Fish Porn Galore as film festivals hit Utah

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The only thing better than landing your own fish is watching others catch the ones you wish you had caught. The annual chance for anglers to form plans to exotic destinations or relive the agony of the ones that got away has arrived in the form of the 2012 Fly Fishing Film Tour or F3T as promoters are calling it. The Utah premiere of the show is Feb. 25 at a new venue - the Depot, in the Gateway Mall of downtown Salt Lake City just west of Energy Solutions Arena. Tickets are $12 and in limited supply at Western Rivers Flyfisher in Salt Lake and Fishwest in Sandy. You can also purchase tickets at the F3T website for $15 or at the door (if it doesn't get sold out). The show starts at 7 p.m. The lineup this year delivers on all fronts. Among my favorites:"Clearly B.C. Part One: Fall Bullies" by Todd Moen. Excellent video, production and editing."Missouri Trout" from Sharptail Media. The Missouri is a personal favorite and relating to these guys as they talk about he frustrations of fishing it is disheartening and encouraging at the same time.My favorite is "The Kodiak Project" from LDR Media. Watching folks I know on a dream fishing trip to Alaska to chase steelhead is agonizing, but so worth it.Be prepared to answer a call out by Western Rivers Flyfisher owner Steve Schmidt to contribute to the Utah Stream Access Coalition and its legal fight to return access to anglers.If you can't make the Feb. 25 or tickets are gone before you get some, another showing of F3T will take place March 24 under the Wasatch Fly Fishing Film Festival title as part of the Wasatch Fly Tying Expo. That showing will take place at the Miller Free Enterprise building auditorium on the Salt Lake Community College campus, 9750 S. 300 West, in Sandy. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.Yet another chance to take in some fish porn with your buddies sitting next to you comes on March 22 when the International Fly Fishing Film Festival debuts in Utah at the Ragan Theater on the Utah Valley University Campus, 800 W. University Parkway, in Orem. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at Parks Sportsman, 644 N. State St., in Orem, at the door or on the web. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Utah Stream Access Coalition.