Goodnight Mouse/Hello Brown Trout

I have been stuck behind a computer for long, torturous periods of time as of late. While much of this time is of my own doing, I needed to get out on the water. So, I annoyed Stan from False Casts and Flat Tires into heading out on a night time mission to mouse up some brown trout. Last year, one of my goals was to catch a fish on a mouse...and catch a fish at night. I failed miserably on both accounts. Mostly due to a severe lack of commitment. The nighttimes is muchos scary, guys. Mucho muchos scary. With the darkness, the lack of light, a collection of odd, unusual and threatening sounds, and bats, I didn't last long whilst trying to catch nighttime trout on the fly.

In January, Andrew Grillos, signature fly tier at Idlewylde saw that my 2012 dreams and goals list still included catching a trout on a mouse. AG, is apparently the giving sort, sent me two of his BOB Gnarly patterns. Then, earlier this week, he emailed me to tell me that this week would be a good week to go mousing. That email got me out on the water by midnight and into fish by 1 in the morning last night...or this morning.

Admittedly, my first trout on a mouse was hooked as I crossed the stream with my fly trailing me downstream. More of an exercise in "skilled" wading than skilled presentation. It's not the biggest of fish by any stretch of the imagination. But, a first is a first.

First at night, First on Mouse (Photo: Stan Spoharski)

As we progressed upstream, Stan and I started to put pieces of the proverbial presentation puzzle together. Working upstream and casting downstream, shaking the rod tip and stripping in sporadically, We had our fair share of boils and splashy misses. As my BOB Gnarly quartered and twitched it's way downstream, my fly disappeared into the jaws of impressively proportioned 17" brown trout. It had the shoulders, head, and pseudo kype of a fish a half a foot longer. Monkey off back. Props go to AG. I feel like he Jedi guided me from a distance.

The girthiest 17" of brown trout I have ever encountered. (Photo: Stan Spoharski)

The lovely brown trout hump/check it out (Photo: Stan Spoharski)

The BOB Gnarly - Mouse-y to say the least

Many of you are aware of the now outdated dreams and goals of 2011 list on the YGF sidebar to the right of the post. Number 9 on that list is "Catch a fish on a mouse pattern." Note that it is not crossed off. Not to say I didn't try, but admittedly my efforts were...sub-standard. I have excuses like 2011 was a weird water year and I wouldn't feel comfortable wading in the higher water later into the sea...blah blah blah. Excuses, excuses.

Enter Andrew Grillos, signature fly tyer at Idylwilde. AG/Mr. Grillos/Grillos saw that my plight to catch a trout on a mouse last year was not completed and he took it upon himself to offer up a pair of his signature tie - the BOB Gnarly - to me. Now, I have to catch a trout on a mouse. A signature fly tier and experienced guide is sending me mouse flies. Full effort will be given. Trout will be caught on a mouse fly this year. It will be done.

AG has produced the BOB line of flies that incorporate a styrofoam bobber into their construction. The BOB Gnarly is one of those BOB flies. Here is how the AG himself describes the BOB Gnarly.

I began playing around with this idea in Colorado and I was really able to refine it while guiding at Alaska West a couple summers ago.  Let's just say that I got kind of obsessed with the mammal-eating trout up there.  Durability is a big factor in the flies that I tie and I tried to make this guy as tough as possible.  I like to tie one fly on in the morning and fish it all day long.  I also wanted a mouse that wakes in the surface film rather than skitters and skates delicately on top.  The upturned, light wire, stinger hook tends to hook fish more solidly while inflicting less damage as well.  I like to keep the fly moving, as well.  Small twitches with the rod while skating or dead drifting have proven to be super effective.  This BOB Gnarly was refined in Alaska, but it's also been proven on fish in Colorado, on daytime and nighttime missions.  It fooled a few huge NZ browns a couple winters ago as well!  I'm confident that the BOB Gnarly can help you meet your goal to catch a trout on a mouse!

I am super excited to get the BOB Gnarly out on the water. The fly looks bomb-proof and the use of the styrofoam bobber seems borderline genius, if not straight up genius. Many thanks to AG.