Filmmaker Tobe Carey’s nonfiction feature, while standing waders-deep in the fly-fishing/outdoor documentary genre, aspires to cast a wider net than mere angling with an ode to and cultural portrait of the Esopus, a river with its origin in Slide Mountain. From one of the highest peaks in the Catskills of New York state, the Esopus eventually reaches the Hudson River in Saugerties.
Not only was this a key site in the development of dry-fly tying, but the Esopus also succored a First Nations community who particularly feasted on the river's bountiful eels. But as the Esopus became a major supplier of freshwater to the metropolis of New York City, monied interests moved in. Eventually, they built the Ashokan Reservoir, flooding out many original villages (though trout-fishing pools were created and stocked in the meantime for the benefit of the rod-and-reel set).
We hear a number of rancorous rich vs. poor protest songs by Tim Kapeluck on the soundtrack bemoaning the fates of the early settlers and luckless nonwhites, hooking social-justice inclined viewers. Currently, a watershed association strives to preserve the ecosystem, while fly-fishers still make pilgrimages from far and wide to try the Esopus. Interviewees include authors Evan Pritchard and Chester Hartwell, and archival material pays tribute to the well-remembered lodges and diners of yesteryear that served the sportsmen.
Collections in the New York/Northeast region are prime territory, though general travel-and-leisure shelves (especially catering to fishing) are also friendly waters. (Aud: H, C, P)