Central Oregon is widely renowned as a fly-fishing hot spot. It could soon become known as a fly-fishing FILM hot spot as well.

The 125-stop Fly Fishing Film Tour — billed as F3T for short — is returning to Bend for the seventh consecutive year on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the Tower Theatre.

But that’s not the only local connection.

Of the 11 films being shown on the tour, three are by filmmakers who either live in Central Oregon or grew up here. Those films include “Clearly B.C., Part One: Fall Bullies,” by Todd Moen, of Sisters; “Doc of the Drakes,” by Bryan Huskey, who grew up in Bend and now lives in Idaho; and “The Arctic,” by R.A. Beattie, who moved to Bend last year.

The tour showcases some of the most prolific fly-fishing filmmakers in the country and provides anglers a chance to support local conservation groups. Most tour stops feature a party atmosphere with audience giveaways and valuable coupons.

“Our goal in doing this is to share our passion and support the sport we love,” says F3T producer Chris Keig.

Keig says the tour this year will donate more than $30,000 to filmmakers and give away more than $350,000 in prizes to spectators who attend the shows.

F3T road manager Thad Robison says this year’s tour will feature “incredible footage” from Montana, Florida and Idaho, as well as from the Bahamas, Belize, Alaska, Canada and New Zealand.

“But on top of that is the unique stories that are told along the way,” Robison says.

Moen’s production took him to Fernie, British Columbia, where he filmed fishing guide Beckie Clarke as she fished for enormous bull trout, weighing up to 8 pounds, in the streams of the Elk Valley. The two encountered wet fall weather, wind, snow — and even grizzly bears.

Moen, who has lived in Central Oregon for six years, says it was refreshing to film such a talented female angler.

“I’ve been in the industry a long time, and it’s just constantly guys (who are featured in fishing films),” Moen says. “It’s a breath of fresh air to go out with a female angler who knows what she’s doing. She was just a rock star. She was catching gigantic bull trout in the most amazing river … crystal-clear water, with all the rocks different colors.”

Moen, 35, is the video editor, producer and co-founder of Catch Magazine (www.catchmagazine.net), which is regarded as the official journal of fly-fishing photography and film.

While filming “Clearly B.C.,” Clarke led Moen to what he called a “super special spot” on his final day there.

“The bull trout were all stacked up in there,” Moen says. “It rained on us half the day. But that’s when the fish get happy.”

Huskey, 34, was raised in Bend and graduated from Mountain View High School in 1995. He moved to Idaho in 2000 and now works in media and marketing for Silver Creek Outfitters in Sun Valley.

One of the guides at Silver Creek told Huskey about a client, Dr. Robert Franklin, who has Parkinson’s disease. Huskey was invited to film Franklin — the subject of “Doc of the Drakes” — fishing the brown drake hatch on Silver Creek.

Franklin failed to hook and land a fish during the first day.

“We had a buildup of fish after fish that he couldn’t hook,” Huskey says. “We go back the next day and the hatch continues, but the same problems. The final hour, he hooks a fish and lands what turns out to be the fish of a lifetime. It ends up being an incredibly heartwarming story that came together organically.”

Huskey says the film is not really about fishing, but how the experience on Silver Creek helps change Franklin’s perspective on life.

“It’s about finding some motivation from some unknown circumstances,” Huskey says.

Beattie, 29, moved to Bend from Colorado in June. He works for Breedlove Guitars in promotions and technology.

Beattie’s idea for “The Arctic” came from articles written by noted fly-fishing author John Gierach about the Tree River in the Canadian territory of Nunavut.

Gierach’s fishing guide contacted Beattie, asking him to come document the trip to the river that is known for arctic char, a fish closely related to both salmon and trout.

“John’s a lifetime hero of mine, so it was cool to work with him.” Beattie says. “The Arctic is such an amazing place and it’s so far away. It takes so much work to get up there. I took six flights to get to the Tree.”

Fall arrived in late August in the Canadian Arctic, and Beattie was forced to battle rain and wind while filming the fishing trip.

The anglers caught arctic char, grayling, northern pike and lake trout.

“You can be as ready as ever, and ultimately the fish have to cooperate,” Beattie says. “You’re at the mercy of the fish. We did well, but it took a lot of footage.”

Curious anglers can catch the best of that footage at the Fly Fishing Film Tour.

2012 Fly Fishing Film Tour

What: A traveling spectacle that serves as a stage for some of the best fly-fishing filmmakers in the country, an avenue for supporting conservation groups, and an expo for local retailers and outfitters. This year’s tour will make stops in 125 cities across the United States and Canada

Where: Bend’s Tower Theatre, 835 N.W. Wall St.

When: Wednesday, Feb. 1; show starts at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets: $13 at Bend’s Fly and Field Outfitters or at www.towertheatre.org

Website: www.thef3t.com