Inside the Lens of Gilbert Rowley: Fly Fishing Films That Tell a Story
With : gilbertrowley
Every now and then, you come across a fella who isn’t just in the river — he’s part of it. We caught up with Gilbert, a fly fishing filmmaker whose lens has chased trout from high mountain streams to far-flung corners of the globe. He’s the kind of guy who sees a hatch the way a conductor sees a symphony — detail, rhythm, and story all rolled into one. Between projects and packing for trips that’d make any angler weak in the knees, Gilbert sat down with us to talk about how a borrowed camera, a wooly bugger, and a deep love for water turned into a career that’s as inspiring as it is technical. Pull up a chair and pour yourself a strong cup — this one’s worth the drift.
Gilbert, you've built a solid following as a fly fishing filmmaker. What first sparked your interest in fly fishing, and how did that lead to combining it with filmmaking?
Fishing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was always the little kid that would skip anything to go fishing, beg my older brothers to take me on the daily, and always dreamed of what kind of species lived in every pool of water we ever drove past... including swimming pools, rain puddles, and any other source of water no matter how big or small. I remember watching A River Runs Through It as a kid, and knowing that one day I wanted to fish like those guys. Then one day my mom saw an ad in the classifieds that mentioned a free fly tying lesson for anyone interested. She drove my friend and I to this guy's shop where I whipped up my first wooly bugger under his direction, and the rest is history!
Many years later while studying Fisheries and Aquatic Science at Utah State University I had already begun filming fly tying tutorials with a borrowed camera when I met Phil Tuttle, my now filmmaking partner. We hit it off. Fishing trips were soon being documented, a YouTube channel was started, and my nights were filled with editing videos in between the occasional homework. I also became friends with Devin Olsen while at USU which led to some of our early big film projects. For the next 8 years fly fishing and filmmaking were a part of my life, but so was my full time job and the need to provide for my young family. It wasn't until 2015 that I decided to quit the corporate world and jump head first into a self-made career as a fly fishing filmmaker. For the past decade I've been ever so blessed to call this my career.
As a fly fishing filmmaker, you've likely seen countless landscapes and moments on the water. How has your approach to filming evolved since you first started, and how do you decide what to capture on film?
Like most young filmmakers I used to roll camera almost non-stop. Thinking that at any moment something amazing could happen. I filled hard drive after hard drive with countless gigabytes of useless footage. Pre-production didn't really make sense in my mind. I thought you just showed up and documented whatever happened. Fortunately I've since learned that there is a time to hit record and it's far less often as I used to think. Now I find myself thinking through shots ahead of time, either in pre-production or on site before I hit record. On occasion I'll frame up a potential shot just to decide it doesn't fit the story, or the lighting isn't quite right, and I'll never hit record. With so many fantastic filmmakers emerging in our small little industry there's a need to stand out. The story itself will always trump the footage you're shooting, so I now try to focus more on the story than getting the perfect shot.
Gilbert, when it comes to creating content that both inspires and teaches, how do you balance the technical aspects of fly fishing with the storytelling in your videos?
This can be a pretty big challenge at times. I like to decide ahead of time which path each project will follow. I believe there are elements of a story in every adventure, but making sure the right story is told is key. I love the nerdy technical side of fly fishing. The techniques, bugs, flies, ecosystem, you name it! Some of these elements sprinkled into a narrative can really add to a film, but put in too much and it starts putting people to sleep.
What are your top tips for getting the perfect shot of a fish eating the fly? Is there a particular technique or setup you rely on to capture that moment in the most exciting way?
Dry fly eats are one of my favorite things to film! It's so exciting to have the camera pointed in the right direction, focus in the correct plane, and a willing fish that cooperates. There are some tricks to pulling off these shots for sure. First of all, I like to find scenarios that are at least somewhat predictable. For example, pointing my camera at a river full of fish isn't going to guarantee I frame up a riser. However, if there's a hatch taking place, if the water isn't moving too fast for me to find and stay on the fly, and if I'm seeing rising fish willing to hit dries, then I've got a chance of getting a solid shot. It then requires a lot of patience for the right moment to happen, but it does happen so make sure you're ready when it does.
Two other quick tips. If the water is crystal clear and the sun is high then I like to shoot an above angle when possible to show the fish elevate and come to the fly. If the water is turbid or the surface is glary then I like to get as low as possible, sometimes almost dipping my camera in the river, and film the rise from a low angle. Both can result in great shots so mess around and have some fun.
What's next for you, Gilbert? Any upcoming projects or adventures you're excited to share?
Thanks for asking! We have some fun trips coming up this year including Patagonia, Turks and Caicos, and possibly Brazil. But what I'm most excited about is the trout content we will be filming this year. We are focusing our projects around major insect hatches and the stories that go along with them. We are creating both narrative stories from these shoots, and we also have a TOP SECRET instructional project we've been working on for the past four years that will play a part of this as well. Lots of exciting stuff to come!
