We’ll end today with Best Overall film. Produced by the Felt Soul Media tandem of Travis Rummel and Ben Knight, they’ve taken top honors two years in a row. Their film “Running Down the Man” - a must see at their website www.feltsoulmedia.com - won best overall film last year as well.Note: Although we didn’t get to show all 10 films that made the cut, you can view them at The Drake magazine website: www.drakemag.com. Read More »

Today’s film comes from Captain Will Benson, a guide based in the Florida Keys who specializes in Tarpon and Permit.

Living in the Keys as a young boy, Will has spent a lifetime connected to the water. What began with cleaning boats to earn gas money when he was 11 years old, has matured into a “250 days a year on the water” guide schedule. Read More »

A few months back at the annual Fly Fishing Retailer show held in Denver, Cloudveil co-sponsored, with The Drake magazine, the second annual Fly Fishing Video Awards party. Read More »

Now that mountain bike racing season is over, it’s time to do all the things I can’t do from January to the end of September.

I needed a non-cycling adventure to unwind from the long season.

Backpacking would be the order of the week. The place: Holy Cross Wilderness Area near Vail, Colorado. I have been there before and have wanted to go back ever since, because of the stellar fishing and spectacular scenery that reminds me of Jackson Hole. Read More »

I am sure Izaak Walton shifted in his grave. An excerpt from Walton to the Reader of The Compleat Angler or The Contemplative Man’s Recreation:

“I think all that love this game (fly-fishing) may here learn something that will be worth their money, if they be not poor and needy men; and in case they be, I then wish them to forebear to buy it; for I write not to get money, but for pleasure, and this Discourse boasts of no more; for I hate to promise much and deceive the Reader”

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Flat Creek is a legendary cutthroat trout stream in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. If you fish, you’ve probably heard of it. Here’s a quick look, from thesnaz.com, at opening day, August 1, 2007.

Guiding is hard enough if you are working with two distinctly different people, but if you have two best friends, about the same age, size and ability named Frank, the confusion factor is higher, especially when the excitement heats up.

Here’s the story:

After fishing for four days strait, and heading into the final day of the fishing week, I threw out the option to the group:

“What kind of experience would be the best way to wrap-up your ideal Patagonia fishing week?”

I knew I had the Franks for the next day, two best friends who had traveled to hunt and fish all over the globe together. Over a few glasses of wine and some quiet back and forth nudging and recollection, they announced that they wanted to spend the day taking it easy on a high mountain lake, being rowed around the tullies (weeds that form the apron of almost every body of still water in southern Chile), and dry fly fish for trophies.

“We had our best luck with big fish on the lake,” Frank added.

“My shoulder is sore, and I want to watch Frank catch some fish and relax,” the other Frank said.

“10-4! Sounds like a great plan.” I was really excited in knowing that the fishing jury had delivered a unanimous verdict of outstanding fishing everyday a guest had fished flat water in our lagoons and lakes. The fish seemed to be really concentrated on the outer edge of the weed-line feeding on both dragonflies and cicada beetles. The lake was the perfect answer, so with one day to go, and two guys named Frank, the plan was set; how could we fail?

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