Fly Tying Inventory
March Brown
One of the oldest known fly patterns, with roots tracing to Dame Juliana Berners' 15th-century 'A Treatise on Fishing with an Angle.' The American Catskill-style version was popularized by Preston Jennings and Art Flick. The earthy tones of fox fur dubbing and wood duck wings create an excellent match for Rhithrogena and Stenonema mayflies, making it indispensable during early spring hatches on Eastern freestone streams.
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Materials
Standard dry fly hook (Mustad 94840), sizes 10-14
Orange or tan 6/0 or 8/0
Ginger or brown hackle fibers
Fawn-colored red fox fur dubbing or tan fox squirrel dubbing
Yellow silk floss
Lemon or barred wood duck flank, upright and divided
Mixed grizzly and dark ginger (brown) dry fly hackle
How to Tie the March Brown
- 1
Step 1
Mount hook and start orange or tan thread, wrapping a base to the bend.
- 2
Step 2
Tie in ginger hackle fibers for the tail, about shank length.
- 3
Step 3
Optionally tie in yellow silk floss for ribbing.
- 4
Step 4
Dub a tapered body of fawn fox fur or tan dubbing forward to the wing position.
Art Flick used light fawn-colored red fox fur for the most natural appearance.
- 5
Step 5
Prepare and tie in barred wood duck flank feather as upright, divided wings.
- 6
Step 6
Wind mixed grizzly and dark ginger hackle behind and in front of wings.
- 7
Step 7
Build a small thread head, whip finish, and apply head cement.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhDSPO-0gvM
Credit: Traditional (15th century origins), American version by Art Flick and Preston Jennings