"Hustle & Fish"

Here awhile back I had the good fortune of discovering a new breed of fly fishing movie…….one that falls into the “not boring” category.  Com’on  you know exactly what I mean.  Most of the fly fishing movies out there either take themselves waaaay too seriously or are made by silly (barely 20 year olds) with no real understanding of the world at all.  On top of all of that they seem to be redundant.  It is almost like someone wrote a how-to book on making fly fishing movies back in the 70′s and everyone has been stamping out moldy fly films ever since.

But not this one!  “Hustle & Fish” by Rollcast Productions is a shining example of the “new fly film” industry that really knows how to cinematically point out the subtleties of the sport and yet doesn’t take itself too seriously.  When I sat down to watch this film, I really didn’t know what to expect, but after 80 minutes I realized that I had laughed, drooled, and generally been entertained by…..of all things a fishing film.  There were times that I found myself reminiscing about some of my own days on the water rather than feeling anxious and inadequate as an angler.  Not only that, but you actually get to know a little bit about the film makers and who they are as people and as anglers.  I actually felt like I could call up Steve or Dave and say, “Hey  man, how you doing?”  “Was the fishing any good up your way today?”  (Don’t worry guys, I’m not gonna be your first stocker).  I guess what I am saying is, they made a film that is very personable.

The highlights: Some have said that there is too much ‘fish porn’ in “Hustle & Fish”.  I disagree.  It was just the right amount (not unlike a well made whiskey sour with just the right amount of sour).  I also really liked the humor.  It was pretty darn funny in spots.  I also really appreciated the Alaska shots and the portrayal of the life lived on the rivers there.  People there love to fish, but know how to relax and just live too.  My favorite has to be the BC winter steelhead segment………holy s#!^ man.  How do I get an invite to that party?

The lowlights: Even the best films have their down sides and “Hustle & Fish” is no different.  I thought the Duesch (?) brothers had a bit too much screen time.  Funny? Yay, but just too much.  I found myself squirming and wishing we could get back to the real story.  Hmmm can’t think of anything else.

I saw this film 3 times in the first 30 days that I had it and watched it with my dad too (he loved it).  My recommendation……get yourself a copy, you won’t be disappointed.

Congratulations to Steve Apple and Dave Wilson!