March Brown Emerger

We've been seeing a few more March Brown Duns lately and maybe we'll get a real hatch this year. The March Brown hatch on the Lower Yuba just isn't one that comes off consistently year after year. With the early spring type conditions and the lack of rain maybe this will be one of the good years. With that said it's time to tie up some March Brown patterns to get ready just in case.

Here's a March Brown Emerger that is tough to beat. It's worked well for me. I'm not sure where the pattern came from but this is how I tie it.

March Brown Emerger Recipe

Hook: 2x Long Nymph Hook, TMC 3761BL
Thread: 8/0 Tan
Lead: .015 wrapped along side hook shank outrigger style
Tail: Ginger Z-lon
Tail Fibers: 5 or 6 Brown Hackle Fibers
Rib: Small Copper Wire
Dubbing: Hares Ear Synthetic Dubbing
Hackle: Partridge Soft Hackle
Underwing: Ginger Z-lon
Overwing: Brown CDC Fibers

Step 1: Insert hook into vise and start the thread at the head and wrap down the hook shank just to the bend of the hook.

Tie in .015 lead outrigger style if desired.

Step 2: Separate a small bunch of Z-lon fibers, about 12 to 15 strands and tie in as a tailing shuck. Extend the fibers long and cut off 1/8" past the end of the hook.

Step 3. Select about 5 brown hackle fibers and tie in as the tail. Extend the hackle fibers about 1/16" past the Z-Lon shuck.

Step 4. (Multiple Steps)
(4a) Tie in small wire for rib
(4b) Wrap thread dubbed with a sparse amount of Hares Ear Dubbing forward to about 1/8" from the eye
(4c) Wrap the wire rib forward and tie in off. Clip off excess
                   wire.







Step 5: Prepare a small partridge hackle and tie it in about 1/8" back from the eye. 













Step 6. Wrap the soft hackle so you have a sparse soft hackle all the way around.













Step 7. Tie in a small bunch of Ginger Z-lon fibers as an underwing. Cut the Z-Lon fibers at the bend of the hook shank.

Step 8. Select a small brown CDC hackle and tie in as an overwing. Match the length of the Z-Lon underwing.

Step 9. Tie off the head and whip finish.

The Perry Poke Positioning Cast

As you advance with spey casting you will continue to spent time "Warming Up" using the roll cast with it's waterborne anchor or the "Switch Cast" with an airborne anchor. Both of these casts end with the "Forward Stroke" which needs to be grooved as it is part of every spey cast. An exception to this is the "Perry Poke" cast. It is a re-positioning cast and does not have a forward stroke, unless you call dumping the line a forward stroke. You'll see what I mean as you continue to the "How To".

The Perry Poke was named after Karl Perry who popularized this cast. The “Perry Poke” is a re-positioning cast that allows you to re-position your line to use some of the straight line casts like the “Roll Cast” and the “Switch Cast.” You can also use it with a "Single Spey" cast.

The “Perry Poke” is an upstream shoulder cast. For a right handed caster this would be from river left. The river would be flowing from the right to the left with the bank behind you. The “D Loop” will be placed on the upstream side. This cast is best utilized with an upstream wind or no wind. The “Perry Poke” is a Sustained Anchor Cast.

As with most casts you can use this cast from opposite side of the river,river right, with a "Kackhanded Cast" which for a right handed caster is with the right hand at the top of the grip and the "D Loop" set over the left, upstream shoulder.

The cast works well with short “Skagit Heads” of about 27 feet in length or with "Scandi Heads".

First Stage. The first stage of the “Perry Poke” is the hang-down.

(1) Make sure you have a nice taught connection.
(2) Strip your running line back in to the belly or the head before Step Two, the pickup.
(3) Set your feet in the direction that you want to target your cast.
(4) Turn your hips and shoulders to face the line at the hang-down.
(5) Gather line and drop the rod tip down.

Second Stage - Step two is the pickup.

(1) This step is where you pick up the line to place it in the secondary position. The important movement is the lifting of the rod vertically up and not swinging. They line travels quite close to the body. It is a nice smooth operation.
(2) Raise the rod tip to the vertical position and over your upstream shoulder.
(3) The line should place the anchor point right in front of you, slightly downstream from your position.

Third Stage - Step three is the throw down for the “Set”. It is a relaxed dropping of the line. You want the line to drop in a crumpled pile. It looks messy but the line on the water will give the power for the forward cast.
The crumpled pile should be under your rod tip.
Note: a common mistake is to push the throw down out and away from your position.

Stage Four - Step Four is the sweep combined with the “Forward Casting Stroke”.

The important part of the sweep is to take the rod path upstream and outside of where the line is laying.

(1) The sweep brings the rod tip around and upstream in a slightly inclining plane to the point behind you where the sweep up begins.
(2) Go out and around with the rod tip then you do the “Turn Over” which is the rotation of the rod into a vertical plane to prepare for the “Forward Stroke”.
(3) The stroke path is very similar to a single handed “Belgian Cast”.

Summary

The Perry Poke is a causual cast the you can use to re-position your line to use a simple "Roll Cast" or a "Switch Cast". It can be combined with other more advanced casts too.

Switch Rod Workshop Perspective

I just have to admit that I was a little apprehensive going into the two switch rod workshops that took place in the last 3 weeks. This was a big step for me, it's what I've really wanted to do, hands on teaching, and to me this was my final test. The attendees of the workshops were mostly faces that I knew, people that are die hard fly fishermen, people that I am friends with and the new faces, friends for the future. I've done many small classes and clinics in the past but this was just bigger. I was originally seeking help for the workshop but that didn't pan out due a personal issue. I decided I'd just move forward and make it happen.

So what did I do? I practiced what I was going to teach, I made frequent trips down to the Lower Yuba and worked on double handed casting techniques. the practice casts, like the roll and switch cast, the spey casts, double spey, single spey, snap T, snap Z, the perry poke, the snake roll. Essentially what anyone that wants to be a proficient two handed caster should do.

I wrote three switch rod booklets to handout to the attendees of the workshops. One on the gear you'll need, rods, lines, heads and such. The second on the practice and spey casts that you'll want learn to use a two handed rod effectively. The third on switch rod tactics and and flies you may want to add to your arsenal. These are like term papers to me, this is how I learn. It is the application of studying something, letting it sink in and then composing that information and assimilating it onto paper. It works for me. What I learn can then be passed on to others, this is what teaching is all about.

I contacted our Sage, Rio and Redington rep, Jaime Lyle, and asked if I could borrow a couple of switch rods where I was short. Jaime responded by sending me six. Six rods with reels, lines, heads and tips. I can't thank Jaime enough. Not only did this give me ample rods to use, but it made it possible for the workshop attendees to sample different rods matched with different lines.

The workshops went, I think anyway, better than I had imagined. A bounty of information was shared, with good food, and camaraderie and I think the best thing is that a bunch of fires were lit to continue the learning process of using switch rods and spey casting.

Once again I want to thank Jaime Lyle, Frank Rinella, Mike Williams and Blake Larsen for their encouragement and support.

Keep on Switching