Holidays, Part 1

Ok. So it's that time of year. When Mother Nature turns from a nurturing, warming, motherly woman to the slap you in the face, Catholic nun schoolteacher, cold, hard, witch of a woman who likes to rain down frozen hell on your fishing time. While this cold snap may darken your spirits and turn you into Frosty the Abominable Fisherman or the I-Organize-My-Fly-Tying-Desk-Five-Times-A-Day Dude it also means it's the holiday season. Yes holiday, not Christmas, not Hanukkah, Festivus or whatever it is you celebrate. (I personally like the Rainier season, take that as you will.)

And for you gear or movie or book or pack rat junkies, we have some things that may ease your "I don't care if it is -50 outside and the wind is blowing 40 mphs with snow pellets the size of small missiles, I am fishing that bloody river now!" guys or gals.

DvD's

1. Rise- From the same dudes that brought you Drift. Their newest film will captivate you with some interviews and footage from premier fishing places around the world. From the worm hatch in Florida for Tarpon to the fly-line painter in Idaho to the wilds of Venezuela. The movie produces weather/travel envy in even the best of us.

2. Best Videos of Catch Magazine- A new DvD produced by Todd Moen highlighting the best videos from our favorite online rag (can we actually call it a rag since it wastes no paper? Well I just did so deal with it!) Catch Magazine has some of the best fishing photos I've seen and the videos are pretty top notch too. Excellent footage of fishing locales that will make you drool. From New Zealand to Oregon Steelhead, this video has excellent cinematography and some absolutely stunning footage. Perfect for those cold, winter days when your eyes are fried from tying 50 dozen flies in your dark basement.

3. Skagit Master with Ed Ward- A hot new ticket for anyone wanting to learn the intricacies of spey casting and spey flies. Following Ed Ward a world renowned spey caster and tyer, he will teach you different casts, how to swing a fly and anything you may need to learn about catching steelhead on a two-handed rod. INterviews with other guides and beautiful cinematography highlight this film and even better $1 of the DvD sale goes directly to Western Rivers Conservancy.

4. Rivers of a Lost Coast - A chilling documentary narrated by one of my personal favorite actors, Tom Skerritt (you know the dad from A River Runs Through It...for you younger bucks Viper from Top Gun), that exposes the ugly truth about the downfall of the Northern California Coastal Rivers. It follows Bill Schaadt and includes interviews with Lani Waller, Russell Chatham and host of other steelheaders. Plenty of archaic footage and some vintage photos, this movie is done with the kind of feel and narration that will captivate your attention.

Well there's some stocking stuffers and/or anti-pyschotics for you in these days ahead when the addiction kicks in but the weather/wife/dog/frostbite/old football cheerleading injury just won't let you get out on the river.

Enjoy the cold.
Feed Fish Flies, not Plastic.
-RB