THE ADVENTURE:

There’s a reason the majority of humans residing in Florida inhabit the coastal segments. In the land of the endless summer where flatness prevails and the entire ecosystem creeps, crawls, squirms or slithers, the coastline and its windswept break from the eternal furnace and bouts of marsh foot offer access to several of the most sensational marine ecosystems on the planet. From surfing to fishing, waterskiing to diving, coastal Florida offers an endless litany of watery recreational opportunities, yet without the advent of air conditioning even these marvels of nature would be no more than a day trip to a theme park.

Some see the interior of the Florida peninsula as a burden, a marsh-laden stretch of mosquitos, alligators, snakes and just enough things that can work their way into your orifices to keep the mainstream and alternative societies at bay. Even when packing a survivalist attitude, the interior environment is not a place the average American calls home.

That’s only because we limit the term “Average American” to the human population. For panthers, bears, wading birds, alligators, crocodiles, kites and a host of primordial flora and fauna, the interior of the state is the last frontier, a final gambit of natural selection that hasn’t been paved, planted, hijacked or drained. These natural ecosystems remain not because of a lack of interest from developers, but because someone, whether a sentimental property owner, an elder statesman or a well-funded conservation group made the effort to purchase the properties and put them on the national “Do Not Pave” list.

THE PLAYERS:

Carlton Ward Jr:

Seven prior generations of Ward’s called Florida home, so it’s no surprise Carlton Ward Jr. of Tampa finds sentimental value in the landscape and animals that have carved their paths through the sawgrass and oaks. A dedicated ecologist and conservationist, Ward shares his experiences through the lenses of digital cameras, capturing the soul of the natural machine in pantones of CMYK.

Ward has dedicated a lifetime to preserving through photographs the cultural legacies of the Florida Cracker cattle drive, the natural sheet flow of the River of Grass, the oxbow bends in the Kissimmee River and the cypress knots of the Okefenokee. There are no Volunteers in his Florida Swamp. No Crimson Tide, Bulldogs or Tigers either, just banana spiders, glossy ibis and the occasional ghost orchid.

Joe Guthrie:

An avid outdoorsman, Guthrie’s travels have taken him from the streams of Wyoming to the grass tundra of the European Football League. He’s tracked the infamous Kentucky elk and chirped along with neo-tropical songbirds, yet it’s the plight of a small population of black bears in rural Florida that has captured his heart.

Guthrie finds the wildlife corridors of Florida to be the last bastion of natural progression, the only remaining tribute to how Mother Nature planned for her animals to survive and the only remaining protection from the Florida touron and the stripe of greed running down the backs of many real estate developers.

Elam S. Stoltzfus:

The film geek in the group, Stoltzfus’ name blankets the credits of the educational films he produces. No stranger to the Mennonite lifestyle, Stoltzfus traded in his horse and buggy some time back for a pair of flip flops and a collection of High-def. video cameras.

An experienced cinematographer and documenter of Florida wildlife, Stoltzfus often finds himself neck deep in duckweed or suspended hundreds of feet in the air as owl bait. From the swamps to the estuaries, he’s intermingled with the real Florida locals enough to call nature his home.

Mallory Lykes Dimmitt:

A 5th Generation Committee member of the Florida‐based family agri‐business company, Lykes Brothers Inc., Dimmitt specializes in landscape scale conservation, natural resource management, ecosystem service markets, water and energy issues and emasculating pro-development politicians with her intelligence and impressive list of accomplishments. In the time it takes most females to decide whether to wear their Aeropostale or Abercrombie, Dimmitt has already earned her Master’s Degree in Environmental Management and can halt a bulldozer in its tracks if just one Everglades kite or gopher turtle gets displaced.

She’s an avid adventurer equally at home in a kayak as a waterfront chickee hut, with a heart for Florida’s interior and a day on the water. She packs a historic lifestyle and a commitment to the resource in the same purse, and is not afraid to swing it.

THE STORY:

Bike, hike, paddle or push through the Florida Everglades up to the Okefenokee Swamp, a 1,000 mile trek  through some of the nastiest, gnarliest, scariest and most beautiful, pristine terrain in southern North America. The 100-day trip through gator land and turkey sand will have the group goose-stepping around bear scat and panther tracks as they document a segment of Florida rarely seen by the average Miggy minion.

