Authors Note: I am going to do my best impression of the late Roger Ebert here but by no means am I a film critic. After many years anticipating this movie release, here are my thoughts:

This is the type of adventure that I could find myself contemplating doing with my buddies. Going beyond the contemplation stage is probably out of the question for me at this point. The movie follows four friends, Jay Johnson, Chris Owens, Thad Robinson and Brian Jill (Formerly of AEG Media) as they attempt an 8,000 mile journey from the friendly confines of the Pacific Northwest to the tip of South America. Leg one sees the crew venture off into mainland Mexico.

The trip itself starts off as an adventure with the acquisition of a 1996 Ford F250 off of good ole reliable Craigslist.  They picked up this truck from a Utah dairy farmer who delivered it to them on a trailer. Red flag? Not for these guys, just a minor speed bump.  Running off of a limited budget these guys needed a more economical way of traveling. Knowing that gas prices would be the biggest determent the film budget these guys decided to convert their glorious F250 into a veggie oil powered home away from home. With the extreme generosity of Joel Woolf of Veg Powered systems who helped to do a complete overhaul of their F250 they were finally able to start their adventure.

Overcoming obstacles is a reoccurring theme throughout the movie. From spewing vegetable oil on the streets of Mexico to getting robbed at knifepoint at a Wal-Mart, these guys become good “amigos” with the Policia during their travels. The best part is that even after all these events they still soldier on, and with good reason.

The fishing sequences within this movie can be accurately described in one word. EPIC! First off is Marlin fishing 101. This isn’t your fancy marlin fishing that you see with a giant deep sea yacht and a full crew teasing in fish. The reality is that these guys are motoring around off the coast in a tiny panga with an outboard motor with a “guide” that doesn’t speak a lick of English searching for these leviathan creatures. The fishing starts off slow, but when they finally figure out how to do it the fishing pays off. That day Marlin fishing has to be one of those days that those guys will never ever forget.

It doesn’t end there. From lakes in central Mexico that are the homes goliath Bass to the baby Tarpon and Snook of the Yucatan. These fishing outings are the foundation of stories that become fishing legend and lore. Without giving too much away some of these locations and fish give a new fresh perspective to being “Off the Grid”.

Overall the greatest single thing about this adventure has to be that these guys got to do it together. Friendship and camaraderie is an important aspect of the sport of Fly Fishing. This movie is the ultimate example of that. Four buddies traveling thousands of miles while enjoying a sport that they love along the way. Does it get any better than that? I don’t think so. So get your popcorn ready! If you are interested in this Geofish or other fly fishing films and media please check out the Books & Media  section at Fishwest enjoy!

]]> http://www.fishwest.net/explore/2486/get-your-popcorn-ready-geofish-volume-1-mexico-review/feed/ 0 http://www.fishwest.net/explore/2262/video-another-quiet-saturday-at-the-fly-shop/ http://www.fishwest.net/explore/2262/video-another-quiet-saturday-at-the-fly-shop/#comments Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:51:23 +0000 Dustin http://www.fishwest.net/explore/?p=2262

Harlem Shake … smh

“Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

-Patagonia’s Mission Statement

A cruise ship is an excellent way to get teenagers into the outdoors and also fly fishing!

This past summer, my 15 year old daughter and I boarded the Norwegian Sky for a 3 day/4 night Bahamas cruise.  We swam with dolphins in Nassau, kayaked through mangroves on Grand Bahama Island, and snorkeled with reef fish near Great Stirrup Cay.  And I distinctly remember parasailing as well…

Between these ports-of-call, our time on the boat flew by.  Immense buffets – and the gym equipment to work it off – kept me occupied.  I also spent a fair bit of time  scanning the open ocean, hoping to witness some tuna or mahi-mahi churning the surface to a froth.  (I actually did see one feeding frenzy.  Even though the species was unidentifiable, it kept me and another guy– also an angler – absolutely glued to our binoculars for a good twenty minutes.)

