Bodkin / Patterns

March Brown American

Dry Fly · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook Standard dry-fly hook, 10-12
  • Thread Tan 8/0 (70 denier)

Materials

  • Cree or ginger hackle fibers (tail) Ginger hackle fibers (6-8 fibers)
  • Fur dubbing (body) Tan / amber fawn (1 pinch)
  • Brown thread or hackle stem (rib) Brown hackle (1 length)
  • Wood duck flank (wing) Natural barred wood duck flank (1 clump)
  • Dry-fly hackle Brown hackle (1 feather)
  • Dry-fly hackle Grizzly hackle (1 feather)

How to tie it

  1. At the 70% mark tie in a clump of wood duck flank as an upright wing, divide it into two with figure-8s, and stand the wings vertical with a thread dam.
  2. Carry thread to the bend and tie in 6-8 ginger fibers as a tail one shank long.
  3. Tie in the brown rib, then dub a slim tan-amber body forward to the wing and spiral the rib over it in 4-5 open turns for segmentation.
  4. Tie in the brown and grizzly hackles together behind the wing.
  5. Wind both hackles as a mixed collar, a couple of turns behind the wing and a couple in front, then tie off and clear the fibers.
  6. Whip finish and add a drop of cement.

Tying videos

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