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March Brown Mayfly dominate the early part of the season and occur on both still and running water and fly imitations have been recorded back as far as 1496 where imitations were recorded and described as "Dun Fly". Over time imitations have been variously described and probably the second most popular name has been "Brown Drake". March Browns can range in colour from greys right through to very dark brown. Where I fish, as the water warms up closer to lunch time your often find fish actively rising to March Brown Mayfly that are a mottled chocolate and dark grey in colour. I fish them in lakes to targeted rising fish, as a polaroiding fly and also as part of a loch style team and in river I find them a great swinging fly when fish are taking emergers just below the surface.

Materials

Process

A	Catch the thread in at the 95% position and wind it back to just the 85% position. At that point catch the wire ribbing in and continue winding the thread back to about 5% up from the bend of the hook. Understanding hooks Hold the wire to the side and tie in a tail of partridge hackle barbules. Make the tail only about 2/3 as long as the hook shank and limit yourself to 5 or 6 barbules so that the tail is there but not overwhelming. At this stage I like to take a few turns of the thread behind the wire. Take the thread back in front of the wire.

B	Make up a mixture of dubbing which is around 80% life cycle dubbing and 20% spectra dubbing. The choice of colour should be in that range of dark grey through to dark brown but obviously matching the colour of the anticipated hatch is the way to go. Take two tight turns of the wire directly in front of the 85% position and worry off the excess wire.

C	Wind the wire forward in touching turns to the 85% position creating 5 or 6 segments along the body of the fly. Take two tight turns of the wire directly in front of the 85% position and worry off the excess wire.

D	Select a hackle that has herl that around twice the gape of the hook. Tie in a hackle by the tip at the 85% position. Wet fly hackle

E	Lock the hackle in place with just one or two wraps of thread and using a sharp blade remove the excess hackle tip. Take two tuns of the hackle and lock it in place with a couple of firm wraps of thread.

F	Using a sharp blade remove the excess hackle butt.

G	Stroke the hackle tips back along the fly and then finish securing the hackle in that position with additional wraps of thread. Build up a neat head in the remaining space in front of the hackle taking care not to face the hackle backwards. Varnish the head taking care not to get any varnish in the eye of the hook or on the hackle. Neat heads on flies

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