In my first piece on March Brown Emergers HERE, I neglected to mention three other soft hackle patterns that are very effective for this hatch. I use all three:
Hook: 2x Stout or 1X Fine
THREAD: Brown Gossamer Pearsall’s Silk
HACKLE: Grouse
BODY: Silk
THORAX: Hare’ Mask Fur, # 2
I like the Alec Jackson North Country hooks in # 11- # 17 for all three patterns.
Some anglers are of the school of thought that fishing the March Brown hatch can be a “hit or miss” proposition. Fortunately, that has not been my experience. On most Spring days, in the areas that I Fly Fish, on the Eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, they are most often encountered between 1:00-3:00 PM. Warm days can tighten the hatch period and cloudy, overcast and drizzly days may prolong the emergence till later in the day.
Michael on the Upper Owens River…perfect weather…not an optimum location for March Browns…a meandering meadow flow with a limited rocky bottom…
The following patters are intended as an addition to, rather than a replacement for, the traditional soft hackle flies.All are suggestions from gentlemen who are much more gifted and experienced than myself. All are for use in the zone between the bottom of the water column and the surface…
The CREW…
R. Morrisoni and R. Hageni Emerger, Knopp and Cormier…
HOOK: TMC 3761, # 12-#16, Daiichi 1560, #12-#16
THREAD: Danville 6/0, #47, tobacco brown or brown
WEIGHT: 10- 15 turns of lead wire or sub., diameter of hook shank
TAIL: Dark Dun hen hackle fibers
RIB: Working thread
BODY: Purple and black fur dubbing, mixed
UNDER/WING: Dark tan Zelon
WING: Brown deer hair, tied short
This pattern may be tied with less weight and the appropriate amount of weight may be added to the leader to meet existing conditions and the area of the column that the imitation is being taken. The Zelon under/wing is an addition I have added based on Craig Matthews research on emerging patterns for Epeorus Albertae…a clinger mayfly that also emergers sub-surface…present dead drift or swung…
SHUCKED SWIMMING MAY – SHANE STALCUP
HOOK: TMC 2312 #12-#16
THREAD: Danville 6/0, # 47, Tobacco Brown
TAIL/SHUCK: Brown deer hair and Olive/Brown Zelon
RIB: Lagartun Fine Wire
BODY: Turkey biot, Callibaetis
BACK STRAP: Brown deer hair
UNDER/WING: Tan Zelon or Tan Ice Dub
WING: Mottled Brown Medallion sheeting (Hareline) – Coat of Flexament on inside
BEAD: Copper, sized to hook
THORAX: Stalcup’s Micro Fine dubbing, Tan
LEGS: Mottled Brown Partridge
I have always liked Shane Stalcup’s patterns. It can be a little bit intimidating to tie with medallion sheeting until one gets the hang of how to cut, twist, shape and pull back this material. This pattern would qualify as a wet fly…it is meant to be fished as one…cast quartering upstream and let the fly swim down and across…
SHUCKED SWIMMING MAY – SHANE STALCUP…tilted view…
Michael in a good location to use the above fly…in a long pool running out of fast riffle water on the lower Owens River…
SHORT WING EMERGER MARCH BROWN…
HOOK: TMC 2312, #12-#16
THREAD: Lagartun 70 Denier, Rusty Brown
TAIL: Lemon Wood Duck fibers
RIB: Lagartun oval gold tinsel, fine
BACK STRAP: Brown Scud back
ABDOMEN: Hare’s Ear # 2 -between the eyes on the mask
THORAX: Hare’s Ear # 3 – crown on the mask
WINGS: Matched natural Mallard sections, inside coated with flexament
LEGS: Mottled Brown Hen
This pattern is based on the Rene’ Harrop design for the Pink Albert Short Wing Emerger for Epeorus Albertae…works for him…works for me…
SHORT WING EMERGER MARCH BROWN…Tilted view…
BAT WING MARCH BROWN EMERGER…
HOOK: TMC 2487, #12 -#16, Daiichi 1130, #12-#16, Mustad c49s, # 12-#14
THREAD: Danville 6/0, #47 tobacco brown
BEAD: Glass, small, rootbeer
TAIL: Lemon Wood Duck fibers
ABDOMEN: Natural Pheasant tail
RIB: Wapsi, copper/brown, small
THORAX: Hare’s Ear # 3 -from the crown
WING: Fluffy bottom from Ginger Variant Hen Neck stem, pulled over and tied off
A Tracy Peterson pattern that can be adapted to almost any Mayfly. I use this design for Baetis and PMD’s. It is one of my favorite patterns and I have not found running water where it does not produce. Fish it deep or off the bend of a dun or the next pattern…
WARREN EMERGER March Brown…Front view
HOOK: TMC 100 #12-#16, or your favorite dry…this is a Partridge E1A
THREAD: Danville 6/0, # 47, tobacco brown
SHUCK: Cream Antron or Zelon
RIB: Micro tubing, rust
BODY: Olive/Brown dubbing… I mixed Nature’s Spirit # 34 and Fly Rite # 10
WING: Snow Shoe Rabbit foot, Tan or Dun, pulled over thorax, tied off, cut and fanned into a 180 degree arc
WARREN EMERGER March Brown…
A Schollmeyer and Leeson design that uses Snow Shoe hare instead of deer hair…this is a fly I can hang the other four off of. I tie a lot of these to mimic different emerging Mayflies…they all work and I have REALLY come to appreciate the qualities of this material over CDC for wings, loops and dubbing...It is suggested by the designers, that this pattern be tied on a straight hook so that it wil float in the surface film properly…
My son, Michael, “hogs” some of my favorite pool, early in the morning, on the Lower Owens River…
Here are some additional links on March Brown Mayflies:
NEXT: More Baetis/Bwo’s for Spring and UV Chewee Skin Caddis…
PT/TB 
PLANETTROUT: Fly Fishing, Fly Tying and LIFE
PlanetTrout 
