Orange Mouse Revisited Phil Tuttle August 15, 2012 One-Hit Wonders 7 Comments We’ve spent a number of nights out in the dark lately with menial results. He’re is one of Phil’s successes: Despite the need our physical bodies have to sleep, night-time opportunities to catch over-sized trout have again taken precedence… Derek and I decided last minute to throw some mice at night….again. It seems as if there has been a common denominator in regards to our success this spring/summer catching some of our best fish ever. Tonight would prove similar. As the sun set, orange in the west, we started working downstream, throwing scary-big streamers at the banks. However, after an hour or so, we were left wanting with only a few boils and short takes. Nothing wanted to stick. We decided to move upstream a few miles and try our luck at a proven “big brown playground”. Just as it was getting dark, we noticed some caddis coming off and a few decent noses. I decided it was time to ditch subsurface tactics and go with the tested and true, orange mousey mouse. It seemed like a good choice, as my first cast resulted in the all too common, “Freak! I missed him!” that often plagues anglers fishing mouse patterns. Even the craziest of highly engineered stinger ties weren’t sticking…again and again…….and, yep……..again. (My brain is finally wrapping around the inevitability of missing numerous fish while mousing.) We moved to a stagnant backwater and continued blind casting. Ironically, Derek and I were quietly conversing about a ridiculous bow I had landed just months earlier on the very fly I was throwing when finally………the water burbled……….and the orange mickey mouse clubhouse stuck… again. The fish pulled hard and immediately shot for the nearest log jam. My over-gunned eight with 20lb tippet were inimitable as I wrenched the fish away from the jam and eventually to Derek’s orangutan sized net. Again…the orange mouse conquered. Still smiling……25 and change. 7 Responses Gil August 16, 2012 Love that mouse! Looks like you guys have catching big fish down to an art! Nice job! Reply mike doughty August 16, 2012 that is a stellar fish! nice work guys Reply Justin Hamblin August 26, 2012 Gotta love those meat eating Browns! Nice fish! Reply Nathan August 31, 2012 There’s nothing better! Reply Trev August 30, 2012 Bro nice fish…you dudes just slay! If you dont mind giving some insight, what do you use to tie that mouse? Obviously the orange is foam, but do you use spun deer/elk hair as the under body? Reply Phil August 30, 2012 Hey Trev, Thanks for the kind words. Derek tied this guy. It is spun deer hair on the underbody with evazote foam pulled over the top. Sweet tie. It has caught all my best fish this year. Reply Trev August 30, 2012 Thanks man! I have a feeling that thing will crush on some james browns in my home waters Reply Leave a Reply to Phil Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sign me up for the newsletter! Δ
Gil August 16, 2012 Love that mouse! Looks like you guys have catching big fish down to an art! Nice job! Reply
Trev August 30, 2012 Bro nice fish…you dudes just slay! If you dont mind giving some insight, what do you use to tie that mouse? Obviously the orange is foam, but do you use spun deer/elk hair as the under body? Reply
Phil August 30, 2012 Hey Trev, Thanks for the kind words. Derek tied this guy. It is spun deer hair on the underbody with evazote foam pulled over the top. Sweet tie. It has caught all my best fish this year. Reply
Trev August 30, 2012 Thanks man! I have a feeling that thing will crush on some james browns in my home waters Reply