Craig Mathews acquired his begin within the fly-fishing enterprise when he and his spouse Jackie opened Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone in 1980, and over the following three to 4 many years, they established their firm as one of many nation’s most extremely regarded fly retailers. Alongside the way in which, Craig authored and co-authored many books on fly fishing, together with The Yellowstone Fly-Fishing Information, Easy Fly Fishing, Fly Fishing the Madison, Fly Patterns of Yellowstone, Fishing Yellowstone Hatches, and Western Fly-Fishing Methods. Extra just lately, Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard, Craig, and Mauro Mazzo collaborated on a brand new version of Easy Fly Fishing, selling one of the best ways to catch a trout as utilizing a easy rod, easy fly, and nothing else.
Innovation has been an attribute of Craig’s lengthy profession in fly fishing. When Fly Rod & Reel introduced Craig as their 2005 Angler of the Yr, they wrote that “Craig has been a decided tinkerer with fly patterns, and is within the advance guard of those that have dramatically altered the course of fly-tying by freely mixing pure and synthetic supplies,” Certainly. His design of the flicker dun and his spouse Jackie’s design of the X-caddis—incorporating deer hair, artificial dubbing, and Zelon—are, or ought to be, staples in each dry-fly angler’s field.
Craig has been a decided advocate for conservation points since his early years. “My grandfather on my father’s aspect and my grandfather and grandmother on my mom’s aspect had been deeply concerned in conservation,” Craig says about his first influences. “After which I actually acquired a kickstart by President Jimmy Carter. I met President Carter once I was a police chief, he and I turned good associates, and a few of my prized possessions are letters he and I shared.”
Since then, Craig and Jackie have obtained many awards for his or her tireless work in conservation, together with “The Protector of Yellowstone Nationwide Park Award” and “Guardian of the Madison.” In 2002, Craig partnered along with his buddy Yvon Chouinard to create 1% for the Planet, a monumental initiative that has just lately handed half a billion {dollars} raised to assist conservation, a testomony to their dedication and the tangible influence of their work. Practising what they preach, Yvon, Craig, and Mauro donate all the proceeds from their Easy Fly Fishing guide to conservation and environmental organizations, together with 1% for the Planet, Native Fish Society, Atlantic Salmon Federation, and World Trout Initiative.
Craig’s well-deserved fame as a talented angler is rooted in a single easy philosophy:
Do what the river tells you to do. “The largest mistake most anglers make is that they rush into issues,” Craig says when requested how anglers can enhance. “The river reads like an open guide. If you wish to catch fish, do what the river tells you to do, have some persistence, and do some homework. ”
Within the fourth episode of the Studying the Water podcast, “Do What the River Tells You to Do,” Craig joins host Tim Schulz to share insights about his life, together with his early profession in regulation enforcement, his resolution to open Blue Ribbon Flies, his dedication to conservation, his favourite hatches, favourite flies, favourite river, and his desire for wading over floating. “I prefer to stroll and wade, sit on the financial institution, and simply watch the river unfold in entrance of you. Simply do the precise factor, and also you catch fish.”
If solely it had been that simple for the remainder of us.
You possibly can hearken to your complete dialogue with Craig Mathews in Episode 4 of the Studying the Water podcast, accessible by Substack, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Pocket Casts.
