The March Brown is well known to all anglers as a fly to which they are
chiefly indebted for the greatest portion of their sport in the Spring,
commencing as its name indicates in March, and continuing the whole of
April and into May. They appear on the water each succeeding day about
eleven in the forenoon, and retire about half-past two p.m. Few rivers
or brooks produce March Browns that are exactly alike;--I mean with
regard to the same shade of colour, even in the same river there are
frequently darker and lighter flies. For the lighter one I recommend
the hen pheasant's or brown owl's wing feather, dubbed with hare's ear
and yellow silk; for the dark, the tail feather of a partridge, a brown
red hackle underneath the wings, and dark orange silk, or a woodcock's
feather for wings, and a dark red hackle with dark orange silk,--kills
exceedingly well. When the water is low and fine, I consider your
chance of killing fish far greater with two, than three of the large
spring flies. If you put the brown, and blue dun on your stretcher,
three quarters of a yard apart, you will find your cast will be much
lighter with the two than three; this plan also holds good in reference
to hackle flies, provided that you know what the fish are taking.