The Art of Mousing

This time of the year with the Hexagenia Limbata mayfly hatch all but a distant memory, those dyed in the wool fly fishing anglers will use a technique called "Mousing". 
Big trout, Brown Trout, will hold tight to deep parts of the river. They feed only at night and only on a large food source...to a trout. The challenge for the fly fishing angler is to recall a large hold near an open flat water area of the river that has a large trout. During the summer most of us have seen a large trout zip by us or feed to our surprise. It's size bulges the water marking him as huge.  You know he is in a near by deep hole, but how can you lure him out? Enter the mouse fly.
Believe it or not, the pattern for the mouse exists. Made out of tightly trimmed fur it allows mousers (fly fishing anglers who engage in this tactic) to purchase one over the counter. Many of us do not have the stomach to secure an alive mouse from around the homestead.
The procedure is; head to the river at 1 am, sit by a large calm hole, cast you mouse to the far side of the pool, then scoot it across the water. Still with me here? You can jump it, twitch it, dance it, all in an effort to trick the trout to attack. Odds are against you, but success is a real adrenalin shot.
Not many of your family or friends are going to understand your dedication to this type of fishing. I tend to keep the mousing technique of fishing to myself. I don't want to trigger a family intervention. I don't bungee jump, or go over water falls in a kayak, mousing is about as eccentric as I care to get. OK fellow Mouse-keteers, let's review the procedure. Find a spot on the river, find a mouse (fly would be best), find the time, set your alarm clock, spend hours dancing the mouse fly over a suspected big trout hold, repeat. Self esteem, confidence and determination is needed to survive the family criticism!

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