There’s a certain kind of trip you don’t plan for comfort.
You plan for rain.
For mosquitoes.
For bleeding feet and a sore back.
And for the possibility that around the next bend — fifty kilometers from the truck — there’s a fish that changes everything.
That’s what Buckeyed is about.
An exploratory bull trout mission deep in the wilderness of British Columbia. Four days. Over 54 kilometers of river. A Ninja Flycraft boat. Unknown water. And the kind of adventure that reminds you why you fell in love with fly fishing in the first place.
Check it out:
The Mission: New Water, Big Fish, No Guarantees
Featuring anglers @paperbagfisherman and Joaquin Klein, and filmed and edited by @dustinlalikphoto, this Flycraft film captures something bigger than fish.
It captures exploration.
Half of the water covered on this trip was new. Unseen. Unproven. And that’s the risk.
Because when you explore, you don’t always catch much.
But what you gain is information — and information is everything.
“It was a real recon mission… I’d rather catch fewer fish and go different places and learn more stuff than just go to the same place over and over.”
That mindset is what separates repetition from adventure.
Why Bull Trout?
Bull trout are not casual fish.
They’re cold-water apex predators. They live where the water is clean, the current is strong, and the access is rarely easy. British Columbia holds some of the most pristine habitat left for them — but getting there requires effort.
A lot of effort.
On this trip, that meant:
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Hiking and floating over 50 kilometers
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Pushing through rain and bugs
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Camping deep in the backcountry
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Accepting that some days might only produce a handful of fish
And when one eats?
It feels earned.
The Boats That Made It Possible
Small boats were the ticket.
The crew used the:
Why small craft?
Because exploration demands maneuverability.
These boats allowed them to:
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Access narrow channels
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Cover serious mileage
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Pull off into remote side water
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Camp where others can’t reach
When you’re running exploratory missions, bulk is a liability. Mobility is everything.
The Film: More Than Just Fish
The soundtrack (featuring @riskylivers and @gravy.tunes) rolls under time lapses of gold morning light around camp. Mountains. Mist. Boats sliding into untouched water.
Then it cuts to the real stuff:
“Boom. Fish on.”
A custom fly — originally tied with cutthroat in mind — gets tested on bull trout. It looks like a circus. Sometimes a little circus is exactly what you need.
There are small fish. Hungry fish. Learning moments.
And then there’s the quiet realization:
“That information is so valuable. Now you can go back at the right time of year and do things properly.”
That’s the essence of recon.
You’re not just chasing fish.
You’re building knowledge.
The Kind of Trip We Live For
This wasn’t a numbers trip.
It was an unknown-water trip.
The kind where:
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You wake up early for gold light.
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You shoot time lapses before coffee.
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You swat mosquitoes between casts.
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You push farther than planned because curiosity wins.
It’s easy to fall into repetition — same run, same drift, same routine.
But repetition dulls the edge.
Exploration sharpens it.
And sometimes, the best reward isn’t a trophy fish — it’s knowing there’s still wild water out there waiting to be discovered.
Why This Matters
For Flycraft, films like Buckeyed aren’t about showcasing gear.
They’re about showcasing possibility.
The Ninja and Recon aren’t just boats.
They’re access.
They’re tools that allow anglers to:
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Break routine
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Run deeper into the wild
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Turn a fishing trip into an expedition
Because the kind of fishing trip we live for?
It isn’t the easiest one.
It’s the one where you don’t know what’s around the next bend.
If you haven’t seen Buckeyed yet, turn it on.
Let the music roll.
Watch the water move.
And then ask yourself:
When was the last time you explored somewhere new?
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