My daughter, Kerri, loved the boat’s supervised teen club.  Hanging around with kids from all over the continent was a great experience for her.  To be honest, once we were on the boat, I didn’t see too much of her at all.

But how does fly fishing fit into all this?????

Miami was our home base for a couple days before the cruise departed. We did some shopping, some South Beach sightseeing, and some fly fishing.

Hamilton Fly Fishing Charters (www.flyfishingextremes.com) out of Palm Beach took care of the fly fishing.  The idea was to go just outside the reef and chum a bunch of false albacore up to the surface.  However, the wave action was a bit rough and the albies stayed deep, so we headed back “inside” to the Intracoastal Waterway.  As it turned out, this was a real blast!  It was very visual – the guide tossing out bait and all kinds of jacks crashing it.

I was using a streamer and an intermediate line.  My daughter was armed with a spinning rod.  Both her and I thoroughly enjoyed it – Kerri was actually landing fish out on the boat’s deck in pelting rain.    Unfortunately, some nasty wind and thunderstorms cut our day short.

The accompanying video shows the whole adventure.  It isn’t in chronological order – South Beach and the cruise ship activities come first and then the fly fishing. (And then the nasty wind and thunderstorms.)  I also have to admit that Kerri did all the video editing…  Enjoy!!!

At Fishwest, we have a passion for everything that we do.  Take a look behind the scenes of your favorite fly fishing outfitter.  http://www.fishwest.net

Boron IIx Two-Handed rods, made with our second-generation boron/graphite composite, are the lightest spey rods in the world and offer extraordinary power, responsiveness and accuracy. Our Boron II-MX Two-Handed rods are slightly faster than our Boron IIx Two-Handed series. The Boron II-MX Two-Handed rods will easily load the newer, shorter-head fly lines yet remain responsive to the angler in tight surroundings. Boron II-MX Two-Handed rods are ideal for a variety of situations on salmon or steelhead waters and are perfect for the angler looking to fish a switch rod.

Our Boron IIx and our Boron II-MX Two-Handed rods, made with our second-generation boron/graphite composite, are the lightest spey rods in the world and offer extraordinary power, responsiveness, and accuracy. These rods were created with the help of our technical advisor Andre Scholz, one of the world’s top spey casters. All our Two-Handed rods come with a copy of our educational DVD, “Introduction to Spey Casting with Andre Scholz.”

Shop all Winston Fly Rods

Patagonia makes the apparel and gear to keep you cool and on your game when wading the hot saltwater flats (or anywhere else that the heat rages while you fish).

Join us as we enjoy the flats of South Andros Island in March of 2013.

Winston Passport Fly Rods

We are pleased to introduce a line of fast action fly rods that offer unprecedented performance for under $200. Named the Passport series, these superb quality rods are available in a variety of lengths and weights, fish extraordinarily well and provide exceptional power without giving up touch and feel. The rods are a deep bronze color, and feature ruby wraps and a nickel silver reel seat with wood insert. All Passport fly rods come with a olive green cordura tube that is embroidered with the R.L. Winston name.

The ECHO EDGE rods are the best looking most reliable rod in their price category. Patterned after our extremely popular ECHO2 rods, the ECHO EDGE series sport a deep burgundy gloss blank on the fresh water models, and a deep blue blank on the Saltwater and the 8’4″ models. Tim never seems to be satisfied with the status quo and is always looking at ways to improve upon the older rod designs. With the ECHO EDGE rod project he started with the ECHO2 rods and using newer technology was able to tweak the actions and toughen the blanks to make the rods perform better. The results are the best casting rods ever built in this price range.

Fishwest Fly Shop, located at the foot of Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, is pleased to offer the finest fly fishing products available. We are proud to sell almost every brand available.  Enjoy our fast, free shipping and see why we are “All Things Fly Fishing”! If you can’t find what you are looking for, please contact us.