Traverse the Everglades ecosystem into Big Cypress Swamp, over to the Everglades Agricultural Area, back to the Okaloacoochee Slough, across the Caloosahatchee River, over to Babcock Ranch, back along Fisheating Creek toward Lake Okeechobee, up the Kissimmee River with excursions toward the Lake Wales Ridge, up the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, east around Orlando into Ocala National Forest, and north along the O2O corridor (Ocala to Osceola) to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge stopping along the way to smell the sugar cane and orange peels burning, view the cowpies smoldering in psilocybin and throw rocks at the metal culverts directing water off the land.

The project kicked off January 17, with little Florida Everglades fanfare. Just a handful of egrets and a school of mullet in attendance, but nonetheless the first stop on an adventurous journey across the peninsula.

As we untie from the dock and I put the boat in gear my ears start to ring. Crap, one of my outboard motor warning alarms is going off. My coffee hasn’t kicked in yet and I’ve got a mechanical issue.

When your home base is an island 25 miles off the coast of Panama, there are engine issues and there are dead in the water engine issues. Twenty-five miles doesn’t sound that far from the nearest outboard mechanic when you can zip down the highway, but in the open ocean, it’s a long way from a warm bed.

I figure out why the alarm is honking like a caffeine-jacked goose—the port engine is stuck in gear. Oh, and did I mention that it’s also in reverse? I now have the ability to put the starboard engine into forward and make big circles. Now I know how a NASCAR driver feels.

The positive side of this is that at Islas Secas we have a 135 foot LCU, our mother ship that supports our fishing program. To minimize the impact on the island where the guests stay, our fishing program is supported 100% by the LCU.

So I hail them on the VHF and tell them I have an issue. They reply, “Like the whole world doesn’t know you have issues.” Even in Panama, 25 miles offshore, there’s a comedian in the group.

I shut down the gagging engine and limp over on the one working outboard. I am freaking out. We’ve found fish and I can’t get to them. After 15 minutes, my engineer Luigi says “No Problama Chief. I fix in 45 minutes.”

Having the support of the LCU means a full time engineer and all the spare parts and tools for every Job. I love working for an organization like this.

It took a little longer than 45 minutes. Obviously island time converts to Italy as well, but we are now on our way.

At the Bank we made bait in seven minutes and were fishing in ten. The porpoises were relentless. They ate every bait we put behind the boat. They have a Master’s Degree in bait theivry and  would come in as wolf packs. We did not stand a chance.

The frustration with these bait poachers was growing, and to make matters worse, we saw a big black marlin tearing up the water as it fed on a school of bait. We dropped right on him and the porpoises ate both baits in less than two minutes.

By 1:00 p.m., we have gone through 20 baits. This sucks and is not working. We start pulling plastic, not a preferred method for targeting black marlin in Panama waters, but they will work at times. Obviously today was not one of those times.

We do catch a few dolphin and make plans for the next day. The porpoise are starting to stress me out.

Long rodders are a different breed of angler much like the serial killer of murder one convictions, an ambiguous thinker completely focused on the effort of getting an animal with a brain the size of a pea to eat a hand-tied mimicry of thread and feathers. Among this crowd of social anarchists and public access activists are the filmmakers that document the adventures of these unemployed and psychologically misfit anglers and their attempts to share the unfettered grandeur of fishing locations around the globe.

This year’s film line-up includes: Reverb, by Third Year Fly Fisher; Sipping Dry, by Sharptail Media; Fly a legacy, by Ronnie B. Goodwin; Doc of the Drakes, By Bryan Huskey; Hatch, by Gin Clear Media; Clearly B.C.—Fall Bullies, by Todd Moen; The Kodiak Project, by LDR Media; Geofish—A Mayan Prophecy, by MOTIV and two minor league films to be named later.

