Australian fly-fisherman Chris Reygaert holds a perfectly
conditioned almost 8lb (3.6kg) sea-run trout from
Tasmania's Arthur River, before releasing it, during
shooting of festival feature film 'The Source' last year.
Fly-fishing film-maker Gin Clear has secured its first
European film tour, which will include a two-month Icelandic
stopover for shooting its next feature film.
Despite the worldwide recession, Te Anau-based Nick Reygaert
has seen a 20% increase in audiences since beginning his
river and salt-water fly-fishing film festivals three years
ago, having now had more than 100 screenings throughout New
Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
"The festival attracts a cult-like following and often has
sellout crowds wherever we go," Mr Reygaert said when
contacted yesterday.
Gin Clear's latest "world tour" begins in Dunedin next week
with a four-film fly-fishing festival at the Academy Cinema
next Monday, before visiting other New Zealand venues.
Then follow more than 20 shows around Australia, and at least
nine shows in northern Europe, before heading to the United
Kingdom.
Footage in the 2009 Rise - Fly Fishing Film Festival
incudes Drift, unusually shot on expensive 16mm film,
depicting fishing in Belize, the Bahamas and India,
Raising the Ghost, which focuses on dry-fly steel-head
fishing in British Columbia, and Drum, salt-water
popper fishing for reds in Louisiana.
Mr Reygaert filmed and produced the festival's feature film
The Source, shot over 10 weeks in Tasmania last year,
with the assistance of Tasmania Tourism.
The southern hemisphere's first trout were released there
more than a century ago, and their progeny became the
breeding stock for several southern countries.
Travelling the world filming and showing fishing movies might
sound an idyllic pastime to many fishermen, but Mr Reygaert
pointed out he has spent the past three months locked in an
editing suite.
He has also employed a second person to oversee Gin Clear's
marketing and communications.
While in Europe, from November, he has set aside about 10 to
12 weeks for filming in Iceland.
Sea-run rainbow and brook trout, Arctic char and Atlantic
salmon will be the target species there.
"It [the Iceland film] is really important for us to break
into the European market," Mr Reygaert said.
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