01-10-2009, 04:31 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: North Lancashire
Posts: 446
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Best fly fishing DVD ever!?
The F&F news team have picked up on this and beaten me to it, but here's a review of 'Once in a Blue Moon'. Stockists can be found on the onthefly website, or you can buy the PAL version from Amazon at
Once in a Blue Moon.
“What a fabulous piece of filmmaking” was the comment from my fishing buddy and actor friend, Will, after sitting down with me to watch the gem that is ‘Once a Blue Moon’. And not surprisingly I agreed with him; it was in fact my second viewing of what has to be the best piece of filmmaking on an angling theme that’s it’s been my privilege to view.
This exquisite 36 minute film was shot in the South Island of New Zealand, and describes itself as an exploration of the ‘Mouse Year’ phenomenon. A ‘Mouse Year’ occurs when the appetites of otherwise opportunist large trout get locked into a superabundance of mice, that manage to find themselves onto waters in which trout swim. But what makes a Mouse Year, the filmmaker asks, and how might a man find trout that will take a mouse imitation? I’m not going to provide you with the answer. You’ll have to buy the DVD to find out. But this is much more than an attempt to solve an angling conundrum. At heart it’s a visual feast, without a lot of commentary, how-to information, and with talking heads kept to a minimum. Without labouring the point, the film is almost poetic, presenting with its high production values an image of fly fishing that couldn’t fail to help explain why we love the sport the way we do. There is stunning footage of huge trout in gin clear water rising, cruising and fighting (underwater, too). And then there are the fabulous landscapes. Watch it when your fly fishing season is over. Show it to partners, family or friends who are skeptical of your passion for the sport. Just bask in its radiance. And then, of course, book your flight to New Zealand.
Be warned, however. This is not an instructional DVD, offering tips for casting or fishing success. Nor, curiously, is it a travelogue or does it contain any overt promotion of angling tourism in NZ. Was there a missed opportunity, perhaps? Once upon a time New Zealand was the unchallenged long-haul trout fishing destination. But with so many other countries opening up to angling tourism it may well have lost a bit of market share. Material promoting angling tourism in NZ could easily have been included on the DVD after the film was over. The NZ tourism people should be begging the filmmakers for a piece of their action, not least because if you want an advertisement for NZ flyfishing then this it.
The film was made by husband-and-wife team Carl McNeil and Jeanie Ackley who are based in Otago in the South Island. Carl describes himself variously as a ‘trout bum’ and ‘fly fishing wastrel’, terms that endear me to him immediately, but he is an Fly Fishing Federation certified Master Casting Instructor and ‘obsessed fly fisher’ in both fresh and saltwater. His wife Jeanie has a seriously credible professional filmmaking CV, that can been seen on their website.
The website containing clips from the film and info about where you can buy the DVD is at http://www.onthefly.co.nz/pages/home.html
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cumbriafishingfestival.co.uk
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