International Fly Fishing Film Fest features stories from the Snake River to the Amazon

By Reader Staff

Alert for anglers: The International Fly Fishing Film Festival is coming to the Panida Theater with a slate of screenings Friday, Nov. 3, showcasing the passion, lifestyle and culture of fly fishing in locations around the globe.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and films begin at 7 p.m., with general admission tickets available at flyfilmfest.com/sandpointid or at the door (if available) for $20. General admission and a one-year subscription to Fly Fusion magazine costs $45.

Organizers state that IF4 “is the gathering place of the fly-fishing community and a celebration of friendship, fly-fishing stories and stoke.”

Hosted by Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, the IF4 event is the world’s leading presentation of fly-fishing films, with nine selections in this year’s lineup. Among them is Jacks, focused on the search for the aggressive, predatory fish known as the “giant trevally,” which can be found in remote locations, but a similar species exists in saltwater destinations in North America. The film provides a deep-dive into the noteworthy species.

A still image from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Damsel. Courtesy photo.

Of the Sea takes audiences to the waters off the protected Banco Chinchorro coral atoll in Mexico, where two brothers and a companion are given approval by authorities for a two-day exploratory fishing trip. 

Father Nature centers on the Turner family, which has guided on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park near the Wyoming-Idaho border for more than 100 years, while A Slam that Saves travels to the foothills of the Appalachians, where four species of bass are found nowhere else on Earth. 

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Damsel is the story of two fishermen who journey to a high mountain lake and experience an epic damselfly hatch. Dollar Dog introduces a four-legged fish bum named Ella, who spends time along the Margaree River in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where the Atlantic salmon return home.      

The Focus takes place in the deep canyons of the Utah desert, where three anglers rediscover a stream they explored in their youth, which is home to trout that require winter runoff to thrive. 

Chesapeake — A Love Letter to a Watershed, follows the Braker brothers, who embark on an adventure in the Chesapeake Bay watershed in which they grew up, taking them and their gear on a 1,000-mile trek over seven days.

Finally, Gold Fever is the epic adventure in 2022 from Helmut Zaderer and Black Fly Eyes to the Serranía Moseten region of Bolivia in the Amazon jungle, where many tributaries of the mighty river have never seen a fly-fishing angler and contain the giant golden dorado.  

For information about IF4, email [email protected]. Got to flyfilmfest.com/films for teaser trailers and more on the films.