THE HISTORY OF SPORTFISHING

A 9-part film series produced in the style and spirit  of the award-winning documentary filmmakers, Ken Burns and Bruce Brown, who established the blueprint of how to make history come alive.

Since the beginning of time men and women have fished to provide food. They took to the seas and rivers in dug-out canoes, tied vines and roots into nets, sharpened branches into spears, and honed shells into hooks as a means of harvesting fish for survival.

This is the story of how the sport of fishing was born.

About the Project

We are creating a limited 9-part television series on the history of sportfishing, that will enable us to preserve decaying old home movies, 8mm, 16mm and 35mm fishing films that have been collected over the years. Some of these films are nearly 100-years old. But they are turning to dust in the archives because time has caused the celluloid filament in the film to dry out. The stock is becoming so brittle that unless these historic films are not digitized soon, they will be lost forever. Once digitized, copies will be entrusted for safe keeping to the International Game Fish Association.

CHAPTERS

Chapter 1 - The Birth of Big-game Fishing
Chapter 2 - The Birth of Bass Fishing 
Chapter 3 - The Birth of Fly Fishing 
Chapter 4 - The Evolution of Rods, Reels & Line
 Chapter 5 - The Evolution of Fishing Boats, Motors and Electronics 
Chapter 6 - Spirit of Competition - Freshwater
 Chapter 7 - Spirit of Competition – Saltwater
Chapter 8 - Women in Sportfishing 
Chapter 9 - The Future of Sportfishing – Conservation

Chapter 1: The Birth of Big-Game Fishing

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The origin of big-game fishing can be traced to Dr. Charles Fredrick Holder, with his catch of a “leaping tuna” on Santa Catalina Island on June 1, 1898. This was the first tuna in recorded history ever caught on rod and reel.