In essence, these film clips capture the soul of the machine and the interaction with nature that leaves that lasting memory deep within the medulla and forces a random smile when reminiscing the trip. So hop on, get off, sit back, free your mind and be prepared to hoot and whistle at some of the most spectacular fly fishing moments every caught on film.*

From Ventura, F3T takes a noticeable cold weather swing through the home of the western trout goof, utilizing the indio film marketing strategy of “it’s too cold to fish, but we’ll give you a reason to drink beer.” So if you’re stuck in the cold and looking to revive your soul in the next month, find a venue near you from the list below.

*Warning: Viewing the 2012 Fly Fishing Film Tour can lead to lost wages, divorce, animal cruelty, bouts of irresponsibility, trench foot, binge drinking, irritable bowel syndrome, shack nasties, chain smoking cannabis, pick-up camper sales, endurance fly tying, halitosis, an effort to corner the market on fly tackle, feather lung disease, hairy palms, an all-around rebellious attitude, saltwater envy and the need to walk up to pretty women and ask, “If I told you you had a nice body would you hold it against me?”

Date                Location

1/26                 The Majestic Ventura Theater, Ventura, CA

1/28                 Art Theatre of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA

1/28                 Oriental Theater, Denver, CO

2/1                   Tower Theatre, Bend OR

2/3                   McMenamis Bagdad Theater, Portland, OR

2/4                   Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center, Fryeburg, ME

2/6                   SIFF Cinema Uptown 1, Seattle, WA

2/6                   Gillis Theater, Lexington, VA

2/8                   Bing Crosby Theater, Spokane, WA

2/10                 The Wilma, Missoula, MT

2/15                 Babcock Theatre, Billings, MT

2/17                 Stargazers Theater, Colorado Springs, CO

2/17                 The Emerson, Bozeman, MT

2/22                 The Egyptian Theatre, Boise, ID

2/23                 Sun Valley Opera House, Sun Valley, ID

2/25                 Rio Raft Resort, Canyon Lake, TX

2/25                 Taunton Inn And Conference Center, Taunton, MA

2/25                 The Depot, Salt Lake City, UT

2/28                 Wheeler Opera House, Aspen, CO

2/28                 Fox Theatre, Redwood City, CA

2/29                 Galaxy Theater, Gig Harbor, WA

2/29                 Lincolin Center, Fort Collins, CO

2/29                 24^th Street Theater, Sacramento, CA

On another note, I must have a hole in my head because I headed straight back to Montuosa on the ass of a stale first day. I have two scientists on board and they’re both looking at me like I just kicked their lab rats, but I have a feeling that the belle of the dance is there, and in this game, it’s best to trust your intuition.

The weather is beautiful and we blast out there like Ricky Bobby with a full tank of nitrous. If there’s one thing I learned from the previous day, it’s where the bait was holding. In a matter of minutes the tuna tubes were full and we were ready to send a bait down.

The hours roll by. One hour…two hours…three hours…It’s a desert.  A disco song comes over the radio. It’s a song by Lipps Inc., a good sign. We’re gonna rip some lips.

Gotta Make a move to a town that’s right for me, Town to keep me movin’ keep me groovin’ with some energy…

Not a fish in the spread, and it was looking much like the same as the previous day, but I have confidence in this spot. I have caught loads of fish here in the past, but right now I can’t catch my butt with both hands. I need to change something. We have to make a move.

Well, I talk about it, talk about it, talk about it, talk about it. Talk about, talk about, talk about movin’.

Eleven miles away is Hannibal Bank, although it could be less than happening there as well. I’m an idiot if I don’t make the 20 minute run, if for no other reason than to rule out the option. I don’t want to get back to the dock and hear it was going off on Hannibal while I was a desert explorer in Montuosa.

Gotta move on. Gotta move on. Gotta move on!

On the run over I’m in the tower just dwelling about all the planning that has gone into this project and the people and organizations involved: Islas Secas, NOAA, The Billfish Foundation, Adopt a Billfish, the production company from JMOutdoors, and the list goes on. What if we don’t catch them? I’m grinding my teeth into paste.

As I go ripping by a turtle, I see two streaks of green. I spin the boat around and as I’m coming off plane Juan, my mate, has a popping rod in his hand and with one cast hooks up to a 40-pound bull dorado that we invite to dinner. With dolphin in the box, we know we’re having fresh fish, even if the marlintini’s are going dry.

