Two in the North – Tight Loops’ Must Watch New Series

If you’ve spent any time on this blog you know I mention Chase and Aimee Bartee of Tight Loops every now and then. They make some of my favorite fly fishing films, and their work has a way of blending beautiful cinematography with genuine storytelling that a lot of people in this space try for but just don’t do as well. When I heard they had a new series out, I didn’t need much convincing to sit down and watch.

The series is called Two in the North, produced for Expedition Portal, which is the media arm of one of the world’s largest overlanding and adventure travel communities. The basic premise: Chase and Aimee load up their Toyota Tundra in Montana and point it north, with Alaska as the ultimate destination. Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the Yukon, and eventually the Alaskan wilderness are all on the route, with no rigid plan and plenty of room for the road to take them somewhere unexpected. Three episodes are out so far, and I’ve watched all of them.

Episode 1: Cutthroat

The series opens on Vancouver Island, where Chase and Aimee spend weeks chasing sea-run coastal cutthroat in genuinely miserable conditions. Rain, changing tides, empty water, and a fish that doesn’t particularly want to be found. It sets the tone for the whole series really well. Less about catching fish, more about what keeps you searching for them. Oh, and there’s birds!

Episode 2: Grayling

With Vancouver Island behind them, the Tundra heads north through British Columbia toward Alaska. This one shifts the focus toward Arctic grayling, which if you’ve never seen one up close are genuinely one of the most beautiful freshwater fish on the planet. The landscape gets bigger and emptier as the episode goes on (glaciers anyone?), and it starts to feel like the journey is really beginning.

Episode 3: Salmon

By the third installment they’ve crossed into Alaska, and the fishing opens up considerably. Salmon enter the picture alongside more cutthroat and grayling, and the filmmaking feels like it’s hitting its stride. There’s a sequence in this one that reminded me of why I started watching Tight Loops films in the first place.

New episodes drop every Tuesday on the Expedition Portal YouTube channel, so there’s plenty more to come. If you want to watch from the beginning, all three are above and worth your time. And if you want to follow along as the series continues, subscribe to the Expedition Portal YouTube channel and give Tight Loops a follow too. You won’t regret either of those decisions.

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