Matching the hatch is important only if the trout are specifically feeding one type or stage of insect. Even then, a suggestive pattern in the right size and shape will work better than an exact imitation. When the fish aren't keyed into a hatch, then pretty much anything presented correctly will catch them. Of course, some fisheries are so pressured that things like shiny beads don't work because they scare the fish. For instance, the shad on the American River won't eat bright, shiny beads this year (at least thats what I've found) but are fine with anything that looks remotely like a mayfly as long as it has a dark shiny bead like purple or nickel or a matte brown or olive bead.

@@thecalfisher Thank you! The example about the shad is pretty interesting too

@@redeyestones3738 Sorry that the video didn’t meet your expectations. Free diving for shad would be an interesting way to catch them.

Also if you view the video then KZfaq starts recommending things like it in your feed. You can go into your KZfaq history and delete all the fly tying videos you watched.