AT News: Film Has Changed Fly Fishing

The value of good storytelling will never, ever die.

Film Has Changed Fly Fishing

I am a magazine editor and writer by trade, so I admit to having a bias for the written word. As such, I’d posit that, as good as you might think the movie A River Runs Through It was/is (and I think it was/is a truly great picture), it isn’t nearly as good as the novella itself.

Don’t get me wrong. I think Robert Redford did a masterful job with the film adaptation, but the best parts of the film were the ones that directly resonated off the pages–the opening and closing sequences most notably among them. The fact that Redford so honored the original words is what makes the film special to me. I’m not dinging the movie at all, but I’ve never once heard anyone who has actually taken the time to read A River Runs Through It say, “the movie was much better.” That’s because you cannot do better than perfect.

I think the literary tradition in fly fishing is as strong now as it ever has been. The “print is dead” mantra is hogwash. I actually think that was an insult from marketers who assumed younger generations of anglers were too stupid to know how to read, or at least appreciate a good story.

The value of good storytelling will never, ever die.

Now, having said all that, it’s clear that film and video have emerged as equal, if not greater, media when it comes to storytelling in the fly-fishing world. In fact, one can argue that film/video have had more influence in shaping the sport for recent generations, starting with “The Movie” in the early 1990s. The book was written in the mid 1970s, and it took bringing it to the silver screen to realize the profound impact it would have.

And that also has been transposed to short film. Red Gold galvanized a movement to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine. Running Down the Man inspired people to chase roosterfish from the beach. Low and Clear put real soul into the steelheader’s experience. For years, half the people who went to AFFTA’s International Fly Tackle Dealer Show did so, at least in part, to take in the Drake Film Awards. Fly Fusion also bridged the gap from print to video by creating the International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4). The Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) has been passed through a handful of owners and outlasted the Covid crisis, and now still packs theaters.

Having just taken in F3T and seen the films in IF4, I think the quality of films is improving. Yeah, sure, there’s still a lot of gratuitous fish porn and unabashed chest pounding by certain brands (yeah, I saw your logo 30 seconds ago, and 30 seconds before that, enough already). And some filmmakers are still following some basic recipes: slo-mo fish eating, slo-mo fish jumping, cha-cha-cha soundtrack music and drone shots from above.

But the really good filmmakers are drilling down on some legitimate storytelling. And more often than not, that revolves less around fish, and more about people and the beautiful places they experience.

As far as I am concerned, it’s all good. Print, film, video, podcast, photography, finger painting, whatever. If it’s about good storytelling I don’t care which media. Give me more of all of it. Please. – Kirk Deeter

Fly Fishing for Makos

Mako, one of the (better) F3T films this year from FISKA Media, is about Conway Bowman, the shark fishing Mensa from San Diego and his lifelong pursuit of mako sharks on the fly. We’ve known Conway for a long time, so his story is dear to our hearts. Outdoor sports, and fly fishing in particular, tend to birth a uniquely regrettable demographic of self-promoting shills and hucksters, who overcomplicate every aspect of the craft, so they can sell “solutions.”

Conway has never been one of those.

He is and has always been ruthlessly committed to interacting and understanding the apex creatures that swim in his backyard, and I’m not sure you’ll find anyone with a deeper knowledge base and genuine curiosity about sharks, and makos in particular. He’s dedicated his life to the subject.

This film is also a welcome departure from the “broey,” tough guy depictions of Conway and his craft, which have circulated the media space for a couple of decades. FISKA’s iteration explores the more poignant aspects of Conway’s relationship with his father, who taught him to fish, as well as his own evolution as a husband and father.

When we messaged Conway to explain the film in a few sentences, this was his reply: “I’ve built a life chasing one of the ocean’s most inspiring, curious and menacing fish: the mako shark. And my journey started with a father who believed in freedom over boundaries, shaping me into the fearless angler and independent thinker I’ve become. This project also showed me how lucky I am to have had a dad who took me fishing, and gave me a long leash. I definitely carved my own path, and eventually became a husband and father. It all comes full circle…”

For more Conway coverage, read our classic book chapter fromTideline: Captains, Fly-Fishing, and the American Coast (2004), as well as the more recent 2025 interview. Both are worth the read. – Andrew Steketee

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Lindsay Kocka’s Wade Well Program

Wade Well is a functional movement, mobility and recovery training platform developed to serve the unique demands that anglers encounter. Founded by Lindsay Kocka, Wade Well applies movement science and neuro-informed training principles to build and maintain joint health, balance and physical resilience in demanding environments.

