DVD Review: "Why Fly Fishing"

Late last week we were treated to a copy of the new film “Why Fly Fishing” — funded by The American Museum of Fly Fishing and created and produced by Jeffrey Pill (the former senior producer of 20/20 and creator of “Successful Fly Fishing Strategies,” “The Art of Speycasting” and “Joan Wulff’s Dynamics of Flycasting”) — and were frankly blown away by the quality of the production and the care with which its content was assembled. The 31-minute DVD, introduced by former FFF president and Trout Unlimited director Gardner Grant (who was a generous contributor to the project), includes the first filmed interview with John Gierach, who talks from his office (“What I like about fly fishing is its insidious nature”) and catches a few fish. Joan Wulff puts the sport in perspective by explaining its essentials and instructing a young girl on casting, while Flip Pallot, Keith Fulsher, Diana Rudolph, the Revel Brothers, and James Prosek offer personal insights on how fly fishing has shaped their lives. There’s also a great segment with Nick Lyons noting the places of McGuane, Gierach and other authors in the literature.
If you are looking for something to inspire you to pick up a rod and get a jump start on a new season, this DVD is it. We’d also highly recommend it as a gift for anyone who might consider fly fishing, since it offers clear, succinct insight into why so many fly fishers become enraptured with the sport. $25 of the $30 purchase price is a tax-deductible donation to the Museum. You can buy “Why Fly Fishing” from The Bookmailer.