After the Hatch: Episode 3 - Craig Mathews on Fly Design, Emergers, and Being a Good Ancestor

Every episode of After The Hatch starts on the water. This time, Steve spent a rainy PMD day on the Firehole with fly fishing legend Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies and co-founder of 1% for the Planet. When they sat down afterward, Craig talked through what 56 seasons in Yellowstone have taught him: sit and watch before you cast, recognize when trout are eating emergers instead of duns, and stay flexible when the hatch charts don't hold. He also tells the stories behind the Improved Sparkle Dun and the Pheasant Tail Sparkle Dun, and explains why he's moved from 4X down to 6X tippet.

The second half turns to conservation. Craig covers the Yellowstone cutthroat recovery, why the lake trout removal work is far from finished, how anglers can get involved, and why wild places and wild fish are worth fighting for.