Flylab members have access to the Wading Strong Online Program, a multimedia clinic that’s targeted to support the physical demands of wading. The program focuses on lower body joint mobility, balance and functional movement strategies for anglers who spend extended time standing, walking and navigating dynamic terrain. Wading Strong is an accessible entry point to the Wade Well methodology, providing an immediately usable exercise and training program, a deeper breakdown of principles and knowledge for on-water application.

Flylab discount: 20% off the Wading Strong Online Program with a Flylab membership.

Recent News

• Chris Wood from Trout Unlimited writes on a recent roadless win: Roadless areas help define the character of America. “Happily, Idaho and Colorado were exempted from the Department of Agriculture’s recent proposal to rescind the protections of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule from 45 million other acres of publicly owned land. But what makes sense in Idaho and Colorado makes sense across the country. Hunters and anglers need to make their voices heard to protect all of America’s roadless areas from this misguided proposal…”

• More from TU on the Roadless: New Report Highlights Importance of America’s Roadless Areas for hunting and fishing traditions. “A new report from Trout Unlimited highlights the critical role America’s roadless national forest lands play in sustaining fish and wildlife habitat, supporting hunting and fishing opportunities, and protecting clean water for communities across the country. ‘America’s roadless areas are the quiet workhorses of our public lands,’ said Chris Wood. ‘They produce the cold, clean water that trout and salmon depend on, they give elk and mule deer the space they need to thrive, and they offer hunters and anglers access to quality hunting and fishing that’s getting harder to find…’” Read the full report.

• Outdoor brand opportunities with public lands. Chris Keyes of Re:Public at the Outdoor Industry Association’s annual rendezvous conference talks about brand opportunities for companies willing to take a stand on public lands. “Here’s what I also want to emphasize: the market is beginning to reward brands that stand up. Last month’s Colorado College poll of 3,400 voters across eight Western states found that 76 percent want their representatives to prioritize protecting public lands over extraction. 91 percent said existing national monuments should stay as they are–including 87 percent of self-described MAGA voters. A Trust for Public Land survey put national opposition to selling public lands at 74 percent, across party lines. Public lands read as a community issue. Public lands aren’t immediately polarizing. And when outdoor brands push back against short-sighted policies and promote long-term stewardship of these places–the economic health of gateway communities, the public health benefits of access to nature, the wildfire resilience that comes from well-managed forests–they can reach an audience that climate framing alone simply cannot. That doesn’t mean giving up a company’s core values. Long-term land stewardship can have as much impact on carbon sequestration as almost any other conservation effort. The issues are the same. The framing is wider. The audience is broader.” Good (branding) food for thought.

• Western weather: Parts of Montana could set daily snowfall and high temperature records in the same week. “Florence Miller, a hydrologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said the storm cycle was hugely helpful in increasing snowpack. Lower- and middle-elevation snowpacks have struggled to retain snow this year due to above-average temperatures, she said. Before the storms, water basins in Montana had snowpack between 70 and 90% of median levels, according to NRCS data from daily snow-measuring site readings. Following the weather event, those basins have rebounded to between 90% to 110% of the median. The storm did mostly miss the Gallatin and Madison drainages, Miller noted, so those areas remain drier than normal and are faring similarly to how they were in early March.”

• More western weather. Big Sky Country Snowpack Report from BSA: “The Upper Henry’s Fork is a somewhat lower elevation watershed, and the snowpack is, as expected, lower. It’s been really warm down there, and Rob Van Kirk is predicting that the peak snowpack this year has already occurred, 28 days earlier than normal. SWE is at 65% of median, down from 82% at the time of our last report. SWE is 58% of the median peak with 25 days remaining in the typical snowpack building period. This puts us in a spot with less snowpack than last winter, and the year before.”

• From American Rivers on dams: A Big Year for Reconnecting Rivers in the U.S. “In 2025, the United States removed 100 dams. One hundred outdated, often crumbling, and frequently dangerous structures were pulled from our waterways across 30 states. You might be wondering: weren’t dams built for a reason? Yes, but most of those reasons are outdated, much like these dams. The U.S. has more than 500,000 dams in its national inventory, and a staggering number of them are simply sitting there: no longer generating power, no longer supplying water, no longer serving any practical purpose. What they are doing is blocking fish from reaching spawning habitat, warming water in stagnant reservoirs, threatening public safety, and accelerating flooding risks during storms.”

