Orvis 50/50 comes to NWA
Join us for a family-friendly night of fly-fishing films! You’ll leave the event inspired and energized by the 90+ minutes of storytelling which highlights anglers and fisheries from around the world.
Films include:
Argentina Unbound
From Idaho’s Salmon River to the Malleo in Argentina, one family searches for big browns, new horizons, and a chance to reconnect.
Connection
A lifelong angler, Autumn Harry had never fished beyond the waters of her reservation — until she picked up a fly rod.
The Future is Female
Smith Fish Ambassador Mia Sheppard has been guiding and fishing on Oregon rivers for over 15 years. In that time she has seen a lot of changes from what was a male-dominated industry to becoming one where she sees more and more women participating and becoming more involved. The Future Is Female celebrates women like Mia who are part of that change and encourages other females to pursue their thrill.
In a Word
Catch a glimpse into a recent Casting for Recovery retreat. It's hard to describe the healing power of nature and the magic of CfR in a word, the experience is unique for every woman.
Kick Plastic – Abaco Lodge
Oliver White is a world traveling angler and Costa Ambassador who owns two prestigious lodges, Abaco Lodge in the Bahamas and Bair’s Lodge in South Andros. In all his travels he could not shake the disturbing sign of plastic littering everywhere. Oliver has committed to the Kick Plastic cause and has removed single-use water bottles from his lodges. He estimates that he has already saved over 100,000 bottles.
Kio Kio
In the northwest corner of the Tuamotu Archipeligo of French Polynesia lies the tiny Anaa Atoll. The people who make their home on this long dormant rim of an underwater volcano are working to build an economy around the atoll’s world-class flats fishing. The result is a fish population that is now seen by the locals as something that should be protected and promoted to destination anglers rather than netted, exploited and shipped off to foreign markets.
The Last Best Man
Hilary Hutcheson’s father, Dave, has dedicated his life to the outdoors. After spending decades as a Park Ranger at Mount Rainier National Park, he retired to Montana’s Glacier Park and all but retreated from the wild activities that defined his career. But Hilary is changing all that, by taking her father out on the water to learn the sport that became her life’s calling – fly fishing.
Motherfish
Motherfish is a mother's spoken-word thoughts on the meaning that fishing has brought to the lives of her son and his best friend. It isn't about catching fish – it is a quiet celebration of the lost art of patience, and how a mother can help bring meaning to her children's lives by enabling adventure.
My Mom Vala
Life has a way of putting us where we need to be. For Vala, that’s in both Greenland – where she works at her family’s fishing lodge – and Reykjavík, where she teaches her daughter how to do it all on her own, too.
No Excuses
Alaskans Nelli, Linda and Erin are passionate fly fishers, but sometimes it takes more than passion to go fishing.
Not Mine, Ours
The Smith River drainage is located south of Great Falls in Meagher and Cascade Counties of west-central Montana. The river drains the Big Belt Mountains on the west, and the Little Belt and Castle Mountains on the east. From the confluence of the North and South forks, the Smith River courses about 120 miles through a broad agricultural valley then into 45 miles of spectacular deep limestone canyon country. After leaving the canyon, the river rolls through a valley edged by rolling hills and comprised of grasslands and cultivated tracts. Approximately 125 tributaries contribute to the Smith River. Besides the 50-mile-long North Fork and 38-mile-long South Fork, Big Birch, Newlan, Rock, Sheep, Eagle, Tenderfoot and Hound Creeks are important tributaries. Several, such as Sheep and Tenderfoot Creeks contribute high-quality water to the Smith’s mainstem and serve as important spawning tributaries for the Smith’s famous wild rainbow and brown trout.
Learn more at smithriverwatch.org
Why 50/50 on the Water?
The 50/50 on the Water campaign aims to inspire more women to get out on the water and discover the joys of fly-fishing. By breaking down some of the barriers that keep women from enjoying time on the stream, we can add new perspectives and bring new voices into the sport. And if we are going to protect what we love through conservation efforts, the more voices the better.