The Gem is super excited to host the annual FLY FISHING FILM TOUR (F3T), presented by Costa, YETI and Simms , for the FIRST TIME EVER. F3T promises to deliver a top notch selection of short films that are sure to get you fired up for the fishing season ahead.

The 2023 show will feature locations from Cuba to Patagonia, Mexico to Australia, Alaska, Wyoming, the Deep South, Massachusetts and beyond. Experience the achievement of a permit slam, follow one man’s journey from Mexico to the waters of Wyoming, explore the best international waters and compete for the legendary belt buckle.  Join us for a journey of adventure, friendship and the best fly fishing action. 

The F3T is the original and largest fly fishing film event of its kind. Come for the action and stay for the giveaways and camaraderie that will feed your fishing addiction.

The Gem welcomes Erin & Garin Martin, the new owners of Bethel Outdoor Adventure, as partners for this NEW event! They have graciously offered to raffle off  TWO Canoe Trips, each for a party of 4 people, that leave from West Bethel and end at the campground. The raffle proceeds will benefit Mahoosuc Land Trust. Erin & Garin will take the stage before the film to fill you in on their exciting plans for the summer! Thank you, Bethel Outdoor Adventure! Kirk Siegel from Mahoosuc Land Trust will follow with information about MLT’s projects along the Androscoggin.

 

2023 Film Line-up:

Cape York

Red dirt roads, untouched flats, and remote river systems, Cape York is an iconic part of Northern Australia. Home to the endemic ‘Anak Permit’ and hard-fighting Barramundi, Cape York offers some of the best, most diverse saltwater fly fishing in the world. Join us on the adventure as American angler, Dave McCoy, joins Aussie Fly Fisher, Joshua Hutchins in the wilds of Australia. Special thanks to Tourism Australia GFOaA, YETI, and Costa Sunglasses for their partnership on this film.

Filmed & Edited by Kane Chenoweth.

The Belt Buckle

The Belt Buckle is an epic western-inspired tale that follows four friends and their pursuit of ultimate fly fishing glory. For just over a century, an exclusive fly fishing competition has been held each and every season.

Whoever catches the biggest fish that year goes home with the elusive Belt Buckle, a family heirloom that dates back to 1922. It has been passed down the Berry family line, now belonging to two brothers Cale and Riley, who have continued the tradition, bringing in their closest friends and fishing buddies to compete in this momentous event.

So, sit back, buckle up and enjoy the drama, comedy, and excellent fishing this wild tale has to offer.

Sabalo

There are several reasons why the Austrian fisherman Helmut Zaderer comes back to Cuba every year. He has been fishing in salt water for many years in the best places in the world but Jardines de la Reina – a protected marine park without commercial fisheries at the Cuban Caribbean East Coast – is one of his favorite places to fish. There are few spots like this anymore – no boats, ships and tourists – untouched nature, healthy corals and lots of fish instead.

In May 2022 Helmut went there with his videographer Vaidas Uselis especially for creating this unique film about Tarpon fishing. In Jardines de la Reina there are usually big schools of these fascinating upto 100 pound powerful fish on the flats. In SABALO – that’s how the Cubans call the Tarpons – you’ll see how fascinating flyfishing in this great area can be.

Steve’s Red

Steve is an all-around Southern fly angler. He’s caught everything on the fly: smallies, largemouths, sunfish, and even gar. But, one fish eludes him— the crown of Southern saltwater— redfish.

The plan is simple: head down to an overwater camp deep in the Louisiana bayou and notch a thick piece of copper glory. But, as the BlueLine FlyCo guys are known for… shenanigans ensue.

The Holy Well

For 15 years, a group of friends have battled budgets, bad timing, and bad luck. From weathering hurricanes, to being marooned on an uninhabited island, they’ve seen it all. Well, except for good fishing.

This year they’ve joined forces with a sage of flats fishing, Nick Denbow, who just might have the key to unlock their fishing misery. All signs point to the “Holy Well.”

Bleed Water

In a sleepy corner of New England where most rivers have been forgotten due to industrial era damage, Dan and Tom Harrison have spent over a decade changing the perception of the North East for anglers all over the country. What were once thought of as uninhabitable rivers are now being recognized as some of the best fisheries east of the Mississippi. Armed with western guiding skills and flatbeds with winches and rafts, the brothers starting dropping into any blue line they could find.

New England is a part of them, and the waters flow through their veins. Their near manic obsession with finding the next great river has taken them over the sides of guardrails and even down a waterfall or two. That unwavering commitment to throw a raft into anything that looks fishable has turned into a cornerstone in their region, unlocking epic fisheries all of New England’s guiding community.

Wading for Change

For conservationist and angler Jr Rodriguez to become “like the pictures he saw in magazines,” he had to leave behind what he loved the most. By juxtaposing Jr’s origins in Houston, Texas, and his current home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, we share his journey of learning to love the outdoors and what it can be like to participate in outdoor sports in Western mountain towns as a person of color.

4 of a Kind

Fly fishing has brought Oliver White and Jako Lucas to the farthest reaches of the globe in search of countless species, uncharted waterways and adventure. The abundance of stamps in their passports may only be surpassed by that of the stories they’ve collected along the way; tales of triumph, connections and, sometimes, misadventure.

To some, it may seem that Oliver and Jako have ‘done it all’. This film debunks that notion, chronicling their quest to do something neither has yet to accomplish: complete the permit slam. Having both caught three of the four widely known species of permit to date, “4 of a Kind” follows these two friends as they travel to Oman in pursuit of the Africanus, their fourth and final permit species.

With its arid desert climate and dramatic rock faces, Oman’s coastline abruptly meets the turquoise, turbulent waters of the Arabian Sea, home to this elusive saltwater species. A relatively unknown challenge for most fly anglers, the Africanus and its unique environment plays with a stacked deck against this seasoned duo. Watch Oliver and Jako play their hand to see whether or not they have what it takes to hit “4 of a Kind.”

Cache of Gold

Follow Seth Blackamore as he takes a few new friends high into the Eastern Sierra Nevada in search of Golden Trout. Blackamore has been exploring these mountains and lakes for almost a decade and this adventure proved to be the wildest one yet. With help from a local pack outfit, Blackamore loads the crew up on mules to journey up to 12,000 feet to set up a basecamp for the late-summer adventure.