March Browns

March is coming rapidly, although not quite as fast as we’d like, and it’s as good a time as ever to hit the vise and tie a couple of March browns. Here are two of the best videos there is on the subject. It’s instructive to compare them. You’ve got a simple Catskill version by Tightline with wood duck wing and two cock saddle hackles. Easy to tie, straightforward and efficient. If I had to make an adjustment, I would probably close the gap between the tail and the underbody formed by the duck’s feather before forming the dubbing body. Magnificent tutorial, with the usual clarity we’ve come to expect from Tightline.[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z61vhnPgQZU]

Then we’ve got a Scottish version from McPhail. A little subtler, with a cock saddle hackle for support, then a longuer supple partridge hackle. Maybe I’m partial, but I find this one a little more appealing, and as usual, the master’s tying is absolutely flawless.[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBCnmhPO4H4]