Be Advised: I looked up the 9:28 length You Tube version and it is edited. Definitly edited from what is on the actual DVD program, what I saw is on the DVD disc not the sanitized you tube clip.
Some may say I'm just too picky and I won't argue with that on some points. However, in the world I'm living in I've became pretty numb to a great many things least I'd be in a constant state of agitation.
Fishing videos? I don't watch many, I made a fishing related video but it was meant to be informative. It didn't include actual fishing with the intent of portraying myself as some sort of standard bearer for this sport, it was about rigging leaders and controlling streamers on the drift and swing.
I had a guest for 6 days here who when he arrived had a pile of fishing magazines and a video called 'Off The Grid / Fly Fishing Outside the Norms'.
Honestly, I don't get a bang out of these shows, I get a bang out of going fishing when I want to and practicing my techniques. I think a large part of my disinterest is the way characters are portrayed as being somehow special because they are fishing. Let's face it, we all want to be special and you have the right to feel that way. I've also seen plenty of what I, in my high and mighty way call poor fish handling practices for the sake of further elevating the stars as being hugely successful.
I'll get to the real red meat now, that video, 'Off The Grid', my guest loaded it into my DVD player and started on a clip about two young fellows in Northern Ohio Steelhead fishing. It was snowing and cold enough to put ice in the guides and freeze the landing net bag. This was all presented with the 'you gotta be tough and you gotta love it' vibe. I was able to ignore all the bravado and continued watching. It doesn't take long before they are doing the 'man vs. fish' combat scenes and quickly transitioned into the ever popular grip and grin sequences.
That's where things went south for me. I don't own the disc so I can't direct you to the exact point in minutes on the Ohio clip but there is a spot where one of these two guys is hoisting a very colored up hen. They even go to a semi slow motion so you can appreciate the mouth gaping and closing along with the gills as the fish is held aloft. SO what? What am I some kind of a Girlyman?
That part had my attention but it was when the fish began spilling that stream of orange eggs that I got up and crossed the living room on the way to my desk and said, "Nice, why don't you hold it there until it's stressed enough to spill its eggs".
I was done at that point. I used to fish back in Western Pennsylvania for lake run fish just like those the young men were catching. In the video they gave the ages of the fishermen and I can tell you that I was doing what they were doing in the video before they were born. I've seen ice in my guides, especially here in Alaska and I've been out in the cold. What I haven't done and I mean ever donewas to have a hen fish spew her eggs while in my possession. I've seen 3 or 4 males blow out some milt due to stress but no hens, no eggs.
Now this may sting some feelings but I'll just say what I thought of what I saw in the entire Ohio Steelhead portion of Off The Grid. Remember I said I fished Western Pennsylvania and the streams there are so similar that many would lose a guessing game as to what you were seeing, PA. or OH. These are generally narrow and somewhat shallow creeks which (due to stocking programs) can see an inordinate number of fish return from the Lake. There is no comparisons that can be made to pot shooting / sight fishing those fish with nymphs and fishing an actual river for steelhead. Rivers where you can't sight fish, rivers where you really have to pay dues and I don't mean a little ice in the guides, I mean hours and days spent searching and working for that first good hookup.
I know that everyone can't just drop and go to the Pacific Northwest or Alaska, I know that for many even a trip to Lake Ontario rivers can be a challenge. Please don't get me wrong, this isn't about bashing guys who fish Great Lakes Creeks for steelhead, it's about what's on that video and I couldn't believe that someone didn't edit the egg spewing out. Not that that would have changed what happened on the ground there but once I saw it I thought, "You Gotta Be Kiddn".
I am going to produce another video and when it's done it'll show up here and on my blog. It will be a how to handle streamers on small streams. It will be recorded on a very small stream here in Alaska and there may be a trout caught. The actual catching of a fish would make the point better than all the writing I can do so we are going to make an honest effort to give the forum a small stream streamer video soon.
