Welcome to "FLY FISH AMERICA" presented by Bluff Line Media. This series features both short and long-form documentary films sharing anglers’ stories and exploring unique habitats across the Western Hemisphere.
A note from the camera guy:
This episode is particularly important for me. My mother is from northeast Arkansas, and I have deep family roots in this state. Although I grew up in neighboring Mississippi, my wife and I moved to Northwest Arkansas in 2016, and it felt like coming home. That was also when my interest in fly fishing really started to grow. How could it not? Fly fishing is a cornerstone of outdoor recreation in the "Natural State" and throughout the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains. The year before our move, I spent time practicing my casting with a Wal-Mart kit in the farm ponds back in Mississippi. Now it was time to see if I could actually become a decent fisherman.
In fact, my move from photography to film production began with 2018's "Fly Fish Arkansas" produced by Woodard Fly Fishing. The creative challenge and friendships formed while filming that project led to the creation of Bluff Line Media. Now, six years later, we're back with a new set of stories from some of the greatest anglers across the state, along with some new friends and much better production value. Oh, and after eight years of fly fishing, I'm still working to become that decent fisherman.
This will likely be my final fly fishing film set in the Ozarks. After my series "Ozarks on the Fly," the full-length documentary "Undammed" celebrating the Buffalo National River, and now two episodes of "Fly Fish America," it's time to move on. These films would not exist without support of my friends and neighbors, and I hope I have told these stories in a way that does justice to the rich habitats, kind people, and natural beauty that this region offers in abundance.
