Author: Barbara Klutinis
Publisher: Barbara Klutinis, Feb 2010
Binding: DVD
ISBN: 0-BK-10
Synopsis
Fly fishing women reflect on their connection to rivers, lifes experiences, & each other through their favorite sport. An ode to fly fishing. 43 min.
More Information
Available Formats: DVD, mini DV, Beta SP (NTSC and PAL)
Director's Statement:
Stepping into the Stream is not just about fly fishing. Intrinsically, it is about women connecting with nature and a deeper part of themselves. Its about our being willing to take risks to learn something new that will allow us to commune with rivers and wildlife. Its about finding an adventure all our own, and relishing it.
I discovered fly fishing very late in life, in my 50s, after I had finished raising my children and my teaching career was winding to a close. Because this was not an interest that I could share with my family, I searched out a womens fly fishing club to find mutual companionship in learning this new sport. I have never thought of myself as an outdoors woman, even though I have been an avid skier since my 30s. Now that I have been in this sport for 10 years, I have discovered that there had always been a part of me that had been crying out for a closer connection to nature, a part that yearned for crisp foggy mornings on a river, and quiet evenings on quiet streams.
My father loved fishing. He used to take me fishing on the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) lakes when I was young, and it was the time I felt really connected with him. He would bait my hook with worms or soft dough, and we would sit for hours by the lake with our bobbers bouncing up and down on the mesmerizing water. I dont remember if I ever caught a fish, but I do remember loving to be beside him on the lake. Good time for thinking. Sometimes I think of him when I am out there at the end of the day and am reeling in a fish that I caught all by myself. I know he would take some joy in seeing this.
One of the women in my fishing club suggested that women who join our fishing club, and stick with it, are usually going through some kind of transition. As I got to know more women in the club, I found that to be so. Some women had lost their husbands through death or divorce, some women were experiencing the empty nest, and still others had finally found the time to do something for themselves. All told, it is a hearty group of women who love travel, a good glass of wine, and meaningful conversations by the fire after fishing. Also, some of the women in my club are even older than I am, and I have found some wonderful role models who are still fishing while in their 80s.
Some people have asked me why I havent put myself in the film, or interviewed myself. I tell them that this film is my interview. It is everything I have ever thought, felt, dreamed about with regard to fly fishing. It represents all my experiences, my frustrations and my joys in this sport. My Buddhist-leaning friends ask me why I dont feel bad about hurting the fish. I guess I have somehow made peace with that in myself. I try not to harm the fish, I release them, and I am respectful of their environment. My belief is that if fishing is a vehicle for me to enter nature and become more mindful of preserving the places where I fish, then how can that be a bad thing? I made this film because I wanted to share with other people the joys of this sport. My hope is that maybe some other women will take confidence from this film and find the courage in themselves to try something new.
