There is so much to say about Craig Mathews I'm at a loss for words. Where to start? Blue Ribbon Flies is a top-of-the-line full service fly fishing shop, as good as any there is. But as a fly tying center, it is the best there is. And so is Craig Mathews--the best there is--in a variety of categories. I asked Craig to tie me a special set of shadow box quality flies. And here they are. But the truth is they don't look much (if any) different than the flies you'll find in the bins at Blue Ribbon Flies. Craig Mathews

I remember Al Troth telling a story like that once. I was at a fly tying seminar Al put on. He told the story of a Japanese collector who insisted on paying a huge sum of money for an extra-special collector's quality set of flies. Al said he just took the flies out of his own bins. "I tie every fly as well as I know how," he said. "They're all the same."

Craig's flies are like that too. Keywords: driftboat, drift boat, boat building, blueprints, plans, instructions, tutorial, flies, fly tying, fly tying history