• Kyle Frost is thinking about selling tourism in A Different Kind of Destination Marketing (without the hard sell destination marketing). “I started writing this newsletter on a plane, flying back to London from New York. Between meals and trying to sleep, a tourism ad played before one of the movies I chose to watch. It was for a Canadian destination, but I genuinely can’t remember for where. There was snow. Drone shots. Hero landscapes. A slow motion shot of someone fly fishing. All paired with a voiceover about wonder or discovery or whatever word the agency landed on. It hit every beat you’d expect from a tourism board with a production budget. It was beautifully produced, but generic, and (clearly) gone from my memory before the opening credits rolled. It got me thinking about how places sell themselves. Most destination marketing operates on a similar formula: show the most photogenic version of a place, pair it with aspirational language, plaster it as many places as you can, and then track how many flights and hotel rooms get booked…”

• From Frontier Anglers: client tipping best practices for 2026. In general, 15%-20% is considered standard, but when should you consider tipping more? “A special fish that you’ve been dreaming of that you will hang a picture of in your office home or post to social media. If the guide worked hard with you to earn that fish consider a bigger tip. If a guide makes an effort to fish with you every year and keeps days open just for you and your enjoyment of your day is enhanced year after year by this same guide, consider tipping more than you would someone you just met.”

• Media brands getting into lodging? I guess this makes sense… Field & Stream magazine is now running the Field & Stream Lodge in Bozeman, MT. “The same attention to detail that the F&S editors put into an issue of the magazine seems to have gone into every detail of the hotel’s design. Everything–and I mean everything–is on theme. There’s the common use of wood, plaid, and antlers, of course but even the smallest details are outdoorsy.” The prices are decent (~$200 per night offseason, more during in-season) and it’s dog friendly. Strangely intuitive gamble for a media brand…

• CPW provides Blue River update: Jon Ewert, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologist, gave a “State of the Fish” presentation March 16 in Silverthorne, CO. “Ewert covered three sections of the Blue River as well as a section of the Colorado River west of its convergence with the Blue and just north of Summit County. He spoke about fish population data Parks and Wildlife has collected in those stretches in recent years, the stocking strategies used in them and more.” Interesting, but not a lot new–it’s a flow driven river and watershed.

• Tonight–Wednesday March 25, 6:30 p.m / EST–Kirk Deeter is at Ladybird Books in Charleston, South Carolina. Garden & Gun’s editor-in-chief Dave DiBenedetto will host a discussion on Deeter’s (and Matt Supinski’s) new book A Fishable Feast, Fly Fishing and Eating Your Way Around the World. There will also be audience Q&A and book signing. If you’re in the Charleston area and want to talk storytelling with these guys, please swing by. Ticket info.

Fly-fishing Media

Foster Huntington writes eloquently and convincingly on institutional (nonprofit) elitism: Metal roofs, banning hunting and fishing and other aesthetic decisions made in the name the Environment. “Groups of powerful people, dictating the terms by which untold future generations of people can engage with the natural world based on aesthetic and ideological bases, not science, drive me battshit crazy and will ultimately prove to undermine the very causes they claim to protect. Through all of this is an underlying stench of classism that emanates from these ‘grassroots’ nonprofits and activists, like the smell of dogshit from the sole of a shoe. If the trustees and administrators of these nonprofits really cared about the areas they claimed to protect, they would live a life closer to them; instead, those places and topics largely remain a backdrop for their Instagram photos, discussion for dinner parties, and topics for fundraising emails.”

• TFFJ interviews filmmakers and photographers Chase and Aimee Bartee of Tight Loops Fly. “After a spring and summer of whirlwind travels that brought them to Greenland, Japan and Mongolia, we were fortunate to catch them at the Bozeman Public Library, of all places. In this episode, we talk about their travels, the challenges of creating art on the road, bear problems in Japan, and what was the final straw in their decision to sell their Vanagon.”

