Video Hatches: World Fly Fishing Championships

Today, information from world-renowned experts is just a swipe away. But not all online content is created equal. The upside of today’s information superhighway is that everyone gets a voice, compared to earlier times when gatekeepers decided whose voices would be heard. While I’m grateful for countless pioneers including Lefty Kreh, Dave Whitlock, Joe Brooks, and many more, we all know there were many talented fly fishers in the past whose voices were never heard.

On the flip side, the negative to this open platform is that anyone with any level of skill or knowledge can produce content. And while there’s much valuable content, there’s likely even more misinformation on the Internet. The most viewed content doesn’t necessarily provide the best information.

Some content creators have better video-editing skills than angling knowledge. Some influencers have entertaining online personalities or good looks to get the most views. If you enjoy choreographed fish-porn footage, anglers high-fiving each other and tossing cold brews between boats, and dreamy drone footage, there’s plenty of that available. But if you’re searching for practical fly-fishing information, it takes time to filter through a lot of the fluff.

How do we know how what content is credible? It’s easier for experienced fly fishers to filter than for newbies and intermediate anglers. I’m thankful that numerous companies like Fulling Mill invest in online content to inform anglers of all skill levels. And whether you like it or not, a lot of today’s (not all) innovations come via competitive fly fishing. In the last several years, Fulling Mill has created an amazing video library featuring some of today’s best competitive anglers who, I believe, are among the most credible sources of fly-fishing information today.

This leads me to Fulling Mill’s six-episode video series highlighting Howard Croston—one of the world’s top competition anglers—as he prepares for the 2024 World Fly Fishing Championships in France.

Known as “Smiley” to his teammates, Croston isn’t likely to win an Emmy Award for charismatic performances. I’ve been fortunate to know Croston as a colleague for almost 20 years while working the fly-fishing show circuit. What I’ve come to appreciate about him is his no-nonsense approach to becoming a great angler. I’ve never seen another fly fisher, competitive or recreational, put so much effort into continuous improvement.

Croston’s attention to detail is what many would call OCD, but he says, “It’s all about the fine margins.” He strives for excellence in every single aspect of his fly-fishing and fly-tying skills. In many ways, he reminds me of my favorite basketball coach—UCLA’s John Wooden—who was known for reminding his talented players how to put on their socks correctly to avoid getting blisters.

Masterful anglers like Croston play the internal scorecard, meaning their efforts are attempts to learn more about the sport, rather than to get more page views, or likes on social media. They do the work that few are willing to do to earn the right to be called champions. Fulling Mill invested nine months collecting and editing the footage to put together this first-of-its-kind documentary about one of the best living fly fishers. Here’s a sneak peek.

Episode 1

The first episode introduces Howard Croston. Fly fishing consumes every minute of his life since childhood. Then the film dives into how Croston got involved with competitive fly fishing and how he evolved from being a cocky know-it-all youngster to a humble fly-fishing Jedi. You’ll see the dedication and attention to detail top anglers put into their fly-fishing game on a weekly basis. You’ll read how Croston’s wife, Lucy, watches him walking around the house with his gear, retrofitting his net’s magnet placement to ensure the most efficient movements for both netting fish and returning the net to its resting spot. You’ll understand how he has spent hundreds of hours fine-tuning and organizing every piece of equipment he carries on the stream. Everything Croston does is with attention to detail.

Episodes 2 and 3

We learn how the World Fly Fishing Championships is structured. Croston is not only a competitor but also the captain of the English team, responsible for organizing and preparing the squad for the big event. Howard uses the lessons he’s learned the hard way to prepare them, especially when it comes to the mental approach to fishing a beat. Howard’s brutal honesty and constructive criticism with himself and his teammates may be a bit too much for the average leisure fly fisher, but not for competitive anglers seeking greatness.

Episodes 4 through 6

The enjoyable last three episodes show the good, the bad, and the ugly as Croston and his team fish hard until the last second of the five-day 2024 event. Competitive fly fishing is not for the faint of heart—it’s taxing both physically and mentally. Watching Howard progress from Session 1 through Session 6 on various French rivers is a master class, demonstrating how a true champion deals with adversity and fishes unknown waters for the first time. Seeing his ability to observe a new environment and adjust is priceless. If you ever thought “How would a world champion fish this water?” here’s your opportunity! Most people will never go to the same lengths as Croston to catch fish, but maybe that’s not the point of this film. I watch this series for the same reason I watch the Winter and Summer Olympic Games—I get the opportunity to watch the best in the world perform their craft. It’s a joy to see athletes perform at their peak. And most importantly, Croston inspires us to become better fly fishers. If you want to become a better angler, surround yourself with better anglers. Or in this case, watching a six-part master class will provide the framework (mechanical and mental) for achieving greater results. This film is the fly-fishing equivalent of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series. It’s exactly what the sport of fly fishing needs.

Click here to watch all six episodes. 

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