March Brown

[GlassJet]

Spent a couple of days looking around, and there seems to be so many different dressings for this fly, that the only thing they have in common is the name!


This is from Courtney Williams' dictionary (and he doesn't seem to rate the fly very highly, from his own, personal experience) where he gives it as a generic, northern spider dressing: This is on a #12 btw - which is a BIG hook for me...

March Brown


Body: Dark hare's mask mixed with a little claret wool, and ribbed with yellow silk.
Whisks: two barbs from a partridge tail
Hackle: partridge neck / back, long.
Tying silk: Orange, well waxed

Is it looking ok?

Andrew.

[Jerry G]

Andrew several years ago a friend borrowed me a book of fly patterns and as I recall the March Brown as you have found also covered about three pages worth of various patterns for the fly. Now that I give this some thought I'm not at all sure whether this was popularity for the fly or frustration. Unfortunately the trout streams I still fish have noticeably been reduced in the number of mayfly that they once had. The March Brown here had always been a sporadic riser throughout the day and with that working a steady rising fish was difficult.

I think your pattern looks great. I have yet to try incorporating red into any of my ties of this fly but maybe it's time for a change on my part. With hackling I'm not sure that it makes any difference Andrew but the dun here had a dark mottled wing and with that I always tried to use a partridge hackle containing the brown and gray barring. Heh, with this all said I must add my results haven't been that fantastic either.

I like the looks of that tie Andrew. Get it wet this spring and give us a report.

Regards, Jerry

[GlassJet]

Thanks jerry, the crimson wool came from Courtney Williams' dictionary, but there are lots of dressings for it even just in that one book.

I like the looks of that tie Andrew. Get it wet this spring and give us a report.

Regards, Jerry

I've got to be honest, this isn't a fly i would fish with confidence, not on my little river. I mean what is it? Early season there aren't flies of that size about on this river I don't think, so is it taken as a nymph? Surely there are better nymph patterns....

I'm reading 'Tying flies in the Irish style' by E.J> Malone at the moment. In the back of this book are reproductions of letters from Skues to the Irish tyer T.J.Hanna. In one, Skues is discussing what in his opinion makes a successful nymph pattern, and he stresses the importance of short hackle length, to represent the legs. He says:

The smallest brown partridge hackle requires a No. 2 hook, and then it does not represent a nymph.I hope you don't lend yourself to the absurdities of Mr Pridgett who calls large flies, with hackles longer than the hook, nymphs.


Well that told him!

I guess when you fish a particular river a lot, you get a feel for what the fish are likely to take, and if I had to produce a fish from mine, I would fish one of those buggy little heavily waxed spiders any day over this, despite this being a 'classic', and the spider variants being, er, my variant.

I will give this a try though - never totally dismiss anything with hare's ear in it...

Andrew.

[Jerry G]

Andrew I think it was Mike Connor or perhaps someone else that shared some words of wisdom with us a while back about hackle length and it's representation. Whom ever it was I have to agree with in that soft hackling such as you have shown us with your March Brown pic would represent wings rather than legs. What I'm trying to say with that is that the book that you have referenced is discussing a nymphal representation which if that was your intent would have been perhaps better suited with a short hackle representing legs.
In regard to the size hook you have tied this fly on the body only takes up about 3/5's of the hook shank which at least in my eye would bring it into the size of a March Brown. Perhaps the hackle is just a bit long given body length but here to the angle of the picture could be deceiving. No matter I still think the fly will fish alright.
I have no idea when your season opens as I think you mentioned early season and what might be found for aquatic bugs at that time. In my neck of the woods however our early season starts March 6th and I wouldn't expect to see March Browns until sometime in May as adults and perhaps the later part of May. I fish very few true nymph patterns as I don't care much about dredging the bottom where in the early season clingers such as the March Brown are hanging on for a few more months before becoming active and making their way to the surface.
As I think I mentioned in my first post I haven't incorporated the color red into my dubbed ties but know that there has been plenty of discussion into the use of two and three perhaps more colors into a mix of dubbing. This is something that I certainly need to give a try to.
I too use the phrase of fishing a fly with confidence. Perhaps that is why whenever I go to my fly box for a fly I pick the best tie I have of a specific pattern. That said I do think though that presentation trumps confidence. This meaning not only making a good cast but knowing how this representation should act in the water.
Whew! Enough about all that, I still think that fly will given the opportunity fish just fine.

Regards, Jerry

[GlassJet]

Whew! Enough about all that, I still think that fly will given the opportunity fish just fine.

Regards, Jerry

Thanks Jerry, then I shall do my best to feign confidence, and let you know how I go on with it...

Andrew.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Andrew,

Feign confidence all you want. I will be fishing that pattern with great confidence on the local waters. Apparently I haven't spent enough time perusing Williams' Dictionary.

REE

[GlassJet]

Andrew,

Feign confidence all you want. I will be fishing that pattern with great confidence on the local waters. Apparently I haven't spent enough time perusing Williams' Dictionary.

REE

And different localities of course.

There are a couple of old guys who fish my stream - and I mean one is in his late seventies, and has fished this water all his life. He ties his own patterns, and I was talking to him about the classic northern spiders last year, and he maintains that they don't work well on this river because they weren't designed for this river. But he does know someone who catches for a couple of weeks each season on one bend with a snipe and purple! (I've had a few on P&O fwiw - but haven't fished it very often at all.)

He maintains the same about a lot of the classic dry patterns - many were designed for the English chalk streams. He has evolved his own patterns over the years, and he catches a lot of fish with them. So, not saying he is right, but certainly not that he is wrong, either. That is one of the reasons i am keen to make a point of testing the classic spider patterns this year.

But basically, on this small, rain fed stream, if it is small and buggy, moves well and you can fish it in or just below the surface, you are gonna catch the little wild brownies. (GRHE, Griffith Gnat tied with softer hackle and fished damp, small klinks, basically anything soft hackled and palmered, etc. ) Bigger stuff for the VERY brief period when mayfly proper are around.

But the most common fly is midge. Stewart's Spider looks like it should do a treat! As does the Ricket's Gnat i got off this forum.

Andrew.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

One thing I learned about those old guys who seem to be catching fish. They know what they're talking about. I learned a lifetimes worth about flyfishing while tossing flies with just such a gentleman on the Yellowstone River. One of the best weeks of my life, fishing wise.

REE