FLYMPH FORUM

Mataura mayfly wrote:Coming soon to a book store near you, guaranteed next "Best Seller"...... 50 Shades of March Brown.
Movie rights still available.

redietz wrote:

Old Hat wrote: I have noticed many differences in size, shade, mottling on different waters just in Oregon and great differences between nymphs and emergers in the same water.

And let's not forget that the Gray Fox was determined to be just a[nother] color variant of the Eastern March Brown.

Good point Bob.

[quote="redietz

"And let's not forget that the Gray Fox was determined to be just a[nother] color variant of the Eastern March Brown."

Good observation, Bob. As a matter of fact, the gentleman who got me back into fly fishing, along with a couple of books I have, referred to the pattern as being the "Great Fox Variant".

Thanks everyone for such thoughtful insights. It's one of the things I like best about this group is the ability to remain flexible on many details and the capacity to present exceptional detail when asked. It just seems healthy and I appreciate it.

So I'll carry on. The impetus I realized wasn't the need for another pattern or just the investigation, which usually makes me very happy, but it's the shoulders I've rubbed in the past few years, of guys who can say, "this is my pattern, I tie it this way, been doing so for about 30 years, and it works most everywhere I go." I have patterns, I have variations and years of never tying the same fly the same way twice and I would like to dial in something that I can nail down.

The March Browns, as you have all pointed out are wildly diverse and I don't presume to get a pattern that is perfect, but I want something that is reproducible, readily, and something that I wouldn't mind having my name associated with. A tall order.

I have a couple patterns that I have tied and fished for the past few seasons that I've posted previously, and a few more that I fooled around with this weekend. I will probably load this thread with some pics in the course of the day as I get the images together. Thanks so much for all the feedback and thanks in advance for continued critique.


March Brown Flymph Version 5

Partridge tail and hackle, medium red fox underfur body on orange silk, pale yellow silk buttonhole rib.



March Brown Flymph Version 4

Golden Plover hackle, dyed woodduck tail, medium red fox underfur on orange silk, gold Pearsall's silk rib.



March Brown Flymph Version 3 (the original shown initially, but reshot in hopes of a better pic)

Speckled Hen hackle, dyed woodduck tail, mix of cinnamon and natural seal with medium hare mask pre-spun on #2, gold tinsel rib.


w

William, the pattern I have settled on years ago is very similar to your number 5. I like a bit more robust body, slightly darker fur at the thorax, and a very slight hint of red in the dubbing mix, but otherwise all else is same.

They all look good to me, w. Your "investigations" invariably result in something well reasoned and when the subject is a fly pattern, well tied.

Great flies William!
I really like the number 5. Beautiful version there!

Thanks again, guys, for the kind words.

Carl, the pattern you describe sounds like a great pattern to target Western MB in your area from the images I've seen. Any Western MB for that matter. Are you using the buttonhole twist rib or a tinsel? Tinsel is really tempting, but when I dunk each of these for some time it's the yellow silk against the ginger red fox that really makes the body a great shade.

I did put together a couple of pics that represent a couple patterns I've been fishing up to this point, successfully, whatever they were taken for I won't speculate, they work all year. In the spirit of just putting all the cards on the table, these are patterns that I have tied in mass, while there are a large number of "one offs" directed toward MB flymphs over the past decade or so.

March Brown Flymph Version 2, Hare blend, dyed partridge hackle and brown buttonhole rib. Looking at it compared to the more recent ties it looks like a nice MB pattern for Western waters.



Golden Pheasant Tail Twisted with Orange Silk and Partridge, more on the spider end of things and one of my all time favorite patterns for lots of reasons at lots of times. I suspect it's taken for lots of things but I have always felt like I had the MB hatch covered as long as these were with me.



Partridge and Hare on Prim, another pattern that I never go without and by far my favorite combination year around. This is a #12 and I feel fairly confident with it as a MB pattern, although I fish this pattern a lot.



Thanks for tolerating the bulk of images. I like seeing them all in one place, but if you're getting bored with the thread, no need to click. I'll have about 2 more new patterns not yet photographed to share and then some shots of the MB box, so seriously, no harm in bailing on this if it's not your thing.

BTW, this should have obvious, but please post any pics of flies you like or use as standards. I added to links to the MB swap and that might serve the purpose well enough.

Great ties William. Not to jump topics but the bottom imitation would be killer on Penns for grannom's.
Just saying.

I like the buttonhole twist over the tinsel as well William.

We have a few waters I know of where the MB's are quite dark. That first one would work great on them.

The second one in that latest series is very similar to a Syl Nemes' pattern. One of his top 20.

#15 in The Soft Hackled Fly Addict

Pheasant tail with fur thorax:
Body: 2/3's pheasant rooster tail and copper wire
Thorax: Dark hare's face
Hackle: Dark partridge

#16 is basically the same except with the golden pheasant tail and a light thorax.