I was going to just say "wow" and leave it at that but I suppose that I should expand upon that just a bit. Once in a Blue Moon is a documentary film about one man's quest to fish and document one of the famed "mouse years" in New Zealand. Every so often (7 years +/-) there is a chain of events set in motion by a mild winter that leads to a strong spring for the beech trees that flower and subsequently seed, which leads to a lot of seeds, which then leads to very well fed mice, that leads to an explosion in the mouse population, which finally leads them to their watery death when they don't have anywhere else to turn for food and space. The trout feed heavily on the mice at this time and this film, 3 years in the making, takes us on a journey through New Zealand chasing trout feeding on mice.
It's a great premise for a film and it delivers on the fishing action but where it truly excels is in the cinematography, scenery, and HD filming - this is an incredibly well made film! If you have ever had the desire to go to New Zealand but needed a little push, this should shove you right over the edge. The landscape of NZ is breathtaking and thanks to some high tech cameras and daring helicopter pilots, Once in a Blue Moon captures some of the best footage that I have ever seen. From a fishing standpoint, there were quite a few times when I had involuntary outbursts as a result of a giant trout mouth emerging to engulf a fly, or monster fish jumping out of the gin clear water. On top of that, it is captivating to watch a really well executed fly cast unroll and hit its target and the DVD delivers some wonderful casting scenes too.
I loved the DVD, the one potenetial downside is that at $29.95 for 38 mins it isn't exactly cheap, but I would say that the quality of the film certainly makes up for the quantity. Highly recommended! If you are a reader of the blog in the Traverse City area, we are playing the DVD in the shop so stop in and check it out.
The Northern Angler
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