AEG’s first two DVDs generated truckloads of buzz, they market hard, they’ve fired up a film tour, and they’ve even persuaded a few fly fishing manufacturers to break open their marketing piggy banks — and this in an industry where "free gear" is the normal currency.

Still, those who rush out to buy AEG’s Fish Bums 1: Mongolia will find themselves viewing a very different kind of movie.

Gone are the slashing surface takes and hold-your-breath sequences of big trout eyeballing a dry fly.

In their place, substitute a handful of less-visual streamer hookups — but bigger, meaner fish, and more miles under the wheels.

Also gone are a few the last edition’s more irritating moments (I didn’t hear "sleeping in the dirt" this time).

The overall effect is one of fewer fish, bigger adventure, and a more mature take on the whole enterprise.

Fewer, Bigger Fish

This time the AEG crew are combing Mongolia in search of Taimen; a big, aggressive member of the salmon family (though they don’t run to the ocean) sometimes called the River Wolf.

Like most apex predators, there aren’t a lot of Taimen to begin with, their numbers are dwindling, and they’re somewhat reclusive.

This brings us to the most most startling aspect of Fish Bums 1: Mongolia: the number of fishless days suffered by the crew at the start of the DVD.

At first, I wondered if this wound wasn’t largely self-inflicted; did they do their homework, or not?

It’s a fine line; adventure is clearly part of the plan, and while you could catch big, carnivorous fish from any number of places closer than Mongolia, traveling halfway around the world — right into the maw of uncertainty — is clearly as much the goal as big fish.

This time, AEG experiences life from 4wd vans, horseback, and even resort to a pair of oversized Russian military uber-vehicles. Interestingly, the farther from "civilization" they go, the less attitude we see.

Finally — after even the viewer begins to despair — AEG finds Taimen enough for everyone in the group, though not before experiencing stuck vehicles, frozen rivers, missing vehicle shuttles, and some pissed-off camels.

To get Taimen to bite, they construct monster streamers from yak fur trimmings, and not only are the flies huge and ugly, they’re also (thankfully for AEG) effective.

A Very Different Feel

The prior AEG videos had the feel of an extended road trip, but the Mongolia version strikes off in a slightly different direction; the sense of removal from what we laughingly call "civilization" is an almost palpable part of the experience.

One online critic derided the Mongolia DVD as the equivalent of a National Geographic special. I’d suggest it has some elements of a travel documentary, but that those moments could be the real strength of the video.

Fish porn only goes so far — especially when you’re talking about fish caught beneath the surface on huge streamers.

After all, footage of fishermen struggling against bent rods doesn’t fire the imagination the way a 10 pound brown eating a mouse pattern might, and you’d be a fool to treat an adventure to Mongolia the same way you’d treat a trip to the local big fish fleshpot.

The Complaint Department

Overall, I liked it, but every reviewer has nits to pick. For example, at times Fish Bum 1 feels a little superficial, as if we’re skimming along the surface, not allowed to see the less-pretty stuff underneath.

At one point, the crew floats up to their takeout point, and their trucks aren’t waiting for them. They build a fire to stay warm, and… and… we’re left hanging just a little bit.

And did the team experience personal conflict, or were we supposed to believe they were a happy crew all the time?

After all, it’s not a glossy travel film with celebrities and scrubbed, smiling hosts. Instead – as the closing credits roll – you want to feel like you’ve been along for the ride (only without the smell).

And at a little over an hour in length, it feels a little rushed. Longer would have been better, though — like most DVDs — some of the best footage can be found in the outtakes.

Last Cast

Fish Bum 1: Mongolia is well worth watching. Production values are predictably good, and the documentary style is straightforward and non-intrusive.

AEG fans will almost certainly buy Fish Bum 1: Mongolia, though I suspect a lot of them would say AEG’s earlier videos offer a better fish porn experience.

So be it. We’ve all caught fish, but hardly any of us have driven across Mongolia after fish, and ultimately, that’s the bit that interests me.

Rather than pure fish porn, I’d tend to cast Fish Bum 1: Mongolia as a hybrid between a Michael Palin travel video and AEG’s earlier efforts (only without Michael Palin, sadly).