Aussies Abroad- The Art of Fly Fishing
Meet Josh Hutchins and Daniel Mylonas. Two mates about to embark on a documented month long adventure to South America, with specific focus on Patagonia; “the land of chocolate, meat, wine, scenery and fishing” as Josh so aptly describes it. Josh has been fly-fishing since the age of 13 and has developed a strong following as the Aussie Fly Fisher. He travels on a regular basis to find the best fly-fishing spots in the world. Daniel is an all round creative professional with a keen eye for detail and a love of craftsmanship in every sense of the word. Both country boys at heart (Josh is from Bathurst and Dan from Goulburn) they share a strong connection with the great outdoors, fresh air and open spaces. When the two became friends, Josh introduced Dan to the world of fly-fishing and all that it entails. This is where the adventure really begins…in Dan’s mind. “The point of this trip is to document the experience of the journey”. Dan’s vision is to veer away from the notion of fly fishing videos as purely instructional and present viewers with a more soulful visual documentation. The common goal for the two is capturing the process from a large panoramic scale right down to the finer details of fly-fishing, giving viewers a glimpse of the heart and soul of what this sport is all about. Josh describes the experience of trekking through rough terrain to remote places around the world, as a process of earning exclusivity to breathtakingly pristine landscapes. Dan hopes to capture this challenge and snapshot the visual reward as Josh sees and feels it. On the opposite end of the visual scale, zoom right in on the miniscule components of the actual fishing flies. Made from a mix of raw natural materials and synthetics, Josh has collected and hand crafted minutely detailed flies that resemble the insects specific fish feed on at certain times of the year. It seems the experience of fly-fishing has more to do with the pure connection of man and nature on both a macro and micro level, and less to do with actually catching fish. It’s the process itself of understanding your surroundings, respectfully interacting with it by testing your knowledge and skill; that leads to the success of catching the fish. When asked what he does when he gets his catch Josh simply replied “I often let it go. To me it’s about collecting the memories of where I have been, what I have seen and the skill involved in the catch that matters”. Stay tuned as we report back on what the boys bring back to share with BYO. http://www.patagonia.com.au/ By Maria Maung |
|
