Mouserat

By Gary Lewis

When a big bass, a brown or a pike goes for a mouserat, they don’t just sip it off the surface, they smash it. A mouse is a big meal and a fish big enough to eat it is not going to let the rodent get away.

Bring your big net. From a boat or from the opposite bank, cast back to the water’s edge. This isn’t the time for finesse. If it splashes down, so much the better. Make it swim. The tail is wiggling, the legs are kicking. Pause a moment while the critter gets its breath then start it up again. 

Tie the Mouserat with strong tying thread on a No. 2-6 English bait hook or similar hook. The weed guard (optional) can be created with a length of 20-lb monofilament. Secure it over the eye to complete later. Tie in a thin strip of leather for the tail. Use deer hair for the body, spinning it and packing it tightly. Four-fifths of the way toward the nose, tie in a pair of leather ears and big mono eyes. When you reach the nose, tie in dyed-black deer hair for whiskers. Trim the body hair as shown, tapering the body toward the nose. Complete the fly by attaching the weed guard to the base of the tail with tying thread and glue.

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