bygone eras, a 6:00 p.m. Lani Waller presentation, and dinner which will followed by filmmakers Justin Coupe and Palmer Taylor discussing and showing short clips from the great movie about our buddies, “Rivers of the Lost Coast.”  The evening will conclude with a salute and farewell to the Immortals, and a Good Night & Good Luck.

Frank Bertainia is one of the organizers and advises this event will be also be the kick off of the new “Russian River Wild Steelhead Society.” Frank says that one of the main purposes of the group will be to save the  remnant runs of Russian River Steelhead and that they are already discussing the possibility of establishing a Russian River Fly Fishing Museum. Think about possible donations.

The Saturday night event starts at 4:00 p.m. and the $35 per person admission includes dinner. Join us at Russian River Sportsman Club, 25150 Steelhead Boulevard, Duncans Mills, CA 95430 (707) 865-9429 (off Moscow Rd which is off Hwy-116).

If you’re coming, please make sure to RSVP in advance, so that adequate facilities and food can be provided. Call either: Frank Bertania at (707) 573-0759, or Steve Jackson of King’s Sport & Tackle in Guerneville (707) 869-2156. Frank suggests that if you’re staying over, and many are, you might try the Northwood Lodge, 4 miles down river www.northwood-lodge.com (877)-865-1665 or (707) 865-1655 in Monte Rio. However, speak to Frank first, because he’s trying to get a “rate.” There are others as well.

This is not a fund raiser, no raffle, or auctions. This is a celebration of another steelhead season, some of it’s history and about some of those anglers that helped in shaping it’s legacy. There will be a discussion about the wild steelhead habitat restoration of Willow, Freezeout, Austin, and Dutch Bill Creeks and consideration of a low water juvenile rescue plan to help with escapement and enhancement of our wild fish stocks in the lower tidewater section of the Russian River.

Skitt fiske
Marty Seldon

fly fishing, fishing, rivers of the lost coast, bill shaadt, steelhead, fly fishing for steelhead, california fly fishermen

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