Thanks for reading and I hope I didn't make too many people mad at me,
Ard
Some may say I'm just too picky and I won't argue with that on some points. However, in the world I'm living in I've became pretty numb to a great many things least I'd be in a constant state of agitation.
Fishing videos? I don't watch many, I made a fishing related video but it was meant to be informative. It didn't include actual fishing with the intent of portraying myself as some sort of standard bearer for this sport, it was about rigging leaders and controlling streamers on the drift and swing.
I had a guest for 6 days here who when he arrived had a pile of fishing magazines and a video called 'Off The Grid / Fly Fishing Outside the Norms'.
Honestly, I don't get a bang out of these shows, I get a bang out of going fishing when I want to and practicing my techniques. I think a large part of my disinterest is the way characters are portrayed as being somehow special because they are fishing. Let's face it, we all want to be special and you have the right to feel that way. I've also seen plenty of what I, in my high and mighty way call poor fish handling practices for the sake of further elevating the stars as being hugely successful.
I'll get to the real red meat now, that video, 'Off The Grid', my guest loaded it into my DVD player and started on a clip about two young fellows in Northern Ohio Steelhead fishing. It was snowing and cold enough to put ice in the guides and freeze the landing net bag. This was all presented with the 'you gotta be tough and you gotta love it' vibe. I was able to ignore all the bravado and continued watching. It doesn't take long before they are doing the 'man vs. fish' combat scenes and quickly transitioned into the ever popular grip and grin sequences.
That's where things went south for me. I don't own the disc so I can't direct you to the exact point in minutes on the Ohio clip but there is a spot where one of these two guys is hoisting a very colored up hen. They even go to a semi slow motion so you can appreciate the mouth gaping and closing along with the gills as the fish is held aloft. SO what? What am I some kind of a Girlyman?
That part had my attention but it was when the fish began spilling that stream of orange eggs that I got up and crossed the living room on the way to my desk and said, "Nice, why don't you hold it there until it's stressed enough to spill its eggs".
I was done at that point. I used to fish back in Western Pennsylvania for lake run fish just like those the young men were catching. In the video they gave the ages of the fishermen and I can tell you that I was doing what they were doing in the video before they were born. I've seen ice in my guides, especially here in Alaska and I've been out in the cold. What I haven't done and I mean ever donewas to have a hen fish spew her eggs while in my possession. I've seen 3 or 4 males blow out some milt due to stress but no hens, no eggs.
Now this may sting some feelings but I'll just say what I thought of what I saw in the entire Ohio Steelhead portion of Off The Grid. Remember I said I fished Western Pennsylvania and the streams there are so similar that many would lose a guessing game as to what you were seeing, PA. or OH. These are generally narrow and somewhat shallow creeks which (due to stocking programs) can see an inordinate number of fish return from the Lake. There is no comparisons that can be made to pot shooting / sight fishing those fish with nymphs and fishing an actual river for steelhead. Rivers where you can't sight fish, rivers where you really have to pay dues and I don't mean a little ice in the guides, I mean hours and days spent searching and working for that first good hookup.
I know that everyone can't just drop and go to the Pacific Northwest or Alaska, I know that for many even a trip to Lake Ontario rivers can be a challenge. Please don't get me wrong, this isn't about bashing guys who fish Great Lakes Creeks for steelhead, it's about what's on that video and I couldn't believe that someone didn't edit the egg spewing out. Not that that would have changed what happened on the ground there but once I saw it I thought, "You Gotta Be Kiddn".
I am going to produce another video and when it's done it'll show up here and on my blog. It will be a how to handle streamers on small streams. It will be recorded on a very small stream here in Alaska and there may be a trout caught. The actual catching of a fish would make the point better than all the writing I can do so we are going to make an honest effort to give the forum a small stream streamer video soon.
Thanks for reading and I hope I didn't make too many people mad at me,
Ard
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