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By Dan Zambrano, July 13, 2010

A few days ago my fishin’ buddy, Sean handed me a DVD entitled Bass  –  The Movie.

I told him it would be a few days before I could watch it but I would check it out and get back to him. 

Last night, I finally sat down and watched it.

The official run time is one hour and forty minutes but it took me about three hours to get to the end because I keep stopping and rewinding and re-watching and making notes and slow-motioning the action and such. In other words, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie but I also found it to be a great teaching aid which, I hope, will make me a better Bass fisherman.

Sure, half the folks we encounter out there on the urban waters see our fly rods and assume we must be only after trout but the truth of the matter is that we both pull in a surprising number of Bass all season long. I like catching Bass. Everyone I know likes catching Bass. I suspect that even the purists who say otherwise secretly relish hooking into a big ol’ bucketmouth every now and then given the chance. Catching a Bass on the fly is a sure fire way to get your heart pounding and to make the day just a tad better. This film is all about that and more.

Admittedly, I probably don’t have the time or resources to pursue Bass with the same passion as the guys in the film, but I do think I will now be able to better maximize what time I do have on the water using the info I gleaned from this pleasant little movie.

And since much of the action took place in SoCal, I felt like the movie gave me just a bit more of a “home court advantage” then, say some of the programs I might catch on cable or some of the articles I’ve read lately in the the national magazines.

Having guys with both conventional and fly gear in the same boat also made things interesting. You never know what revelation or insight might pop up when you step outside the box.

The section on fishing the weeds, for example, was something I can put to use immediately since we encounter very similar situations in the urban lakes we fish as the summer progresses.

I might even try my hand at tying up a few knockoff “swampmasters” now that I have a better handle on fishing in the slop.

Likewise, though much of the fishing was boat based, and virtually all of our urban fly ventures are shore-based, I felt like I gained a better feel for reading the water and can immediately apply some of the things I watched.

All in all, I would highly recommend this movie. “Just be careful”, as Bill Cosby used to say, “‘cuz you might learn somethin’ while your havin’ so much fun”.

I love this addiction called urban fly fishin’

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By Sean Fenner, February 21, 2010

I was urged to watch this movie by my Uncle and a fellow fishermen who is a  life long ocean conservationist. I was asked not to mention names in this post, but you know who you are and thank you both for opening up my eyes to this travesty that is taking place.

The Cove is a film about a handful of activists included the infamous Flipper trainer Ric O’Barry, trying to open the world’s eyes to a massive Dolphin killing fest that goes on every year in Taiji, Japan.

As Fishermen I believe hat we have an obligation to protect and fight for the waters that we fish, and what body of water is more important than the ocean. This ecosystem is the livelihood of our planet, and we must make sure that it is not taken for granted.

So please go to The Cove website and rent, buy, watch clips of the movie, and then sign up to help this cause. Not only will you be saving the live of countless Dolphins and Whales, but also of the many people that suffer from Mercury poisoning from consuming these creatures.

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By Sean Fenner, September 3, 2009

I received my screening copy of “Rivers Of A Lost Coast” today and let me tell you that the minute this DVD went into the player I was hooked. This is one of the best documentary films that I have ever seen, hands down. The film’s producers Justin Coupe and Palmer Taylor really did a great work through this film.

This movie has everything that you could ask for; a great commentator in Tom Skerritt from the movie “A River Runs Through It.”, personal interviews, and amazing footage from the golden age of West Coast Steelhead and Salmon Fly Fishing. I have to admit that it left me wishing that I had been born in another era.

Through this film you will get an insiders view of how California’s Coastal Fisheries have battled everything from flooding and drought to logging and over fishing. Showing California’s proud Steelhead Heritage, and our sport’s epic version of Muhammed Ali (Ted Lindner) vs. Joe Fraiser (Bill Shaadt).

As a California native this film struck a little too close to home, and had me thinking about all of the things that I should be doing to help restore this once great Salmon and Steelhead Fishery. Now is the time for us to do something, because soon it will be too late.  

If you only see one film this year, go to Rivers Of A Lost Coast , find a theater screening near you, and GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

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