We were all big fans of Al Campbell, and this article is one of the many reasons why. The article describes the fundamentals of one of the few things I truly believe in where fly fishing is concerned, one of the real constants for me, match the hatch fishing. Yes, fish will take all sorts of things on a given day, but it's a real advantage to know what's hatching, and what they're PROBABLY eating. It's a question of increasing your odds, improving the probabilities. Knowledge is power, and there are no magic flies, no magic bullets, especially with tough fish that are fished over constantly.

I have good success on a lot of days with either ants or beetles, but I've seen hatches where the fish got so selective they wouldn't even look at a beetle. Just when you think you have it all figured out, just when you thought you knew something, it doesn't work. At that point, it's time to look around.
Eric