By Conner Jones:
The March brown is a large mayfly that hatches early spring into early summer depending on where in the country you fish. March browns are a big bug, and trout take notice even when the hatch is not heavy, so adding a few March brown patterns to your box is definitely worthwhile.
Although this pattern is tied in various forms, wet, nymph and dry, the wet fly pattern has always had a certain allure for me. The March Brown Wet has a wing similar to an adult mayfly but is fished subsurface like a nymph or emerger would be. This is somewhat confusing if you look at the pattern as an exact imitation of the mayfly from which it gets the name. However, sometimes anglers give their quarry too much credit, and the unrealistic qualities of the fly can be overlooked when you realize trout aren’t always as smart as we think they are.
The fact is that patterns like the March Brown Wet have stood the test of time because they work. The March Brown Wet fly is a fun pattern to tie as well as fish. This fly works well dead drifted as a nymph pattern, but if you really want to get in touch with the classic roots of the March brown, fish it downstream and swing it across the current.
- Hook: Daiichi 1550 size 8
- Thread: Uni-Thread Black 6/0
- Tail: Mallard Flank
- Rib: Gold Tinsel
- Body: Hare’s Ear Dubbing
- Wing: Two Matching sections cut from Mottled Turkey Wing Feathers
- Hackle: Partridge
Conner Jones is the store manager at Cohutta Fishing Company in Cartersville, Ga. See their website at cohuttafishingco.com.