Dry fly

March Brown

TroutSurface

A heavily hackled, mottled dry for the naturally large and robust March Brown dun — bushy enough to ride broken early-season water, buggy enough that trout don't look twice.

Fish this when

Early spring on fast, stony freestone and spate rivers once the March Brown hatch is underway, typically early-to-mid afternoon on overcast days. Dead-drift to risers in broken water or fish it blind as a searching pattern.

Why it works

The natural dun is unusually large and heavily built for an upwing, and rides the surface for longer than most mayflies while its wings dry in the cold early-season air. A bushy, mottled hackle gives trout the same slow-riding, substantial silhouette.

Naturals it imitates