Currents
N E WS
THE FIRSTBASS ON THE ROAD TEAM FELL SHORT OF SCORING A ROYAL BASS SLAM, BUT THAT ONLY MADE
FOR A BETTER FISH STORY. PHOTO: COURTESY BASS ON THE ROAD
BASS ADVENTURE SEQUEL PROMISES EVEN MORE FISH
Fish answer to no man. You can have the best weather, the best equipment, best an- glers and best intentions, but if the fish aren’t hungry, you can’t make them bite. That’s exactly what happened in last
year’s kayak fishing adventure film, Bass on the Road. The story follows a band of madcap, hardcore paddle anglers as they try to score a royal slam by catching seven species of black bass on a whirlwind tour of the Southeast. But a few days before filming began, a tropical storm rained on their parade. While the weather was beautiful for the trip, the storm turned the water into chocolate soup and put the fish into hiding. “After three days of traveling and fish-
ing with little to show we were exhaust- ed,” says the film’s director and co-star Bob Bramblet, “morale was low.” On the last day of the trip, the team mustered its strength to attack Terrapin Creek in Ala- bama. The water cleared, the fish cooper- ated, and even though the crew didn’t ac-
22 PADDLING MAGAZINE
TAKE TWO
complish the royal slam, Bass on the Road had a happy ending. So, what does an angler do when the
fish get the best of him? Well, go fishing again, of course. That’s exactly what Bramblet and crew
are planning for 2014. For the sequel to Bass on the Road, the team is filming an- other four-day binge, this time in Florida’s Everglades National Park. “This time we will work out of a central
location and have more time for fishing,” Bramblet says. The team will target every- thing from tarpon to largemouth bass on fly tackle. “We learned a lot on the first film,” Bramblet admits. “First, don’t plan on achieving a very difficult goal in a short amount of time.” The film crew has also grown to include a carpenter for rigging, still photographer and sound and film ex- perts. “We also learned a lot about mak- ing a film with the first Bass on the Road,” Bramblet adds, “especially about telling a story on film.”
For this roadtrip, Bramblet will again be
joined by co-star Jim van Pelt and River- stalkers pro guides Evan and Bridget How- ard, Eric Hughes and Stewart Venable. In addition to highlighting the phe-
nomenal fly fishing available in the Ev- erglades, including explosive action on exotic species such as Mayan cichlids, oscars and peacock bass,
the film crew
hopes to capture the environment, his- tory and culture of this unique American jungle. “Maybe the anglers will run into a Seminole Indian guide who will show them some secret fishing areas,” Bramblet muses. “We may have to use machetes to cut a path through the wilderness to find the pond where there are peacock bass.” Along the way, the anglers will run into
a cast of local characters as wild as the Ev- erglades, including world-famous Bigfoot hunter, David Shealy. “Shealy is an expert on the skunk ape—the Everglades’ version of Bigfoot,” Bramblet says. “I hope he will share some crazy stories about the area.” Just like any fishing trip, Bass on the Road
2 is about more than just the fish. “We’re making this film to show people that any- one can have these adventures,” Bramblet says, “stop thinking about it and do it!” To watch the original Bass on the Road,
go to
www.rapidmedia.com/0151. —Ric Burnley
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56