Hook: 2499SP BL #14
Thread: Pearsall's Gossamer Silk, Orange
Hackle: Brown hen or partridge
Ribbing: French Tinsel, Oval Gold, Small
Dubbing: Antron, Hare's Ear, Dark
Take a hen hackle. Peel away the fuzzy stuff at the bottom of the stem leaving only the good hackle. Peel away the fibers from one side of the stem, leaving enough to grab with the hackle pliers. Tie in the hackle stem first, with the hackle fibers down, concave side toward you. Trim the excess hackle stem.
Tie in the ribbing and then run the silk back to the curve of the hook with close wraps. Apply dubbing to the silk and run the silk back forward to form a moderately plump body. Run the ribbing forward with several turns. Secure the ribbing and trim the excess.
Grab the hackle with hackle pliers (I prefer rotary hackle pliers) and make two or three turns of the hackle around the hook towards the rear of the hook. Secure the hackle with the silk and clip off the excess hackle. Run the silk forward through the hackle fibers and form a neat head and whip finish. Do not use head cement. Rather apply some dubbing wax to the silk before applying the whip finish. Using dubbing wax preserves the color of the silk (or so I have read).
The March Brown Spider is a pretty traditional wet fly. I have caught fish on it all summer, into the fall, and on New Year's Day on the White River. I have also caught fish with it on the North Fork of the White in Missouri. I fish it with a "traditional" wet fly swing. I give the fly a lot of action as it is swinging and during the hang down stream from me. Sometime the takes can be quite sharp, other times they are very subtle.
Tied by Mike Tipton