• Christopher Schaberg reviews J.C. Vande Zande’s Blood of the Witness Tree. “I could hear the ghost of Norman Maclean in the pages: ‘A river was like life, and each downstream bend came with the promise of opportunity. One just needed to keep moving forward.’ The fishing scenes, relentlessly dry-fly oriented, are riveting and true to form. The experienced reader can feel the various trout hooked, caught, and lost. And the ambience of the place is legit: anyone who has trudged through Michigan cedar swamps scouting for brook trout will feel embedded in the forest of the prose…”

• George Revel, owner of Lost Coast Outfitters, is out at the Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club talking about roll casts and excess slack. Some great tips and lessons here.

• Also check out George’s striper community on the northern California coast–“fly fishing in a washing machine for the ‘perfect’ fly rod fish…”

Gear Buzz

• Ombraz founder, Jensen Brehm, discusses his uniquely designed sunglasses, authentic brand equity and building a carbon-negative supply chain. “We launched in 2018 with an Indiegogo campaign and crowdfunded our launch. We didn’t really have much expertise in the sunglasses vertical, besides the fact that we knew we had a concept that actually provided a lot of value for people. We pre-sold a million dollars worth of these armless sunglasses without a supply chain. We sold pairs in all 50 states, all seven continents and 52 unique countries with the initial campaign…”

• Justin Waters, the Community Marketing Manager for Grundéns, sits down with the Wet Fly Swing Podcast to discuss the history of the brand, new product initiatives for 2026 and even a little punk rock.

• Hatch Magazine has been testing some gear they like (March 2026): One: Skwala RS Bibs: “For anglers and guides who put in their share of foul-weather days on boats, Skwala is offering a solid solution in its new RS Bib waterproof outerwear. The bibs are fully breathable, waterproof, stretchy–the idea was to construct a rain bib that acted more like a good pair of durable hiking pants.” Two: Redington Classic Trout Kit Outfit. “Farbank’s value brand has for years offered anglers some serious gear for prices a bit more in line with mainstream budgets, and the company’s latest kit offering should be no different. The Classic Trout Kit features Redington’s moderate-action Classic Trout fly rod paired with its Classic Trout click-and-pawl fly reel. The latter comes loaded with backing and a spool of RIO Gold XP fly line.” Three: Ross Coors Light Cimarron LT Fly Reel. “For trout anglers who also pay attention to fisheries health, Ross and Coors have teamed up once more for a product launch. While the new Ross Coors Light Cimarron LT fly reel might feel a little gimmicky, it’s a gimmick most of us should be able to get on board with.” Four: Simms Access Wading Boots. “Built for the stick-and-move fly fisher who covers water and covers miles on the trail, the new Access wading boot is, according to some of the longest-tenured folks at Simms, the best all-purpose wading boot Simms has ever built.”

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Four Wheel Campers announces some upgrades to their campers:

• Baja Designs lights

• Aluminum handles for screen doors

• HydroMat flooring kits

Check out the Baja Designs light flood capacity.

Flylab discount: $795 off Four Wheel Camper installations (all models).

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• From Field Mag: The 10 Best Winter Boots Built of 2026, Tested & Reviewed. You’ve got to have reliable boots for the river and boat ramp, and the Muck Arctic Ice Mid Boots stand out. “I’ve been wearing the hell out of these. Rain, snow flurries, mud-ridden parks–if it’s wet, messy, or generally unpleasant, these boots have been on my feet. I went with a size 8, and they fit nicely and snugly. Even better, my socks don’t slowly migrate south while I’m wearing them–a problem I’ve had with other calf-high boots and one I never want to relive. They’re built with a neoprene bootie for comfort and natural rubber throughout, making them easy to pull on and off.”

• GearJunkie (Morgan Nowels) reviews some new wading gear from Grundéns: The Vector Zip Waders and the Rock Armor Wading Boots. On the waders: “When I first put on the Grundéns Vector Zip, it felt exactly like I was in my tried-and-true favorites. The fit is perfect. Grundéns mostly nailed it (more on that in a bit), and I’m ecstatic to have another wader that fits just right and allows freedom of movement without excessive bagginess or tight spots.” On the wading boots: “What’s most impressive about these boots is how they attain durability without being heavy. That’s usually the deal with wading boots. You either get a lightweight set for covering miles that will fall apart, or you get a set built to last, but that weighs as much as a brick.” More info: Vector Zip Waders, Rock Armor Wading Boots.

