Mousing

[Ralph]

Jim- Interesting observation about the white belly of the deer mouse. When tossing mice off Fanny Bridge there is little doubt that the fish prefer the white lab mice over the black and brown ones. I always figured it was because those fish are attuned to eating bread and marshmallows tossed off the bridge. Might have to rethink that. Next summer let's drift about one of the local lakes and throw rodents (I think you know my fav lake, I accidentally spilled the beans that evening at Richard's before Lisa and I headed out, boat in tow, mice in hand, and full moon overhead).

[aaron]

What sets the 'famous' mousing streams apart is more logistical than anything else. Most are surrounded by by ag fields that get cut multiple times a summer, this put the mice into hiding come day time, and on the move at night, including across streams. The consistency of having critters crossing by cover of darkness keys trout into them as a reliable food source.

[gitt]

Jim,

Re: spinning deer hair

Give this a try - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvQEolFlV2c Jump up to the 7 minute mark or segment of the video. Steve Potter makes spinning deer hair look so simple. I was even more surprised to see that there have been over 18,000 views of his tying on this video alone.

As for mice, I have even seen squirrels swim across rivers, but no heads chasing them.

[Charlie S]

Good advice Ralph, especially the tying.

[Ralph]

All this mousing talk has my attention. Works in Alaska for sure had some amazing mousing days on the Goodnews. I am sure it would work on Truckee probably have to put in sone time though.

I ran a spike camp and guided the Goodnews in the early 80's. Mousing was insane but after not too long the size and numbers of big bows plummeted. If a client didn't land a 30" bow during his stay, it was a disappointment. Today a 30" bow is a rare trophy. I'm pretty sure the mortality was due to the stinger style hooks we used as well as the horrendous amount of time those fish would be held out of the water for photos. I cringe when looking back at how we fished in our naivety. Maybe those fish will come back, but even with more educated fishing methods, with the intense pressure those guys face now days, I rather doubt it.

[JasonB]

Jason- Some of my best mousing has been in the afternoon, under direct sun, on windy days. Late summer seems to be the most lucrative and I have to wonder if trout aren't simply keying in on large terrestrials like grasshoppers plopping on the surface and a fur ball isn't that far out of their conditioned expectation. I think it is reasonable to assume many "mice" are actually taken for shrews which are much more common than people realize and spend a great deal of time swimming around hunting for aquatic insects and crayfish on the riverbed.

You mention the profile of the tail. I've watched lots of mice from underwater and the wake of the mouse almost entirely obscures the tail. Other than the dark blob of its body, the most noticeable aspect of the mouse are the four pink feet furiously churning in the water. Until someone comes up with the fly version of a Woodchopper, we'll probably have to forgo imitating the feet.

That’s very interesting stuff Ralph. Apparently I need to devote more efforts to my mousing mid day. On the feet, I have often thought about trying to add some little legs and feet to my mouse patterns but have come up short on any reasonable ideas. Then again, I really do find that it’s more about watching the mouse splashing around through the water, and the anticipation, than how many fish I hook.

A side note on fish size: I had mentioned that I’ve been surprised (impressed really) at the number of more modest sized trout that will come up after a mouse, well this evening I caught one even smaller. A little brown trout, all of perhaps 8”, came up and attacked my mouse. Thankfully he didn’t really get ahold of it as well as he could have, or could have easily been brained. I did have to admire the tenacity to go after such a meal that it would barely fit in his mouth!
JB

[Sheepdog8404]

I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before you showed up on this thread, Jason. Watching that handful of blowups on the mouse the last time we fished sure did boost my confidence on the idea. I'm really hoping to tie some up and get them swimming this summer.

[bigfly]

This mousing thing is loaded with opinion......You do have to go catch something big to validate it though.
There is no substitute for fact........and testing is the best way to know.
The reason Ralph and Jason and I have more than an opinion about Mr. mouse....is testing...lots of testing.....
Many days, and in my case, nights of testing......If you guys want to do more than chat about it....get to testing.
And I have considered tying a duckling fly too......I'll let you know.

Jim

[PV_Premier]

So glad I started this thread. So much awesome info and stories!

[Rossflyguy]

[QUOTE=bigfly;180396]This mousing thing is loaded with opinion......You do have to go catch something big to validate it though.
There is no substitute for fact........and testing is the best way to know.
The reason Ralph and Jason and I have more than an opinion about Mr. mouse....is testing...lots of testing.....
Many days, and in my case, nights of testing......If you guys want to do more than chat about it....get to testing.
And I have considered tying a duckling fly too......I'll let you know.

There’s a guy I follow on social media. He ties a duckling pattern for bass. It’s a damn good looking pattern. Gonna purchase some from him for this coming spring bass bite.