The Oscars: CFS' 2025 Fly Fishing Film Tour Awards
There are four questions a pretty good fly-fishing film has to answer in order to be considered truly great.
The Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) came to Portland last week, and I had the chance to go check out some fun films, and say hi to some friends. I wanted to give a few commendations for my favorites.
But first: The entire experience is a rip-snorter. There are merch giveaways, libations, and plenty of crowd participation. Sometimes local fly shops host pre- (and after-) parties, where fun is had and even more of that sweet, sweet merch is given way.
Most broadly, the Fly Fishing Film Tour is a great early-season energizer. It's something everyone who fly-fishes—whether you're a trout snob, a steelhead junkie, or salty dog—can get excited about.
Promotional stills from some of the F3T selection screened in Portland this year
Step inside:
- What is this?
- Jump to the films
- See which films got awards
- Some notes for fly-fishing filmmakers
- The films I missed and want to watch
What is this?
If you're a regular newsletter reader you know I love fly-fishing video. When done right, a great video can really raise the stoke.
It reminds me of the feelings I'd get watching skateboarding videos in my teens. We'd watch a VHS from Videojack (real name, they had all the Bones Bridgade videos to rent), then be ready to shred. It fired you up to go out on your own and try new things, and be creative.
Even when a fly-fishing film is not so great, it's at least new information for we voracious consumers of all things fly-fishing.
This is my attempt to offer some laurels to the films I loved from the 2025 Fly Fishing Film Festival (F3T) and invite you to share your thoughts, or send along your favorites.
What isn't this?
Whether I liked them or not, I'm not here to lump negativity on any of these films. This isn't a swoop-and-poop. All these films took time, energy, and love to make.
I'll include some common areas where I thought films might do better in general, but the model here at Current Flow State—around any creative work—is very much "praise or ignore".
If you made one of these films that screened as part of the Fly Fishing Film Tour, or even if you went so far as submitting a film that didn't become an official selection, thank you for bringing your creativity to the sport.