That little break in the monotony was good. Although dorado are not the target species, a little action does a splendid job of shaking the cobwebs out of our heads. Now if we can just follow that up with some frantic billfish ballistics.

A few minutes later we are on the high spots at Hannibal Bank. Juan drops the first bait in the water. As he is rigging a second bait, the porpoises arrive. The porpoises of Hannibal Bank have one mission in life: to ensure a percentage of the black marlin population goes unmolested. They serve their purpose by eating every bait we put in the water some days.

I have been to doctors in Panama to see if I have a porpoise magnet somewhere in me, but they just laugh and say it’s more likely the fish have locked in to the sound of my engines. I’m actively looking for an engine noise modificator.

Juan quickly reels in the bait to keep the porpoise off it and has it out short, just behind the motors and wallowing in the prop wash when all at once there is a large dark shape tracking it. Funkytown has arrived, with authority. There’s a massive boil behind the boat and the bait takes a permanent leave of absence. I’m hoping the porpoise are pissed. It’s their turn for once.

Disco is not dead in the open Panamanian Pacific, as 400-plus pounds of sinew and fin dance the water to froth. Juan feeds the fish, the circle hook is set and the rodeo is on. In the first eight minutes the 400 pound fish jumps over 20 times.

After she settles down we are into a tug-of-war for another 40 minutes.

I talk about it, talk about it, talk about it, talk about it.

She is close. She’s also pissed.

Juan grabs the leader and skillfully wires her into range. A lot of crap can go wrong right now, not to mention the fish can just as easily opt to come on board. I’m ready to react to a leap for the cockpit as Doc Prince and John Hoolihan sting the fish. The Satellite tag is in, it’s well placed, and the black marlin looks healthy as it swims off.

I dance on the tower as Juan rigs another bait. At least we’re not going 0-for Pamana.

A complete list of the upcoming trips are listed below, so if you’re looking to break up your winter by traveling to a tropical fishing paradise to chase permit, please think about attending one of these trips and supporting permit research. With sand between your toes and the warm sun on your back, the excellent permit fishing at these lodges are sure to cure the winter doldrums.

Pesca Maya Lodge Permit Tagging– March 31 – April 7

Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Adventures are partnering for a unique traveling angler program trip to Pesca Maya lodge in Punta Allen, Mexico for a week of permit fishing and tagging. Trip dates are March 31-April 7 2012, participating anglers will be fishing for permit with the goal of tagging as many as possible in ongoing efforts to gain a better understanding of rates of growth and movement patterns. In addition to great fishing, the travel angler program provides a great educational opportunity to work with a scientist and gain better insight into understanding fish behavior and their environment. Plus, funds will be raised for BTT’s mission.

BTT scientist Aaron Adams is scheduled to be in attendance and will teach tagging and fish handling techniques and answer questions about BTT’s research and conservation efforts. Adams is the Director of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and a Senior Scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory. He received a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s College in Maryland, a Master’s from the College of William and Mary, and a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Boston. He has lived, worked, and fished on both coasts of the US, as well as throughout the Caribbean, where he has been conducting fish research for more than 25 years. In addition to his research publications, he spends considerable effort translating science into fishermen’s terms, and has authored two books, many magazine articles, and has been part of TV shows applying fish science to recreational fishing and fish conservation.

To find out more information or to sign up please contact Brita Shaw at Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Adventures, (1-888-777-5060), brita@yellowdogflyfishing.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Cost for the 7 night, 6 day trip is $3,575 and is based on double occupancy and a shared boat.

Frontiers/Belize River Lodge Bonefish and Permit Tagging Challenge– May 12-18

BTT, Belize River Lodge and Frontiers Travel are pleased to announce the inaugural Belize River Lodge Bonefish and Permit Tagging Challenge to be held May 12-18, 2012. Anglers participating in this special research event will spend plenty of quality time fishing and will be rewarded with great memories and the knowledge that they have made a difference in conservation – all while staying at one of the Caribbean’s best fishing lodges. There will also be a number of chances to win new gear donated by top manufacturers.