• Spencer Durrant reviews the St. Croix Legend Elite Fly Rod. “You don’t buy a 9′ 5-weight and expect the laser-like accuracy, light feel, and soft presentation of an 8′ or 8’6″ 4-weight. The Legend Elite isn’t quite that good with small dry flies, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well this rod handled long, light leaders (I worked my way down to 13 feet and 6x for some of those risers) and flies from 18-24. I wouldn’t hesitate to use the Legend Elite on a tailwater during the upcoming blue-winged olive hatches.”

• Fly angler Drew Chicone and Astral are teaming up on a line of amphibious shoes: Drew’s go-to foot gear for beach casting and traveling.

• From the House of Fly: the Patagonia Riversalt II Wading Boot. “Can One Boot Thrive in Freshwater and Salt?” We need to test it to find out…

Boating News

Small Craft Sales is the go-to marketplace for buying and selling small boats and other specialty watercraft. Looking to buy or sell a small boat? Check out the brand-new used boat marketplace: modern, searchable, community-driven platform built for anglers, paddlers, rowers, tinkerers, outboard junkies and anyone dreaming of their next waterborne adventure.

Best SCS fishing options this week:

• A sweet little 13-foot Mahogany fishing dory by builder Pete Wallis. Super gorgeous, tiny little drift boat with what looks to be impeccable craftsmanship. Comes with four oars and a trailer.

• A 2022 Pavati Helium with custom front leg brace with extra storage, brand new seats, removable floor, tackle storage box, seat covers, travel bra and trailer ($20k).

• Brand new 2026 Boulder Boat Works - Low Side Dory with a substantial price reduction ($21,700). BBW’s “Low Side” is the sportscar of the fleet with the Gradient Hybrid model being an adaptation of their signature Legacy dory–providing a full white ash interior, walkaround front seating position (with a cooler or dry box) and a single rod tray that provides clean/flat rod storage and additional workspace.

• Nice looking 1982 Boston Whaler Newport with a 2000 Honda 90hp engine. It was recently serviced last year and has a brand-new bottom paint job.

• The ultimate flats weapon: a Fully Rebuilt 2004 Maverick HPX 17 Kevlar Skiff taken down to a true hull-only rebuild and reassembled with modern, top-tier components throughout. Every detail was carefully selected with performance, durability and aesthetics in mind.

Small Craft Sales Partners with Down River Equipment to Power Online Listings for Raftopia Swap. “We’re pumped (SCS) as we’ve partnered with Colorado-based retailer Down River Equipment to expand the reach of the used boat swap at Raftopia, the company’s long-running annual event that marks the start of the boating season. Through the partnership, Small Craft Sales will spearhead the online boat listing side of the Raftopia swap, giving sellers a much broader audience leading up to the event while helping buyers preview boats before showing up in person. Save The Date: 3/17/2026 the first day for uploading your boats for Raftopia.”

Wading Tip For Angler Longevity

60 Second Nervous System Primer (Before Your First Cast).

Most anglers step onto the water neurologically unprepared for the demands of the day.

Your nervous system is what organizes balance on uneven terrain, stabilizes your vision on moving water and coordinates the mechanics of your cast. If it hasn’t been exposed to those demands yet, your timing is off, your sequencing breaks down and you start leaking efficiency.

Before your first cast, take 60 seconds: track your eyes left to right and up and down, add a few controlled head turns, then rotate gently through your torso while breathing steadily. This isn’t a stretch. It’s sensory input. You’re bringing your nervous system online and giving your brain the input it needs to move well.

Find more ways to move better and fish longer on Lindsay Kocka’s Substack.

TrackFly Industry Trends

TrackFly is a data aggregation and analytics platform, connecting specialty retailers, brands and sales professionals. They are helping Flylab track key industry trends.

February sell-through trends in the specialty channel…

In the specialty channel, February continued a sell-through trend we saw in January, which was similar to what we experienced in Q4 of 2025. And that is, overall increases in ASP’s (Average Selling Prices) looking like dollar-sales growth. Thus far, fly fishers have been spending more dollars in Q1 of 2026 than in 2025, but they generally have not been buying more–just paying more.

Mostly, this is about 2025 tariffs driving up costs for brands, who in turn have had to increase both wholesale prices and MSRP’s. That formula typically does not produce stronger margins for either brands or retailers, nor does it necessarily amount to more angler-days on the water, although the dollar-sales may look bigger. Just stay aware–it’s not exactly the growth most companies imagine for themselves, and retailers will want to pay attention to unit sell-through and upward ratcheting MSRP’s.

