Running the Coast: 1,000 Miles With the Striped Bass Migration
500 years in the making. The award-winning Running the Coast is the first movie to ever successfully follow the entire migration of America's original gamefish: The Striped Bass. The fish that left Captain John Smith and Native Americans gobsmacked by their number and fearlessness in 1600's America, now seduces sleepless anglers {with both conventional and fly rods) from The Chesapeake Bay to Maine on the ancient migration path. The fish's yearly ritual from state to state has gone uninterrupted for centuries, yet today is threatened by over-fishing. Their passion to stem the decline is a theme that runs through every bold chase, catch and the safe release that follows. Striped Bass, born in rivers, head intrepidly to the sea to grow up to 100 lbs, and visit more coastal centers than any fish in North America. Along their path, we see a cast of characters that care for nothing else except finding and catching these fish. Sleep, families and work suddenly have no importance. The highlights include: The fabled BLITZ in Montauk and New Jersey, a phenomenon bringing thousands of bass into a small area to chase baitfish, biblical in both sight and reputation. (Pink Floyd's Roger Waters joins in for the madness.) Fly fishing on white sand for wary "Stripers" in Island and bay waters that are a dead ringer for the Caribbean. World Record Holder (and ex football star} Greg Myerson shares his secrets, a flood of jokes, and the story of the lure and the fish that changed his life. A late night on the Hudson River below New York City with a first responder from 911 and Ground Zero, who fishes at night with the memories of 2001 on his mind. Master fly angler and legend Lefty Kreh as well as old friends and pros Bob Popovics and Paul Dixon. The "worm hatch" before a storm in Rhode Island. Two young guides who have been skipping school for years to join up at their secret spot off the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Locations include: The Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore of Maryland, The Jersey Shore and Island Beach State Park, Rhode Island, Montauk, NY ("The sportfishing capital of the world,"), New York City, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod and Nantucket. Sharing rare vintage footage collected from fishing eras gone by and nominated for film of the year by the Drake awards, this is truly a documentary film unlikely any other.
Starring
Greg Myerson
Director
Jamie Howard