During this trip (which is exclusively offered by Frontiers), we plan to tag as many bonefish and permit as possible with “spaghetti tags” allowing us to follow their growth and migrations. The information collected is critical in the effort to help conserve and enhance this amazing fishery. In addition, we will place at least one satellite on a big tarpon.

BTT scientists will be on hand to discuss and teach tagging and fish handling techniques and to answer questions about BTT’s research and conservation efforts. A presentation of recent scientific findings about our target species will be presented one evening. This will be a great opportunity to swap stories and have a chance for a one-on-one talk with a BTT scientist to really get into the “why” and “how” of bonefish, tarpon and permit biology – and angling. Prizes will be awarded on the final evening to those who tagged the biggest bonefish, biggest permit, most bonefish and most permit.

Fishing opportunities at Belize River Lodge are second-to-none. The lodge was one of the hosts for the BTT television show “Buccaneers and Bones” and is one of the top locations in the world for catching IGFA registered inshore Grand Slams and Super Slams.

To sign up for this fantastic adventure contact Denise Schreiber at Frontiers Travel (1-800-245-1950; dschreiber@frontierstravel.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). The cost of the 6-night/5-day fishing package is $3,199 per person based on double occupancy and a shared guide. Please note that Frontiers and Belize River Lodge will be making a donation on behalf of each trip participant to BTT. We hope that you will join us for an exciting week of fishing and tagging to benefit Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.

Permit Research Week at the Palometa Club–May 18-25

The Palometa Club has teamed with the BTT in conducting their new permit research on the Yucatan. Join David Leake from Tailwaters Travel and Bonefish & Tarpon Trust board member, John Ain, for an enlightening week of fishing and science on Ascension Bay. Anglers will participate in the tagging and data collection of permit and witness Dr. Ain provide guide staff training in tagging and tag recovery. Guests will also enjoy evening seminars educating us all on the facts and myths of permit, bonefish and tarpon throughout the Caribbean – as well as learn about the fascinating research being done by BTT to protect these marvelous species. Guests will also receive a FREE $100 membership to BTT.

About Jon Ain:
Jon grew up in the Northeast and attended Cornell University where he obtained a BS in Zoology. His Honors advisor was Dr. Perry Gilbert, the famous shark researcher, who went on to become the longtime head of Mote Marine Labs. Jon then attended Harvard Medical School and after a couple of years as a GP on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona/ New Mexico moved to Colorado where he did a residency in Diagnostic Radiology and practiced in a large group setting for many years.

In addition to BTT Board membership, Jon runs the March Merkin Invitational Permit tournament in Key West each year which has raised over 70,000 dollars for charities over its brief existence. Jon is the non-guide member of the board of Lower Keys Guides Association and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Psilos Funds, a group of venture capital funds.

An estimated 40 to 100 million sharks are killed across the globe annually due to commercial long lining techniques and shark fishing practices where the fishermen remove the fins of the shark and then throw it back into the water to starve. Shark finning is a popular practice to obtain the animal’s fins for use in a dish known as “shark fin soup” which is said to be an aphrodisiac in many Asian communities. This widespread commercial fishing practice, along with indiscriminate long lining have over the years led to the world’s shark population reaching threatened status.

Ocearch is focused on finding where sharks from around the globe migrate, breed, give birth, etc. in order to ensure an accurate regulated fishing boarder and improve conservation practices which will hopefully decrease the damage by commercial fishing practices and ensure a healthy, sustainable shark population worldwide.

Ocearch is the only team in the world with a successful track record of capturing, tagging, extracting blood, and DNA samples then releasing and tracking Great White Sharks. Their 126 ft research vessel “Ocean” is equipped with a custom 75,000 lb lift system which is able to lift the sharks out of the water, thus allowing scientists and crew members to perform hands on experiments with the sharks on deck.

