Book: Pheasant Tail Simplicity

Three longtime fly fishermen—legendary Montana angler Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone; his fishing buddy, Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia; and Italian angler Mauro Mazzo—have teamed up once more, this time for an interactive book called Pheasant Tail Simplicity: Recipes and Techniques for Successful Fly Fishing (Patagonia Books, $25) Together, “Team Geezer,” as the trio refers to themselves, have over 200 years of fly-fishing experience, and the book’s overriding theme continues their efforts to simplify the sport. The 165-page guide outlines 18 flies tied with pheasant tail, with a little bit of Hungarian partridge thrown in for good measure. Surprisingly, the technophobic geezers—Chouinard doesn’t even own a cell phone—have illustrated the different patterns in step-by-step photos and videos. “I’m really proud of this book,” says Mathews. “It has QR codes on it that you can scan with your phone and watch us fishing the flies, the techniques we use, as well as us tying every pattern.” All in all, Pheasant Tail Simplicity will definitely increase your knowledge and simplify your fishing—and, if you’re lucky, help you catch more fish.