Rivers of a Lost Coast reveals a mythical, largely forgotten time when California’s northern coast was the epicenter of fly fishing for West Coast salmon and steelhead. This once-thriving community was centered along the Russian, Eel and Smith rivers and was led by two rival anglers, Bill Schaadt and Ted Lindner. By the early 1980s, coastal fisheries found themselves in the midst of a spiraling decline. Narrated by Tom Skerritt and featuring stunning photography, rare archival stills, film excerpts and interviews with those who knew Schaadt and Lindner, Justin Coupe and Palmer Taylor’s elegiac documentary reveals a wild California that has since been lost to the rising tides of urbanization.


Written by Justin Coupe, Palmer Taylor. Photographed by Justin Coupe. (86 min)