In November of 2010 the Ocearch crew teamed up with scientists from UC Davis to expand their research from Great Whites to a wide span of different shark species. Pete Klimley, Alex Hearn, and Mauricio Hoyos assist the expedition team in tagging Galapagos sharks, Silky sharks, Silvertip sharks, and managed to be the first expedition team to successfully tag a Tiger shark in Mexican waters. Together they traveled to the Revillagigedo Islands, and Coco’s Island off the coast of Costa Rica.

In May 2011 Dr. Hueter, Dr. Whitney, and Doctor Morris from MOTE Marine Laboratory and Dr. Alex Hearn from UC Davis joined forces with the Shark Men team to study sharks on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Bull Sharks are the new challenges the crew faces; due to the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, as well as adjacent threats.

The crew was able to develop research questions on how the PAH’s and other oil contaminants from the BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill will affect the genetic, immune and reproductive systems of several species of sharks. The crew is also interested in knowing how the human population and other related environmental impacts affect the Florida Bull shark populations on a daily basis.

During their stay in Boca Grande, the scientists took blood samples, tested DNA and the reproduction system of bull and great hammerhead sharks, while also tagging the animals’ dorsal fin with satellite tags. The satellite tags beam signals to their science lab showing the shark’s location every time the shark comes to the surface over the next 5 years.

One of the reasons the team came to Boca Grande, Florida in May is the concentration of tarpon in Boca Grande Pass, a deep water inlet that at times attracts thousands of tarpon. When the tarpon arrive, so do the sharks—some of the largest bull and great hammerhead sharks on the planet, which feed on the weak and injured tarpon during their migration.

Scientists surmise that the sharks follow the tarpon on their annual migration along the Florida coast, and only come into Boca Grande Pass to feed, eventually moving back offshore once their appetite is satiated. While in Boca Grande, the Ocearch Crew spent three days offshore of the area with scientists from the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust trying to locate the tarpon’s offshore spawning grounds. That trip proved unsuccessful.

In the future, Ocearch plans on continuing to explore the oceans around the globe in order to help slow the decline in the overall shark populations. Future expeditions include: 2012-2013: Tigers of the Galapagos and across the Pacific to New Zealand’s great white shark aggregations including New Caledonia; 2013-2014: South West Pacific/Eastern Australia; New Zealand to Australia and its infamous great white shark populations;

2014-2015: South West Pacific/Western Australia; 2015-2016: South Africa. One of the most famous great white feeding areas yet little is known about this population and 2016-2018: South America and North America

By Sarah Hall

After a whirlwind of travel, I managed to track down Hunter Weeks, director of the upcoming documentary, Where the Yellowstone Goes. I cornered him on an Iceland Air flight from Reykjavic to Seattle. At 36,000 feet and nowhere to go, Weeks agreed to chat so long as I left him enough flight time to finish watching Avatar. We cracked open a couple of Tuborg Christmas Brew’s and let the reminiscing begin.

The director’s fourth feature release, Where the Yellowstone Goes came as a bit of a surprise to Weeks. It turns out that the only reason he was even able to direct the film was because he survived a backcountry trip with cast member/producer, Robert Hawkins. “I had the good fortune of meeting Robert while I was working at MercuryCSC, a creative agency in Bozeman, Montana. I fell in love with Montana and Robert took me out one afternoon to try my hand at split-boarding,” Weeks recalled. “It was touch-and-go for a while, but at the end of the day Hawkins and Weeks found themselves alive and well, chatting over a few rounds of sudsy mugs about the desire to float the entire length of the Yellowstone River.

“Whenever someone starts talking to me about a grand journey, my documentary film radar starts going crazy,” Weeks revealed.

When Hawkins expressed his desire to set his hand-built drift boat into the water just outside Yellowstone National Park and float until he reached the confluence of the Missouri River at Fort Buford, North Dakota, Weeks said the alarm bells were raging. In spite of minimal experience in the realm of boating and fishing, Weeks was hooked on the idea. In that moment, the two friends set out to make the dream a reality. Just over a year later, a crew of seven began a journey in Gardiner, Montana and spent the next 31 days floating to the confluence.

Weeks says every project begins with the right idea, lots of luck, and good people.

“There are a bazillion stories out there. I don’t know if a bazillion is even enough to come close to the amazing experiences people are having every day,” he enthused.

