Lead or lead-substitute wire Silver wire (Enough to weight the middle of the shank)
Pheasant tail fibers Natural bronze pheasant tail fibers (Exactly 3 for the tail)
Australian opossum dubbing Tan dubbing (A light amount for the abdomen, more for the thorax)
Vinyl rib (V-Rib) Brown / rusty (One length)
Scud Back / Body Stretch Tan-brown scud back body stretch (One strip for the wingcase underlayer)
Turkey tail slip Dark brown mottled turkey tail slip (One narrow slip over the Scud Back)
Hen pheasant shoulder feather Mottled brown hen hackle (One feather for the legs)
Head cement Clear head cement (Used liberally at every stage)
How to tie it
Put the lead wire on the bare shank first, then start the rusty brown thread and run it through and over the lead to anchor it, and cement the underbody.
Wax your fingers and put a very light wisp of tan opossum dubbing on the shank right where the tail will sit, never tie a tail directly against bare steel or it will break off.
Tie in three pheasant tail fibers as a tail over that dubbing, then break the tips off to length.
Tie the brown vinyl rib along ONE side of the shank with its flat side against the shank, this widens the body, because the March Brown is a flat clinger nymph. Flatten the tie-in with pliers and add cement.
Wax the thread lightly and spiral a thin, sparse layer of tan opossum dubbing forward from behind the rib tie-in to a little past the halfway point of the shank, adding a bit more as you go. Keep it light; this is not a bulky fly.
Bend the vinyl rib so the rounded side goes down into the dubbing and the flat side faces out. It reads thicker that way, and wrap it forward in well-spaced turns to just past the halfway point for a strongly segmented abdomen. Tie off with three wraps.
Tie in the Scud Back strip on top at the front of the abdomen, pointing back, as the base of the wingcase.
Tie a narrow slip of dark mottled turkey tail directly on top of the Scud Back, also pointing back, for definition.
Strip the fluff from a hen pheasant shoulder feather, stroke the fibers back to leave the length you want for legs, and tie it in upside down on top of the turkey. Trim the stem leaving a small stub, and put a drop of cement on it so the legs cannot pull out.
Dub a fuller, flattened tan opossum thorax, noticeably heavier than the abdomen, up to just behind the eye.
Pull the hen pheasant feather forward over the thorax so the fibers sweep down and out along the sides as legs and tie it down, then pull the turkey slip over, then the Scud Back over the top of it, and secure all three behind the eye.
Trim the excess, build a neat head, whip finish and cement.