From below the mirror an angler passes. His wading boots slosh by ignorant of the world beneath the water. Bugs swim and crawl fighting the currents going about their lives far removed from that of the land mammals toting their fly rods who so rely upon these tiny insects.

This latest release by Ralph and Lisa is short and sweet. The underwater video is clear and sharp and wholly focused on exposing the aquatic and elegant lives of the Bugs of the Underworld. In Ralph's words, it's about "Benthic Macro Invertibrates. They live in water. They're big enough to see with the naked eye, and they have no backbone. BMI's for short; I'll just call them bugs." Except for short segments during the introduction where the makers address the camera, it's all bugs. Narrated with short and clear but not overly scientific descriptions, a deep understanding and passion for entomology is conveyed. A few moments of geeky enthusiasm break through. "They're really really cool animals. They're great." This fascination is dangerously infectious, after the watching the footage, you'll be a fan as well.

Following the humble intro exploding with hundreds of quick snippets that leave you crying out "Wait! What was that?", the DVD moves into 5 chapters featuring Stoneflies, Midges, Caddis, Damsels, and Mayflies. Though these sequences are longer, but you'll be hard pressed to find redundant scenes or events. Don't worry. It's ok. Take Ralph's advice. Relax, grab a beer, watch it through, and come back later remote in hand with an itchy trigger finger over the pause button. The 35-minute video may take you an evening to watch through.

The chapters follow the lifecycles of the different bugs, highlighting points where they're particularly susceptible to fish. Seeing a large stonefly tumble through the heart of the current has you gasping at its exposure. Midges bounce against the surface trying with all their might (and a little trick) to escape the water before they're gobbled. Caddis armor themselves. Egg-laying damsels pull themselves under and become sheathed in a shimmering bubble cloak then precariously float back up with all the flash of a knife blade. Mayflies, broken into the categories of crawlers, clingers, burrowers and swimmers, are everywhere within and upon the water.

It's an amazing piece of work, and I thank the Cutters for creating it. Truly a pleasure to watch and highly recommended.

It's available from flyline.com for $29.95 (trailer available)

Eric Oct '07