Redfish Can't Jump

If the weather won't let you go fishing with your buddies, you might as well go drinking with them. And it helps when there's a good fishing related event in the deal. Wednesday's grim weather forecast kept Eric and me off the western roads (we're such wimps) but allowed us the great pleasure of attending a screening of Redfish Can't Jump at a local Raleigh watering hole.

Redfish Can't Jump is a captivating treatment of the joy, beauty, and difficulty of chasing our state fish, the redfish (or red drum, spot tail, puppy drum, whatever you might call them) in these North Carolina waters, but it’s also a thoughtful documentary on the issue of gill nets and how our state's fishing regulations are exposing the species, along with the sea turtles that share the coastline, to great harm.


After listening to a couple of songs by the artists who provided much of the film’s terrific soundtrack (you gotta love a good didgeridoo), the movie began and the room full of fisherman spent the next 45 minutes laughing at botched strikes, murmuring appreciatively at fine casting, and cheering hookups - not to mention enthusiastically "Damn right"ing many salient responsible stewardship points. We were entertained, educated, and motivated, all at the same time, hallmark of good documentary film making.


Redfish Can’t Jump does it right. It’s visually stunning, educational, and a heck of a lot of fun for fishermen and non-fishermen alike. Supplemented by a pint (or two) of Fat Tire on tap and a few good friends, it provided an all-round great evening.

The Redfish Can’t Jump website challenges us to “Join a few salty anglers on their journey as they uncover the good, the bad and the ugly facing this invaluable resource on North Carolina’s coast.” I’m more than ready. I'll, no doubt, be the ugly.

Now, where’d I put my 8wt?