“Where the Yellowstone Goes is one of those projects that I recognized as a fun, unique idea,” he said, “There’s so much hard work that goes into a production like this, never mind the film, the logistics of this journey are immense. But that’s what makes this such a real experience. It was tough because we were having fun out there, we wanted to be having fun, but the work has to get done too. I’m happiest when the cameras are rolling, whether I’m shooting or someone else is. There are no do-overs out there.”

With hundreds of hours of footage, Weeks is confident the story is there.

“We shot so much. When there’s a camera in your face every day for a month, you get used to it. The story happens constantly. If someone’s fishing, cooking dinner, struggling with a tent, or having a great conversation with someone we met along the way, it’s all story,” said Weeks.

On the surface, Where the Yellowstone Goes is a documentary about a month-long float down the longest “undammed river” in the Lower 48, but audiences will find more depth than just a typical journey film.

“There were a lot of a-ha moments,” Weeks said, “I don’t want to spoil anything but I can tell you just the natural changes of the river meant a lot. Right down to how the fishing changed once we got downstream. The film is also about people and how we’re connected. Not just to each other but also through where we live and play.”

Beyond messages of conservation and preservation, Weeks hopes to engage viewers with a positive message about life.

“I want people to get out there, to live life to the fullest. I think it’s important to discover the world and uncover the things that are important to each of us. Once   we do that, it becomes easier to take care of what truly matters,” Weeks said.

Where the Yellowstone Goes wrapped production in late September 2011 and is currently in post-production.

“We’re in edit,” Weeks began, “Well, it’s on-hold right now as I finish my honeymoon. The latest development is that we were able to secure a musician we met in England. He’s working on some original compositions for the film and we’re really excited to be moving forward on that. We’re also working on the distribution plan. We’ve got meetings with partners like Trout Headwaters Inc., so we can put together the strongest plan for the film’s release. It’s a really wonderful time right now.”

As I started to ask another question, Weeks smiled and put his headphones back over his ears. The flight was nowhere close to being over but Avatar is a pretty cool movie and anyway, we were out of beer. Where the Yellowstone Goes comes to theaters across the U.S. in the spring of 2012.

They certainly aren’t the Violent Femmes or even Die Kreuzen, but when these three post mortem members of Naked Raygun, Bhopal Stiffs and Rights of the Accused leave the scene of Mutiny or the Liars Club, they hit the water ass deep in waders and San Juan Worms. While on the road with Pegboy, Larry Damore and Joe Haggarty work their backcasts, while Herb Rosen makes an appearance and occasional beer run.

Reverb: A Punk Rock Love Story is just one of the new film clips traveling the indie theatre scene in the 2012 Fly Fishing Film Tour by Costa, and if the initial booking of 125 venues is any indication this year’s tour will be riding the tide of enthusiasm from previous tours. Back again for a ride across the nation are the party atmosphere, the giveaways, the films that reach out and touch your soul and the drunk female audience that says she can, “out row all you skinny-assed mofo’s.”

This year’s tour includes films from the perennial fly fishing destinations like Montana, Florida, Idaho and the Gulf of Mexico—numbers three to six on your bucket list right after “Get a job and Buy a car.” Along with the local color are the traveling angler du jour opportunities in the Bahamas, Belize, New Zealand and Canada (AKA France lite).

Every film segment tells its own unique story, from a surgeon with Parkinson’s disease sampling Ernest Hemmingway’s less than sober fishing favorites to the high-tension drama that is the life of aquatically consumed insects, you know that the bug is going down in funky town. And don’t sweat the drunk chick, she’s just pissed she had to leave her dog outside.

The 2012 Fly Fishing Film Tour kicks off with a west coast swing starting January 26, at The Majestic Ventura Theatre in Ventura, California.For more information on the 2012 Fly Fishing Film Tour, the schedule, or to purchase tickets, view movie trailers and get a general idea if you’re going to be a misfit in the crowd, visit their website at www.theF3T.com.

