Tying the March Brown (Variant)

Winging a Wet Fly

Tying the March Brown (Variant) - winging a wet fly

Tying wet flies, spider and soft hackles can all be be based around some foundation steps. This example shows a variation on the March Brown pattern. However, this also shows a winging technique for wet flies.

This tutorial also shows thicker-stemmed partridge feather being tied in by the tip.

On the original March Brown pattern, I would tie a gold rib and have longer flowing tails, using mallard barbs. I would also prefer to tie this with orange thread.

On the variant shown in the tutorial, the materials used are:

Hook: Wet fly #16

Thread: Olive 8/0

Tail: Pheasant tail barbs

Rib: Copper wire

Abdomen: Hare

Hackle: English Partridge

Wing: Hen Pheasant

Here's another variant of the 'March Brown', this time tied with a hen hackle, infront of the wing. The rib is simply tying thread and the tails are Mallard.

'Shrouded March Brown'

Return home

Catch in the wire rib

Tie in the tails and bind down the loose ends, then trim.

Dub the thread to form a tapered noodle of dubbing (in this case, hare)

Wind the dubbed thread to form the tapered body. Then wind the rib forwards in evenly spaced wraps.

Catch in the Partridge feather by the tip...

... and wind the hackle. One or two turns will suffice.

Now cut two opposite slip wings from the hen Pheasant feather. To guage size, aim for the wings to have the about same depth as the gape of the hook.

Pair the wings up, with the longer edge of the feathers facing forwards.

When you are happy with the length of the wing, pinch and loop and bind the wing down.

Make only thread wraps in a forwards direction now to avoid upsetting the wing.

Whip finish behind the eye.