May 27 2008
Fly Day- Friday: Mickey Mouse
For all of you fishermen that like to be a little different, and go against the grain of traditional fly fishing, the Mickey Mouse is undoubtedly the fly for you. The Mickey Mouse isn’t actually a fly at all, and is generally categorized as a member of the terrestrial family. Although this pattern is typically used by fishermen for bass, pike, and other large, warm water fish, it has been known to be very productive on large trout around the globe.
If fished either at dawn or dusk, the Mickey Mouse is very effective, especially when the conditions are cool, and when fog is just slight on the water; although this pattern has been known to catch trout at many different times of day, in fairly different condition. Although the Mickey Mouse can be productively fished in a wide variety of terrains, it is best if fished along the edges of fielded streams, and rivers, where the muddy banks smoothly transition to water. Ideally, one should fish this pattern directly under an overhanging log, or tree branch, to give the illusion that the mouse has fallen from a place of natural safety.
Although the Mickey Mouse will remain afloat through most styles of casting, roll casting is undoubtedly the most efficient. While the weight of the mouse is not usually a factor when casting, because it weights so little, the size of the fly can very negatively affect the cast. Because of its large size, the wind caused by a cast will cause the mouse to flutter in the air, resulting in miscasts, and, or wind-knots.
Once the mouse is presented along the edge of the water, the fisherman should allowing it to sit in rest for a short moment, allowing the majority of the ripples to calm, then in short bursts, strip line in, slowly retrieving the mouse in a series of twitches and pauses. This will give the illusion that the mouse is injured in the water, and trying to swim. The trout will generally hit the mouse during the pauses. The most important thing to remember is that trout generally will not immediately strike such a large target. Instead, trout will hit the mouse a number of times, and then strike it for a kill. Understanding this, the fisherman needs to refrain from forcefully attempting the set the hook prematurely. The fisherman should not try to set the hook until the trout firmly strike the mouse, or they will only spook the trout, and will leave the stream with no more than a fish tale.
This past week I spent time scouting out, and fishing, a local pond here in northeastern Connecticut. It was my first time fishing this specific body of water, so I met up with the owner of the property to discuss the ins and outs of fishing there. After a few minutes of conversation, he began [...]
Although I enjoy the reliability and strength of my modern graphite, Pfueger rod, there tends to be a great joy in casting my grandfather’s handcrafted split bamboo rod. The rod is a ten and a half foot bamboo rod that he acquired long before I was born. My grandfather passed away before I was old [...]
As we are approaching fishing season, there are certain etiquettes that should be discussed.
One of the most important rules of fly fishing is that a fisherman should never, under any circumstances, ‘cull.’
Culling is the very inconsiderate practice of keeping a trout in a creel, and then, after catching larger trout, returns the spent trout to [...]
Spot fishing is a good technique when you find yourself in a situation where there are a number of visible fish rising. The basic idea is to always be ready for a repositioning of the fly to the place of the most current activity, whether that is along the shore, or toward the mid current [...]
The Usual is a very simple fly to tie, and can easily be accomplished by anyone who is starting to tie flies, due to the fact that it is very forgiving. When I tie the Usual, I prefer to use a #10 Mustad hook. I have found this size to be most efficient when fishing [...]