New flies for a new country

Mouse fly, a first for me

My last couple days in the states were spent behind a vice, furiously tying the flys I could to ensure I had a fair supply and didn't leave any "must haves" out. One of these must haves was the mouse fly, a notorious big trout fly that I've never had the opportunity to try. Apparently, every 6 or seven years the south island has the right conditions to create an explosion in the mouse population. In turn, the fish turn their attention to the little furry bodies that frequently plop off the shore and swim frantically back. The fish tend to be huge and aggressive and the flies are fished actively on the surface creating some thrilling action.

The pattern itself is pretty simple, just deer hair spun around a hook; however, as John Gierach once described of bass bugs, the goal is to make the fly look as adorable as possible so that the scene of a huge trout crushing this little creature is all the more satisfying. I added some pink ears, beady black eyes, and rubber whiskers and hope to watch this little mouse get engulfed by a massive brown.