Regarding the numbers: February sales growth looks strong, up +11% versus prior year. But again, like in January, that is on essentially flat unit-sales. February ASP’s, overall, were up +12%. A few categories did well all around–Rods, Reels, Leader-Tippet, Accessories and Tools. Flies sales continue to grow, like during all of 2025, suggesting that people are indeed getting on the water.

Year-to-date, dollar-sales are up +12%, but units are up only +1%. That said, January and February are small sell-through months, so it’s too early to project the season, but we expect to see the theme continue for the foreseeable future: sales growth driven by higher prices, while unit-sales grow only moderately.

A few notes are in order, particularly around factors that are outside the control of either brands or retailers:

1. Winter precipitation has been wildly different between the two halves of our continent. There is some concern across the West, where snowpack has been thin, and temperatures have been uncharacteristically warm, about an earlier-than-usual spring runoff, if much of one is to be seen at all. That alone is not bad for sales, but we might also see the season slow down earlier this fall if streams and rivers run dangerously thin in August and September. Read more on the Rockies snowpack in Flylab’s reporting.

2. Last year, tariff news drove market valuations, consumer sentiment and discretionary spending all over the board. This year, we are hearing new and different tariff threats. No one knows if those will materialize, but of course, new tariffs almost always negatively impact consumer spending. Brands and retailers should all stay informed on economic news.

3. Perhaps more significantly, we are now involved in a war in the Middle East, and that war’s impact on financial markets is already significant and volatile. Historically, geopolitical conflicts impact economies by raising energy prices, disrupting supply chains and breaking down trade relationships. Even if this war ends quickly, there could be lingering effects on energy markets and supply chains that aren’t helping anyone in our U.S. outdoor industries. All we can control is how we adapt.

What’s the good news? Well, the fly-fishing industry held up stronger than some other outdoor verticals under last year’s sometimes challenging economic conditions. People fished, and they went to fly shops all year to buy consumables (Flies, Leader-Tippet, Floatant, Indicators, etc.). This year, we expect at least as much, no matter what the tariffs or the war or the unusual snowpack does to us.

And what can we control? If you are a retailer, some things might be worth extra attention in this economically volatile setting:

• Protect your margins: when your costs increase, you have to find a balance between maintaining margins and equipping your customers at prices they can absorb–it’s best to be deliberate in finding that balance.

• Protect the core: work closely with your brand partners to never stock out on key products.

• Lean into community: fly-tying classes, angler clinics, river clean-ups, happy hours, trade-in/trade-up, etc.

• Digital presence: if you sell online, stay informed on what your customer base expects to see there.

And if you’re a brand, of course your job is to bring compelling new product to market. But just as importantly, you simply have to build, and maintain, trust with your retail partners. At a bare minimum, no retailer should ever stock out of the core products that anglers look for regularly.

TrackFly: “You have to make business decisions every day; why not do it with real data and insights on your side?”

Music

Before there was Elliott Smith, there was Heatmiser, his first band, and Mic City Sons (30th Anniversary) was easily their best and most conceived album, before Smith’s meteoric rise and tragic passing (The Lingering Beauty of Elliott Smith). This reissue might take you back to another time (the mid-90s), when there was cheaper beer, riskier writing and bigger, hopper-eating browns on the West Slope’s boatless runs. Songs worth listening to: Half Right, See You Later, Low-Flying Jets, Cocksucker’s Blues, I’m Over That Now, Rocker In C, You Gotta Move. The Pitchfork write-up, “For most people, the Heatmiser story is Elliott Smith prologue, the group of friends he had to leave behind to embrace his solo career. Mic City Sons, their best album, is often painted as the moment when he began to transcend the band, when his staggering gifts started to break their containments. But for the men in the room with Smith, the story was a lot more wrenching and confusing. For them, Heatmiser was a story about how their beginning became their end, how far they’d come to get to this point, and their struggle to hold onto their friend. Heatmiser were meant to be loud. Gust and Smith bonded over distortion blasts: They thrilled to a mindblowing Fugazi show, nursed keen disappointment at a lackluster Jane’s Addiction gig. They both bought Marshall half-stacks the same summer that Nevermind came out, and Heatmiser was forged in the fires of sweaty punk clubs like La Luna. They were muscular, confrontational…” – Andrew Steketee