So You Want To Match The Hatch?

You may remember back in January I asked (via our email community) for feedback on areas where we could improve.

The one improvement which stood out above all others was for us to produce a range of 'Insect Specific' selections. You may also remember that I emailed out confirming that we would have the first one ready in early March ... It's now early March ... and the first one is ready.

But first ... Why is it so important to 'Match The Hatch'?

It is a long-held belief - and one to which I wholeheartedly subscribe - that the more successful anglers are the ones who can successfully translate what is happening around them to tactics when on the water (be it Rivers or Stillwaters), a major part of that is deciding which fly to present to the fish.

This is where matching the hatch comes into play - where possible, you should always try to offer up an imitation which closely resembles the insects the fish are actually feeding on at the time - hence 'Matching The Hatch'.

We wanted to go just that one step further and offer you some added value - after all, it would be quite easy for us just to put them all in a box and deliver them to you (just like all our competitors do), and then you're on your own!

But we wanted to be a little different and add much more value ...

So, in each of the Match The Hatch Selections we have produced there is a QR code (which you scan with your phone/tablet), this takes you to a hidden page on our website which is dedicated to the selection of flies you have just bought:

On this page (sample above), you will find lots of information on the insect you are trying to match - how to identify it etc, a list of all the flies contained within the selection - including hints and tips on when, where and how you fish each one of them.

Over the past month we have worked very closely with our Artisan Fly Designers and produced a full range of 'Match The Hatch' Selections - all tied with the highest quality materials on the best quality hooks available (Ahrex). Each of our 'Match The Hatch' selections contains patterns which cover the full lifecycle of the insect in question (Nymph, Emerger, Dun, Spinner etc).

We've also presented them in a really nice box, pretty neat eh ...

The first of our 'Match The Hatch' selections were delivered to us last Friday, and focus on an early-season favourite all across the UK ...

The March Brown

Our March Brown Match The Hatch Selection is now in stock and ready for immediate delivery. It contains 15 flies - 3 each of the 5 different lifecycle stages:

• March Brown Nymph - tied on an Ahrex FW501 - Size 12
• March Brown Emerger - tied on an Ahrex FW511 - Size 12
• Parachute March Brown - tied on an Ahrex FW501 - Size 12
• March Brown Upright - tied on an Ahrex FW503 - Size 12
• March Brown Spinner - tied on an Ahrex FW503 - Size 12

Successful river fishing is all about observation - carefully watching what is happening all around you, and then translating this information into your choice of fly and technique. As always there is no substitute for experience, but there are a few shortcuts you can use to help you gain that experience quicker.

Our March Brown Match The Hatch (MTH) Selection will help you in your first forays of the season, these are generally the only upwinged flies on the water in March and early April and with this selection we have you covered for all of its lifecycle stages.

Here we present to you ...

Our March Brown 'Match The Hatch' Patterns:

You're probably asking yourself by now:

"That's great Richard, but how much is all this going to cost me?"

Well, we've kept the price to the bare minimum, each of our 'Match The Hatch' Selections are only £25 - yes, you did read that right, just £25 - to save you the maths, that's just £1.66 per fly, ignoring all of the other value you are also receiving!

As a reminder, each of our Match The Hatch Selections contains:

15 Flies - Three flies for each of the five main lifecycle stages we are trying to imitate for the March Brown.

Full Insect Information - Access to a hidden webpage which provides information on the March Brown, it also outlines in detail each of the patterns supplied, giving information on when and how to use them.

We have other 'Match The Hatch' selections on their way to us - our Artisan fly tyers are hard at work producing them as I type this!

We have identified the main insect imitations which are successful throughout the UK and will have the following selections winging their way to us over the next couple of months:

• Iron Blue
• Mayfly - these are stunning, I just had the samples through!
• Blue-Winged Olive
• Midges

We are currently working with the tyers to create other Match The Hatch selections for the most popular late-season insect hatches.

Tight lines & fill your boots!