A March Brown Nymph??

[DOUGSDEN]

March Brown Nymph....my version!

Hook: TMC 3761 size 10-16
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 Camel
Lead: Appx. 12 wraps of .015 lead or lead substitute
with a generous coat of clear head cement.
Body (thorax/abdomen): A pre-spun body of Wapsi brand S.L.F. "Squirrel Spikey Dubbing" in Natural Fox Squirrel between Pearsalls Orange Silk. I made these on my Richard Clark type spinning block. That procedure is a joy in itself! The "noodle" should be moderately thick!
Hackle: Find the darkest, most well marked Hungarian Partridge you can find! Tie it in by the butt and give 2-3 wraps tops. In the picture above, my hackles seem a bit long. Shame on me!
Head: Same Uni-thread Camel thing thread not too big and then crowned with just a small drop of clear head cement spread over the top, sides, and bottom!
Tail: None!
Rib: None! I let the twisted silk strands of silk show through and bind the loose fur to the hook shank!

Tying notes: At the rear end of the hook where the last wrap is made, "ramp up" with tying thread the last 16th of an inch to form a nice taper. At the front end, not so much. Some, but not too much ramping! The abrupt ledge at the front of the lead needs softened a bit to make a gentle tie off point for the pre-spun body! Also, leave just enough room for the two or three wraps of Partridge!
The dubbing mix I use on this pattern is quite unique! It is spikey enough but also has a fair amount of antron in it! This makes the dubbing workable and also gives it that beautiful light reflecting shimmer that we, and the fish, enjoy! I think it's a fair representation of true Hares Ear dubbing!
The reason I have tied this weighted wet fly is to get at some deep living bluegills that are notorious for never coming up into the light to feed or live. It has worked and worked quite well! The basic features of the venerable March Brown wet fly are carried into the depths and represent something good to eat at least from the bluegills perspective! It is quick to tie and deadly effective down under! What more can we ask of a pattern? I still tie and use the traditional March Brown wet fly with great success closer to the surface.
You are probably wondering why I did not use traditional orange tying thread on this pattern. I had a little bit of 8/0 Camel left on the spool and I wanted to use it up. It turned out that I still have some left on the spool! This stuff lasts forever! I have switched over to orange on the next round of nymphs which are a size 10! That's more like it!
Long Winded Doug

[letumgo]

Dear “Long Winded Doug”,

I enjoyed reading you post, and hearing about the inner construction of the fly, and hearing how you fish this fly. After you cast the fly, do you have any special techniques of fishing the fly? Do you count the fly down to a certain depth, or use any special retrieve when fishing the fly back? Do the fish take the fly on the drop, or as it is working it’s way back to the surface?

Ray

[Smuggler]

Doug,

Great looking fly. I believe you once sent me a couple of these some years back and I remember being hesitant about fishing them. I finally grabbed one of them and took it with on an outing in the summer and caught a handful of really nice brookies with it. I eventually lost it on an underwater snag and was quite peeved about it when it happened.

It was a great fly then, and I'm sure it still is to this day. I think the flies you sent me were all natural though. That's not to say that the addition of antron won't make it better. Antron is a fantastic material to blend with natural dubbings.

Thanks for sharing Doug!

[DOUGSDEN]

Ray first and then Eric next,
Ray, I don't know that I use a hard and fast method all the time when fishing these bullets! When I first targeted some deep living bluegills in one of my favorite lakes, I tried going straight to the bottom (which was mostly sandy and gravelly) and then slowly brought them up. Like most species, bluegill like to feed up into their dinner so many takes are had as the fly is retrieved! When there is a slight breeze blowing, it is quite possible to gauge the depth of a fly by watching the prevailing drift. If you can find the exact depth, it is possible to place the fly slightly above their heads and cover a broad section of water quickly! I am a line watcher and more over a line feeler. I try to limit my presentations to appx. 15 and never more than 20 feet. I have never owned a sink tip line but the idea intrigues me. I guess the answer to your earlier questions about when the fish take is mainly on the retrieve! I do have the habit of increasing the tippet size by one "x" when I go deeper mainly because I can get away with it!
I have tried this deep water angling on some of the ponds around home but most of them are mushy and slimy on the bottom. The fish will sometimes hang right above this slime layer and that makes things a bit more interesting! I try to fish down to a certain depth without hitting the bottom and then begin a slow assent toward the hard light of day! Again, on the retrieve!
I want you to know that I have not forsaken the first six inches under the waters surface! That is where the bulk of my fishing occurs and that's where I like it the most! A traditional unweighted (wet fly) March Brown in that arena is still my favorite! Sometimes, you have to go down and get them!
Eric,
The addition of Antron into the mix of dubbings is one of the greatest things to happen in fly tying ever! I am amazed at the myriad of different dubbings that are on the market today that have such a great light gathering (almost emitting) ability! I also think it makes many wiry dubbings more workable in a dubbing loop or pre-spun body! I love every aspect of it and I would dare to say that over half of the dubbing packs I have in my collection are "with Antron added"!
It is so very good to hear from you both and I would really like to hear from everyone about these subjects above or anything you'd like to chat about! This is great!!
Doug

[daringduffer]

Doug, I love your enthusiastic posts and the pounding heart behind them, so far from the problem Mike V. discusses.

dd

[Smuggler]

Sometimes, you have to go down and get them!

Doug

You're not kidding I'm not above nymphing.