I have had some great fishing on the March Brown hatch in the Rockies and all over the East on drys and nymphs. This hatch usually occurs in the East from mid April to mid May. It is one of the largest and heaviest hatches on many streams in the Catskills and in the Blue Ridge Mountains where I get great fishing with it.
Many of the nymphs live in the deep water in the middle of the pools. Just prior to hatching, they undergo a mini-migration to the shallow water along the sides of the streams. Here they swim to the surface of the stream where they develop their wings and fly to the streamside trees. These nymphs look and act like the real nymphs that the trout actively feed on. You can also use them as a dropper under a March Brown Dry or Mr. Rapidan Dry Fly size 14.
Recommended Flies to Match the Hatch
- March Brown Dry Fly size 14
- Murray’s Brown Drake Dry Fly size 14, 16
- March Brown Nymph size 14
- Murray’s Near Nuff Mayfly Dry size 14, 16
Fish these on a Murray’s Mountain Leader 6ft 5X or 6X or Murray’s Classic Leader 7.5ft 5X or 6X. For more information on the native brook trout streams, see my book Trout Fishing in the Shenandoah National Park.