Mallard March Brown Soft Hackle

In this video, Simon ties a great March Brown Soft Hackle. Swinging soft hackles is a long forgotten art in the trout world. With the rise of euro nymphing, dry droppers, drop shotting, etc. swinging classic wets is sometimes seen as a thing of the past. Wet flies are incredibly versatile, and especially important for the March Brown hatch. Fish key in on ascending mayflies during every hatch, but for the March Brown hatch, especially it is important. March Browns can actually shed their nymphal shuck subsurface as they are ascending to the surface. This means that sometimes their vulnerable state is actually on their way up as opposed to in the surface film like many other mayflies. For this reason, swinging a wet fly is a fantastic way to catch fish during the March Brown hatch. Fish this fly solo, tag it behind a heavier nymph, or use it as your point fly on an indicator or euro rig and let the flies swing at the end of your drift. Tying some and omitting the hidden bead is advantageous when fish are eating on the surface. On slower days, or before the hatch is in full swing, the beaded versions are great. This pattern can be tweaked for different hatches to suit your needs. Have fun out there!