I normally come in a week or two before the season and do some fishing with the boat crews to get everything dialed in and everyone working their “A” game, but I saw a piece of weed stuck to a bait for 10 full seconds before it got changed out, so the mate is about two seconds off his game. I knew I could depend on my fishing crew to have boats and tackle ready, but it was a bit foolish of me to think I could nail down the fishing patterns without a few days on the water.

Islas Secas is a 16 island private resort 25 miles off the coast of Panama, and when you face west, there’s roughly 9,000 miles (give or take a mile) of watery frontier, so to think I can set out on a tank of gas and a cooler of beer and find a black marlin to tag is just a bit presumptuous. It often takes two tanks of gas and a cooler and a half of beer to ride the tides from zero to hero around here. Today, I am Senor Cero…0 for December.

I have this fishery pretty well figured out, and the two main areas I like to blanket (Islas Montuosa and the Hannibal Bank) are only eleven miles or so apart, so it’s a fifty/fifty proposition and you get a good idea right away if you made the right call. The only problem is that it’s tough to fish both locations in one day unless you’re willing to call a spot dead early and risk hearing someone on the radio ride the bites into the hot boat of the day while fishing right where you were earlier as you spend the afternoon trolling your way to humility. So once you make the call, you’re usually committed.

Going into today’s fishing, I chose Islas Montuosa as the starting point based on the science of historical black marlin catch statistics, current weather patterns, satellite water surface temperature charts and a game of rock/paper/scissors. I was wrong.

The second I got there I knew it, but I hoped to scratch a fish out, vying for that “dying quail” pop-up that falls between the infield and the outfield, and instead I fouled out to the catcher. The water was dirty, baitfish were scarce as salted butter at a fat farm, and the only bird we saw all day was the one the mate flipped at a passing boat that ran over our lines. In essence, we were fishing in the desert. What a crap way to start the Islas Secas and Billfish Foundation Tagging Expedition 2011.

The casitas on Islas Secas run on solar power, so if we had one thing going for us it was knowing that a hot shower and cold beer were awaiting or arrival home. Despite the fact that many Panamanians still do not have air conditioning, there is something to be said about propping your feet up after a long day on the water and feeling the ceiling fan blow a blast of artificial refrigeration over your toes. It feels like…home.

With Day One behind us, it’s time to blow the top off a frosty one, think about what we saw and put together a game plan that will let us put some technologically superior jewelry into a fish or ten.

It’s a full day of travel from the defrosted airport in Jackson Hole to island resort of Isla Secas, 25 miles off the coast of Panama, two days if you want to sleep in and catch the noon flight out, which appeals to my sense of rising with the sun.  Best case scenario, you’ll spend 10 hours chasing flight connections and layovers through Denver and Houston before skidding in to Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport, but it’s worth every crying baby and the guy in the seat next to you constantly shifting from fever to chills. From Panama City, it’s an hour flight and a 45 minute boat ride to a complete de-stressing.

On the way there, the names of legendary fishing locations like Hannibal Bank and Isla Montuosa creep through your thoughts, along with images of big blacks leaving town. It’s the hottest ride on the billfishing stoke meter, a ticket that’s been punched by some of the greatest big game fishermen around the globe, and after a hearty filet mignon doble (twin fillets wrapped in bacon) black beans and rice and a couple of Balboa’s, it’s time to catch my ride for my third season in these legendary waters.

Black marlin are a declining species, even in these remote waters, which is why I’ve come armed with 15 satellite tags and the some of the best scientists, anglers and media diva’s in the business. As part of the Islas Secas, adopt a Billfish and The Billfish Foundation Satellite tagging expedition 2011 it’s my job to stick these modified children monitors into some of the fastest, hard-charging fish in the Pacific, and to do it without harm to the fish or crew.

I come armed with knowledge and a pocketful of optimism, after a December 2010 season in the same waters that saw more multiple fish release days than not and a 450 pound average to those fish. It’s prime time to get a stud black on the line, and over the next 10 days we hope to burn through all 15 tags, something no other black marlin tagging expedition has managed to pull off in the same amount of time.

So the pressure is on, just like the caffeine zing from the Panamanian coffee I just pounded, and with a full tank of gas and a light breeze, we’re heading west in another 30 minutes. Wish us luck, or at least a safe return.