International Fly-Fishing Film Festival featured for second year-in-a-row at National Conservation Training Center

One of the short films in this year’s International Fly-Fishing Film Festival plays in the National Conservation Training Center’s Byrd Auditorium on Nov. 7. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The International Fly-Fishing Film Festival (IF4) was held for the second year-in-a-row in the National Conservation Training Center’s (NCTC) Byrd Auditorium on Nov. 7.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national historian Mark Madison welcomed those in attendance to the festival.

“Tonight, we have the fourth showing of the International Fly-Fishing Film Festival films, here at the National Conservation Training Center!” Madison said. “We’re so pleased to see everyone here tonight.”

A crowd of fly-fishers and nature lovers alike gathered in the auditorium, ready to view the world’s leading fly-fishing film event, consisting of short films produced by professional filmmakers from all corners of the globe. This year’s festival featured fly-fishing films from such diverse locations as: the Amazon River; Quebec, Canada; Iceland; the Everglades; the Bahamas and South Caicos.

“Some of these films were really good!” said Carol Culvyhouse, of Martinsburg. “I really admired the ones that were about preservation, in particular.”

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national historian Mark Madison welcomes the crowd to the International Fly-Fishing Film Festival in the National Conservation Training Center’s Byrd Auditorium on Nov. 7. Tabitha Johnston

Although Culvyhouse is not a fly-fisher, she said the festival certainly tempted her to try the sport out, especially because of how thoroughly it embraces the outdoors — something dear to her heart, as a Master Gardener and Master Naturalist.

“I fished, years ago, with my son. But we never did fly fishing,” Culvyhouse said. “This was fun! I really enjoyed the film fest.”

Martinsburg resident Kevin Murphy said the festival has reinvigorated his love for the sport.

“I want to get back into it!” Murphy said. “I lived in Montana for a decade and then in Yellowstone for six months, where I spent some time fly-fishing on the Teton River, which was featured in one of the festival’s films. Over there, the river’s really wide, so you have a lot of space to cast. Here, you’re primarily casting into creeks, and so you have to be very precise. It’s very different.”

A trio of friends — Bill Stiebel, Jim Clay and Bill Shabb — who drove up from Winchester, Va. to the festival, said it reminded them of many of their own fly-fishing trips together. A couple of the films also gave them ideas for future fly-fishing adventures.

“It’s aspirational. It makes you feel like, ‘I need to go there!’” Stiebel said. “I particularly liked that place in northern Quebec.”

Shabb nodded his head in agreement.

“That looked great! They were truly remote and all by themselves,” Shabb said of the film by Fred Campbell, which was filmed on the Tunulik River. “That film was probably more representative of the true fly-fishing experience than some of the other films, where the filmmakers didn’t appear to have to deal with the challenges caused by wind and rain.”

Clay said he definitely hoped to come back to the festival again next year, when its films make their screening tour across North America.

“This was great!” Clay said. “The facility is fantastic.”

To learn more about IF4, visit https://www.flyfilmfest.com/.

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