20th Fly Fishing Film Tour celebrates anglers

An upcoming evening with The Fly Fishing Film Tour will bring together a medley of short films, an art pop-up, a community gathering and a conservation panel.

Skwala, Yeti and Costa are presenting the 20th annual Fly Fishing Film Tour, which will screen at 7:30 p.m. May 8 at The Arts Campus at Willits — along with giveaway prizes.

Often called F3T, the tour is a traveling showcase of short films celebrating fishing adventures, culture and conservation. It’s been touted as the original and largest fly fishing-film tour in the world. For its 20th anniversary year, the film shorts center on wild places, environmental stewardship and human stories behind fishing.

“Our love for rivers can bring us together and that’s what I’m most excited about. We’re in dire straits, but it is an opportunity for people to come together, to support what they love and to support our home, and to continue to love our home as we face some serious change,” Colorado native and artist Cassidy Willey said.

An artist pop-up and live painting with Willey starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by the screening and a Q&A panel on river health. The live painting will be inspired by actual river patterns, and Willey will sell a selection of framed small prints, waterproof decals and miniature originals.

“I do river art primarily, and flow art,” Willey said. 

She traces precise river data and uses a fluid, abstract process with mixed media to mimic how water moves to create evocative, abstract landscapes. 

Willey is currently represented by Main Street Gallery in Carbondale and Redstone Art Gallery in Redstone, Colo.

The evening’s panel includes Heather Sackett, Christina Medved, Lincoln Neiley and Scott Spooner. 

“I think this is a great opportunity for people to go and learn more about what to expect on our rivers this summer,” Executive Director of Roaring Fork Conservancy Rick Lofaro said.

The Roaring Fork River already peaked with runoff on March 27 — months early, according to Lofaro. He said this has caused the conservancy to be deeply concerned about low flows and elevated river temperatures.

Lofaro said the angling community will need to self-regulate and stay off the water when necessary, especially during voluntary closures. He cited Colorado’s “Clean, Drain, Dry” public education and prevention campaign, led by Colorado Parks and Wildlife to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species, noting that boaters should clean, drain and dry their boats, powerboards and kayaks in addition to properly disinfecting waders. 

Lofaro also advocated for cleaning river sandals and dog paws after stepping into the rivers.

“We need everybody to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem here, and not spread these things,” he said. “We’ve got the opportunity to kind of keep things at bay with good participation from the public, from commercial outfitters, from anybody who’s using the river, and that doesn’t mean just anglers — anybody who goes in the river.”

Another call for action is “Hot Spots for Trout” by the Roaring Fork Conservancy. 

“We need more volunteers to come in and do temperature recording for us. We want everybody to carry a thermometer,” Lofaro said. “If it’s 68 degrees Fahrenheit and they’re out fishing, it’s time to reel it in and go home.” 

Tickets range from $25 to $35. It’s an all-ages, seated show. Those under 18 years old must be accompanied by a legal guardian. The venue is located at 400 Robinson St. in Basalt. 

For more information and tickets, visit tacaw.org/calendar/fly-fishing-film-tour.