March Brown Soft Hackle
Hook - Daiichi Model 1740 (TUE Nymph Hook/Size 12)
Thread - Pearsall's Gossamer SIlk (Hot Orange/No. 19)
Wax - Bill Shuck's Tying Wax
Hackle - English Red Grouse Neck Feather
Abdomen & Thorax - Custom Seal and Wool Blend (mix of colors)
Tail/Dorsal Stripe - 7 or 8 Pheasant Tail Fibers (Natural)
Rib - Pearsall's Gossamer SIlk (formed into a dubbing loop & twisted tightly)
Special Note on the dubbings: The seal fur dubbing was given to me by our late friend Mark Romero. He sent me several colors to play with, and I've been holding onto them for something special. Once I got the idea for this pattern, I thought this was a perfect use for the dubbing. (Thanks Mark. I know you would have been jazzed to see the dubbing put to good use). The ginger wool dubbing blend, came from William Anderson. I sent him a some wool yarn and he chopped it up and made packs of dubbing out of some of it. I need to see if I can track down the name of the original wool yarn.
TUTORIAL / TYING INSTRUCTIONS:
SEAL/WOOL DUBBING BLEND:
Great Canadian Seal Dubbing (Brown; Golden Olive; Yellow) mixed with ginger colored wool dubbing.
I cut the golden olive and yellow seal into shorter lengths (between 1/2 and 1/3rd their natural length). I intentionally leave the brown seal hair full length. I just like the look of the longer brown strands of seal fur.
Here is what the dubbing blend looks, after blending in a coffee grinder.
PREPARED MATERIALS READY FOR TYING:
PHOTO STEP BY STEP:
1) Mount hook in vice. Attach tying thread with five firm wraps. Form a loop with the tag end of the thread. This will later form the rib of the fly, and hold the tail fibers in place.
2) Tye in the hackle by the center steam, wrapping back to the midpoint of the hook before clipping off the hackle stem. This will help build a slight taper into the underbody of the fly.
3) Wrap the tying thread back towards the bend of the hook. Stop midway between the hook point and barb.
4) Dub the tying thread and wrap forward, forming a tapered body (carrot shape).
5) Tye in the pheasant tail fibers, with the tips hanging out over the bend of the hook. The tail length should be roughly the length of the hook shank.
6) Twist the thread loop tightly, forming a thread cord. Wrap this forward in open spiral wraps. This will secure the pheasant tail fibers along the top of the hook (dorsal strip) and form a rib.
7) Dub the thread and form a plump thorax (march brown nymphs have a wide flattened body - the dubbing can be picked out later to help augment this shape). Wrap the hackle back against the thorax and tye off. Form a thread head and then apply a quick coat of head cement.
Using a bodkin, pick out the thorax dubbing to add additional "life" to the pattern.
Finished Fly
I was working on my swap flies, so I figured I’d photograph the process.
I love your style. Those are such fine examples of imitative fishing flies. I wish you had joined our recent swap.