The Genesis of a Film: The Cathy & Barry Beck Story

When I met director Joshua Caldwell for a day of fishing we had one goal—to catch a big trout using the actual Tom Morgan Rodsmiths bamboo rod that was used by actor Brian Cox in the film Mending the Line. The fly fishing scenes in that film were mainly staged, and the rod —made just for the film—had not yet been christened with a real trout.

I met Josh for a day of fishing halfway between our homes—he lives near the Catskills in New York, I live near the trout streams of Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania—so we agreed to meet about halfway at Fishing Creek Pennsylvania. My good friend Barry Beck has lived there most of his life. His wife Cathy had shockingly passed away a few months earlier, and it seemed like it might be a good time to visit Barry to spend a day on the water with friends.

We went to some of Barry’s favorite places—the “Campground Pool” where Cathy last fished with her longtime friend and mentor Lefty Kreh, “The Lot” a piece of riverside property Barry has kept undeveloped since 1951 and where he plans to spread Cathy’s ashes, and finally we fished along the property of Barry’s longtime fried Phil Balisle, a dry-fly purist from Oklahoma who was a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy.

In a long, glassy pool lined with hemlocks and oak trees, Caldwell finally managed to catch a fine 18-inch brown trout on a Sulphur Emerger, and the master-crafted rod fulfilled its purpose. After the hatch, we went to Barry’s house where he showed us a lifetime of Cathy & Barry Beck photography, and shared the stories that went along with them: Seeing the Great Migration in Africa, driving across Mongolia to see the Eagle Festival, catching fish in every possible corner of the globe. And then we entered Barry’s three-station tying room. Cathy’s vise and materials sat at her station just as she left them. And Barry’s mountains of hackle, hooks, beads, gave testament to his prowess  and the fact that he’d been busy trying flies.

A few days later Caldwell called me to say he wanted to create a documentary on the life of Cathy & Barry Beck—the most adventurous fly fishing travel couple of this century.  This is where the story started. What followed was months of filming, gathering interviews, archival materials, and then creating a touching story that will emotionally move you and inspire you.

How do you deal with loss and tragedy in your life? For many people, the first step is back into the water, and back into fly fishing. Legacy: The Cathy & Barry Beck Story is not just the story of their journeys together, it’s the hopeful story of where Barry goes from here. And it comes to you from award-winning director Joshua Caldwell and from Fly Fisherman magazine.

The film is part of the International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4) and will play in nearly 200 theaters globally in 2025. The first event is Jan. 9 in Seattle Washington. For a complete list of events near you visit https://www.flyfilmfest.com.