March Brown Nymph
Bob Jacklin from Jacklin's Fly Shop (406-646-7336) in West Yellowstone, Montana tells us, "This pattern was developed by me in the early 1970's when fishing the Esopus River in New York and other streams of my youth New Jersey and New York State." He further advises, "I have also used this pattern for the Western Golden Stonefly nymph and many other lesser stoneflies." We certainly agree with Bob, it produces fish throughout Idaho waters. We have found it a good producer in the north Idaho waters during the winter as well as across the southern part of the state. We've not fished it in central Idaho waters during that time frame and would love to hear of any success stories from fly fishers in that part of the state.
March Brown Nymph
Tied by: Bob Jacklin, Jacklin's Fly Shop, West Yellowstone, MontanaHook: Size 10 to 14, Mustad R72, 9671, Daiichi 1280, 1710
Weight: Non-lead wire
Thread: Orange, Gudebrod BCS#77, Uni-Thread Orange
Tail: Pheasant tail fibersBody: Australian opossum dubbing
Rib: Large flat thread, dark brown
Wing case: Dark turkey tail
Legs: Partridge body feather
Thorax: Australian opossum dubbing, picked out
Head: Australian opossum dubbing
Tying Instruction
1. Start by applying a thread base to the shank and leave the thread hanging at the back of the hook. Wrap non-lead wire over the thread base then cover wrap with tying thread to anchor it in place. Apply a liberal coating of head cement.
2. Apply a small ball of dubbing at the bend of the hook tight up against the non-lead wraps. Tie on two or three pheasant fibers for a tail. It should be lengthy as the March Brown has long tails.
3. Tie on the brown thread for the rib and place it in a material holder. Dub over the back half of the hook then advance the ribbing thread to the middle. Tie it off and trim the excess.
4. Tie on a strip of turkey tail that is as wide as the hook gape. For the present, this strip should be laying back along the dubbed body. We'll fold it over later to form a wing case.
5. Take a partridge feather, remove the fuzzy material at the base of the stem, and stroke the fibers so they stick out straight from the stem. Tie this feather on at the middle of the hook by the tips; it should be lying back on top of the wing case material. It to will be folded over to form the legs of the fly.
6. Dub forward covering one-half of the remaining bare hook. Do not crowd the hook eye. Fold the partridge feather over and bind it to the hook; trim the excess. Next fold over the wing case material and bind it into place; trim the excess. Binding and trimming the leg and wing case material causes the body to creep forward toward the hook eye. This is the reason we suggested dubbing over half of the remaining area only.
7. Dub a full head, whip finish, trim, and apply head cement as needed. Use a bodkin to pick out thorax dubbing to simulate the gills of the March Brown nymph.
Other Resources:
Books:
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: Federation of Fly
Fishers
by Al Beatty & Gretchen Beatty, Frank Amato Pubns; (September 2000)
Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple by Skip Morris, et al (Spiral-bound - September 1992)
Trout Flies: The Tier's Reference by Dave Hughes; Hardcover
Complete Book of Western Hatches: An Angler's Entomology and Fly Pattern Field Guide by Rick Hafele, Dave Hughes (Paperback - May 1981)
Jack Dennis Western Trout Fly Tying Manual by Jack Dennis
Montana, Idaho, Wyoming Top 45 Fishing Waters
Other Articles:
"From the Fly Box" - Judson Stone
by Al & Gretchen Beatty
"From the Fly Box" - E/C Caddis by Al & Gretchen Beatty
"From the Fly Box" - Quigley's Hackle Stacker Dun by Al & Gretchen Beatty
"From the Fly Box" - Maribou Muddler Jigs by Phil Blomquist
Is It Really That Difficult to Learn to Fly Fish? by Pudge Kleinkopf
When You Want to Release the Fish Unharmed by Sharon Watson
Ice Fishing the Gem State by Charlie Powell
Henrys Fork Fly Fishing Classic by Sharon Watson