Fly Fishing Film Tour to make stop at Fort Smith, Ark.

As Oklahoma anglers gear up for the opening of trout season, it’s a good time to also plan a spring trek to Fort Smith, Ark., to sample the cinematic excitement of the fifth annual Fly Fishing Film Tour.

The tour, featuring 10 short films about fly fishing in some of the most exotic locales on the globe, makes a stop in Fort Smith on Thursday, March 24. The show is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Fort Smith Cinema 12, 1200 South Waldron Road. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Thus far on the published schedule, it’s the only stop on the 80-city tour that comes close to Oklahoma. The tour started Sunday in Brunswick, ME, and wraps up June 25 in Craig, MT, with other nearby stops in St. Louis, Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N.M.

Featured films offer an array of action clips from prime fly-fishing destinations around the world, with eye-catching cinematography, colorful commentary and engaging storytelling.

On this year’s film itinerary, anglers go fly-fishing for Mako sharks, for elusive permit in the Florida Keys and for colorful billfish in Guatemala. One short chronicles a homecoming in Wisconsin by fishing pilgrims in pursuit of smallmouth bass and a ragtag odyssey through Mexico to the Yucatan Peninsula in a pick-up truck powered by vegetable oil.

The roster of short films included is:

“Itu’s Bones” – An inspirational story about a young man’s journey from being a traditional bonefish netter to becoming a top-class bonefish guide.

“The Waters Of Greenstone” – Two childhood friends with a lifelong dream of exploring the wilderness backpack into the most remote places of New Zealand and explore one of the last true homes to the world’s most elusive trout and attempt to climb the tallest mountain in the country.

“GEOFISH” – This adventure travel doc follows the exploits of four die-hard fishermen who convert a diesel truck to run on vegetable oil to fuel their 8,000 mile journey to the tip of Baja and across mainland Mexico to the white sand beaches of the Yucatan Peninsula.