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DVD REVIEW: Hatch – An Extraordinary Fly Fishing Film

FILM maker and fly fishing fanatic Nick Reygaert is the man behind the annual RISE Fly Fishing Film Festival that has visited Australia over winter for the past several years.

The RISE festival showcases fly fishing films from around the world, and usually the latest feature from Reygaert’s Gin-Clear Media, which deservedly get top billing at these screenings. While Reygaert’s past documentary-style films have been of a quality rarely seen in this country, or anywhere for that matter, his latest effort takes the artform to a new level. HatchAn Extraordinary Fly Fishing Film is true to its title, and is simply stunning.

Hatch basically expands on Reygaert’s series The Source to document the sequence of events leading up to and following a “hatch” – a natural phenomenon that fly fishers across the globe live for. The film portrays insect hatches from around the world, appropriately beginning on the chalkstreams of England where fly fishing began, through to the incredible waterways of New Zealand, Tasmania, and into lesser known picturesque fly fishing destinations, Slovenia and Poland.

Tightly edited at 43 minutes in length, Hatch doesn’t have a wasted frame. Perfectly narrated by Greg French – sounding for mine like Rhys Darby of Flight of the Conchords fame! – the film has an arty slow-mo feel as it portrays the life cycles of mayflies, cicadas, willow grubs and the like, as well as ocean krill off New Zealand, as they evolve and become the target of obsessed predatory fish!     

The photography in this production is the best I’ve seen in any fishing film, it’s world class and would give a David Attenborough style doco a run for its money. A sequence in the film of brown trout leaping from the water to catch mayflies has to be seen to be believed – can’t wait to see it on the big screen…
The film follows the hatch process from many views, including underwater, and the slick editing that brings it altogether is a credit to all involved. After watching it I was left shaking my head in wonder as to how Reygaert and his production crew pulled the whole thing off. How he wil top this effort, now remains to be seen! 

I could waffle on further about this amazing film, but it’d be better served if people just took the time to see it. It’s pretty special. 

Stay tuned to Fisho for dates for the 2012 RISE Fly Fishing Film Festival.

For more info on obtaining a copy of Hatch or other films from Nick Reygaert visit:
Gin-Clear Media

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