The Magic of Pheasant Tail, with Craig Mathews

The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast

James Hathaway

Bass, Fishing, Bonefish, Wilderness, Flyfishing, Trout, How To, Steelhead, Bluegill, Fly, Orvis, Sports, Salmon, Panfish, Education, Rosenbauer

4.8 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 3 September 2025

⏱️ 84 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Before you write this one off if you don't tie flies, although this is a podcast on a fly tying material, there is much more in this one. Like how to fish small flies and how to see those tiny flies on the water. But we do talk about one of the most amazing materials in fly tying—pheasant tail fibers. And it's not only for nymphs. Learn about why pheasant tail is such a magical material, how to tie a durable pheasant tail body, and how to use it on dry and wet flies as well as nymphs. Craig Matthews [42:22] is a legendary fly tier, guide, and conservationist and it is always valuable to catch his words of wisdom.

In the Fly Box this week, we have these questions and more:
Do I have to sight-fish in saltwater, or can I just fish my flies around likely structures?
Are "hot spots" as effective on dry flies as they are on nymphs?
Have you used those new clear-tip lines from Scientific Anglers for trout, and what do you think of them?
Why did I not catch trout on my first day on a river, yet clean up on fish two days later?
A tip from a listener on how to not lose your wading belt.
Can I fish streamers for smallmouth bass upstream like I do for trout? All the videos tell me to cast at a 45-degree downstream angle.
For fishing for striped bass from shore, is a 9-foot or a 10-foot rod better?
What type of leader do you recommend for swinging wet flies and soft hackles?
Have you ever tried to make your own amadou?
What fly box should I use for my tiny nymphs?
What is the best way to remove materials from a fly to re-use the hook and bead?
Is there any etiquette about wading an alpine lake?

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi, and welcome to the Orvis Fly Fishing podcast.
0:18.0	This is your host, Tom Rosenbauer.
0:20.0	And my guest this week is the great Craig
0:22.7	Matthews. Craig is a well-known fly tire, conservationist, fly shop owner. He was once police chief in
0:32.9	West Yellowstone, Montana, and all-around great guy, one of the greatest people in fly fishing.
0:38.7	And today we're going to talk about one fly-tying material, pheasant tail.
0:45.7	But however, don't go away.
0:47.3	If you're not a fly-tire, don't go away.
0:49.3	Because Craig talks about lots of other things, including fishing small flies, tricks to fishing small flies,
0:56.6	which I know bugs some of you, but at this time of year, sometimes you have to fish the little tiny stuff.
1:03.2	So even if you're not interested in tying flies with pheasant tail, don't go away.
1:07.9	And if you are interested in tying flies with pheasant tail, well, you've got lots of cool tips.
1:14.1	Fessent tail is an amazing material. And Craig's going to talk about how he uses it on dry flies and nymphs and wet flies, how he handles the fibers, and why he thinks it's such an amazing material.
1:28.9	So stay tuned.
1:30.3	It's going to be fun.
1:33.8	And I'm so glad you're here listening to the podcast and thank you very much for downloading this onto your phone or your computer and listening to the interview and the flybox.
1:45.4	I really appreciate all the feedback I get from people, all the great questions.
1:50.3	And so anyway, I am glad you're here.
1:53.6	Before we start the flybox, just a couple of mentions.
1:58.0	One is that I do have some room on my two Bahamas trips next April, April of
2:06.3	2026. We have a trip to Swain's Key, April 13th through 17th, and then a trip to H2O bonefishing Grand Bahama, April 17th, the 21st.
2:22.0	So if you want to come and go to both lodges, it's a pretty quick couple of flights in between them,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from James Hathaway, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of James Hathaway and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.