Anglers and authors Yvon Chouinard and Craig Mathews to speak Oct. 8 at Montana State

NOTE TO EDITORS: An earlier version of this release published on Aug. 27 announced that this event would be held on Oct. 7 in MSU's Strand Union Building. Since then, the date and location of this event has changed; the event will now be held on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. in Norm Asbjornson Hall Room 165 on the MSU campus.

BOZEMAN - Anglers and authors Yvon Chouinard and Craig Mathews will discuss and sign copies of their new book, "Pheasant Tail Simplicity: Recipes and Techniques for Successful Fly Fishing," at a free event set for Wednesday, Oct. 8, at Montana State University.

Chouinard, founder of the outdoor clothing and gear company Patagonia and a lifelong conservationist, and Mathews, a Montana-based author and conservationist, will speak at 7 p.m. in Norm Asbjornson Hall Room 165 on the MSU campus. The event is open to the public.

Seating is limited; RSVPs are encouraged and may be made online.

The event is co-hosted by Patagonia and the MSU Library as part of the library's Trout and Salmonid Initiative, which educates the public about angling and its relationship to the environment, water policy and public access. Chouinard and Mathews have worked closely with the MSU Library in support of this initiative, according to MSU Library Dean Doralyn Rossmann.

At the event, Chouinard and Mathews will share stories from their decades on the water. They will also discuss their new book's premise: That although the industry attempts to convince anglers they need thousands of fly patterns, fish can be caught anywhere in the world with variations of just one. In fact, event organizers say that Chouinard enjoyed remarkable success during a year fishing globally, from Montana rivers to Patagonia streams, using only pheasant tail patterns.

"Successfully catching fish is less about having a thousand flies in your vest and more about having faith in an all-around fly and fishing it where, when, and how it should be fished," Chouinard wrote in the book's introduction. "Technique, confidence, and skill trump dozens of fly boxes. In other words, you need to learn to read the water and to match the fly and the technique to each specific situation."

In addition to his work with Patagonia, Chouinard is a noted fly fisher and was named Angler of the Year by Fly Rod & Reel in 2009. Along with Mathews, he co-founded 1% for the Planet, a global network of businesses and environmental organizations working together to support people and the planet. He lives in Ventura, California.

Mathews has authored and co-authored nine books on fly fishing in the western United States and Yellowstone National Park. He and his wife, Jackie, founded Blue Ribbon Flies, a fly shop and outfitter in West Yellowstone. He was chosen by Fly Rod & Reel as Angler of the Year in 2005. He lives in Montana's Madison River Valley.