Summer in Europe

It's rare to see European fly fishing DVD's an even rarer to see an Eastern European fly fishing DVD. This is one. Polish brothers Andrej and Peter Polcic have captured a delightful trip through Europe on film, and edited the whole thing with lots of good music into half an hour of appetizing fishing from small and large rivers and lakes in Europe.

This is not a where-to-go video, neither is it a how-to-do-it. It's much more a why-we-do-it video, that underscores the little wonders we experience when approaching the water, gearing up, selecting a fly and casting to that one particular fish we have spotted. Don't expect names of rivers or even countries mentioned, because the brothers do not reveal any of their little gems to us. Som spectators may be able to recognize places, but in general even I as a European can only guess where they are fishing. Not that it matters much, because it's not the scope of this film to indulge in locations, hatches and fly choice. It is much more like a tapestry of beautiful fishing scenery, nice fish and smiling faces.

The quality of the imagery is not top-of-the-line. We're probably talking DV-recordings done with normal hand-held consumer camcorders. I've seen much worse, but there are telltale signs of the brothers being amateurs or at least beginners at this. That on the on the other hand is outbalanced by the fun they have, how they enjoy fishing and catching and the beauty of the scenery. Plus their ability to convey it all to us.

This is another DVD, which I find a bit on the short side. A mere half hour is not quite enough to fill my stomach. I have a gaping appetite when it comes to fishing videos, and I could easily have taken an hour of this. It would have been great with a bit more information on the fishing. Not necessarily kiss-and-tell information about waters and valleys, but just an introduction to the particular pool, pointing out currents, lies and fish and telling us how they planned to approach the fishing. I'm not expecting a fishing school, but some words on the experience would have been nice.

But all who I have shown this DVD have all had a great half hour and commended it. The Polcic brothers deserve a score of five on our scale because of their effort as much as the actual result.