SHELBURNE FALLS — The Deerfield River Watershed Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold its biggest fundraising event of the year this weekend by showing a series a films that are featured as part of the 20th annual Fly Fishing Film Tour.
Doors open at the Shelburne Falls Theater at Memorial Hall at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, and the films will start at 7 p.m. According to Michael Vito, a past president of the Deerfield River Watershed Chapter and a current member of the board, this is the first time that the local chapter has shown films from the national Fly Fishing Film Tour.
“Trout Unlimited, unlike other fishing organizations, does a lot of conservation work. That’s our primary focus,” Vito said. “This will help us fund some of the science projects that we do.”
One such study was conducted by a multitude of organizations over a period of four years. It found that most of the brown trout in the Deerfield River were wild, not hatchery-raised and stocked, which is what was believed by the state. This discovery, along with advocacy from Trout Unlimited and local anglers, led the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to cease stocking a section of the river with brown trout in 2023. The same decision was issued for rainbow trout in 2025.
Normally, Vito said, the local Trout Unlimited chapter’s biggest fundraiser would be its annual dinner. However, he and the other board members “wanted to try something different” this year, and settled on the films. While a meal won’t be offered, the price of admission has dropped by $45, going from $65 to $20.
Although the films are obviously focused on fly fishing, Vito said that shouldn’t stop people without an interest in fishing from coming.
“You don’t have to be a fly fisher to enjoy this,” he said. “This is for everyone.”
Vito added that one of the films that will be shown on Saturday is available to watch on the local chapter’s Facebook page, facebook.com/deerfieldrivertrout. The film was produced by Casting for Recovery, an organization that provides outdoor retreats for women with breast cancer at no cost to the participants.
All of the short films that will be screened at the Shelburne Falls Theater at Memorial Hall are part of the national Fly Fishing Film Tour. These films are shown across the world, with other stops including Australia, the United Kingdom, Oregon and California. A full list of tour stops can be found at flyfilmtour.com/schedule/global-schedule.
Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at tinyurl.com/pvd52j8b or purchased at the door for $20. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/3sycf6m8.
