It was just by chance that 2 of the 3 video’s in this review had musical accompaniment by Ray LaMontagne. But I’m not complaining. They are great video’s and Mr LaMontagne can put you back into a nostalgic moment in an instant.

First up is a video/ photo montage by John Konkal. John Konkal is a photographer based out of the Los Angeles area. He shoots everything from cars, to Laker games, but I think he has a true talent for fly fishing photography.  He seems to be able to capture the moments of a trip that are the epitome of fly fishing again and again. In this video he is shooting a series for Winston Fly Rods in Montana. When I clicked on the link for the video, I thought to myself, okay here is another Montana trip montage, haven’t seen enough of those. Then after a few breath taking shots and some sweet crooning from Ray, I was in for the ride. There are too many video’s out there trying to take fly fishing to the extreme and make it more “current”, whatever that means.  This montage takes fly fishing back to the basics, and yes, it is current. Great job John.

Next up is a video from Outside Bend Productions out of Oregon. There is so much great fishing in Washington, we sometimes forget to look to our neighbors to the south for fishing opportunities. Well, this video is a great reminder that we NEED TO go down there and fish. Outside Bend Productions highlights the plentiful aquatic life (read fish food), as well as the experience of fishing the Metolius. Plus, hey, they got Ray!

Last but not least, we have a fly tying video by Troutsiders. The Troutsiders are a group of guys and girls crazy about fly fishing, and through media are sharing not only the fish they land but the experience along the way. They also have a bunch of pattern videos. There are a lot of pattern videos on the web and quite frankly, most are extremely boring. I usually find myself fast forwarding through them because I don’t want to know how to throw a half hitch, or how to dub thread for the hundredth time.  The Troutsiders have keyed in on this. They provide great music, tweak the video speed a bit and add needed commentary when appropriate.  The fly is not bad either.