Noah Huebner

8 minutes ago, chugbug27 said:

I don't disagree with what's been said; but I think the issue is more one of, why re-invent the wheel? There are some relatively basic, established Gartside mouse patterns that might be worth a go. If you want to vary those patterns and try a red tail instead of a Coypu tail, for instance, or add CDC to the wet mouse, or use a little flared deer or elk hair on top of the foam, you might find it more worthwhile.

Wet mouse

https://www.jackgartside.com/art_wet_mouse.htm

"Dry" mice (Coypu Mouse & Furgler)

https://www.jackgartside.com/step_coypu_flies_cont.htm

Okay.  Thank you.  I will look in to those.

17 minutes ago, Poopdeck said:

This is not meant to be mean. You asked for critiques So I assume you would want honest critiques to help you grow as a fly Tier. If not please read no further.

A mouse pattern is not a pattern a beginner should begin with and is a difficult tie for the most experienced tiers. I will only highlight the fact that the hook gap is important in catching fish and you can't bury it in a stiff fly. A positive one can take from this fly is your desire to learn. Just don't skip any steps in the learning process. 

As a beginner you should focus on tying beginner flies such as green weenies, San Juan worms, Wooly buggers and many others. After mastering the most basic of flies you can move on to intermediate level flies and then up to the complicated.  This is how you learn the rather simple techniques needed to tie more complicated patterns like a mouse. 

Good luck. 

Okay.  Thanks for an honest response.  I will work on some more beginner flies, and hopefully work my way up to some more complex flies.

thanks

Noah

Just now, mikechell said:

Did you take a picture?

I've seen chubs with the horn growths on the head ... just figured it was a breeding display.

Oh yeah!  Forgot to insert pic...

here it is

9 minutes ago, mikechell said:

Big ugly flies often catch the biggest, ugliest fish!  Good luck!

Awesome.  Thanks!  Going to try it this weekend.

I caught this in a minnow trap.  I know this isn’t a bug.  However,  I was wondering the science of this fish.  Been trapping here for years and never seen this before on a creek chub.  Are the horns on his face some kind of territorial type of thing?  Or is it similar to how male trout/salmon often get a hook jaw near breeding season?  Any input is appreciated. 
the water levels are pretty low, not sure.
thanks

Noah

2 minutes ago, skeet3t said:

Cast it out and hang on! Hear the best time for mouse patterns are early morning or late evening.

Okay.  Great.  Thanks!

Here it is.  Please critique as you see fit.  I put a piece of red chenille on the hook first after coating the shank with a layer of thread.  Then I put foam around the hook shank. I then put brown cdc on the sides to pulse and act like legs at the same time.  Then I wrapped the whole thing with muskrat fur.  I put some elk hair on top to finish.  It looks like crap from above, but I’m hoping that in the water it will act as kinda a stimulator type of thing.

How would one fly fish the surf for stripers/blues?  

14 hours ago, denduke said:

Looks good to me.  Get some rubber legs maybe and do your mouse the same👍

Okay.  Thanks.

Would Maribou look good as legs for a frog, kind of fanning out and pulsing?

thanks

Noah

7 hours ago, denduke said:

Is that your fly WWK?   I thought it was Mike Williams.  Couldn’t find in my search any details. 

What about possibly making it look like a duck from under- would that be easier to tie?

Noah

28 minutes ago, denduke said:

I’ll bite.   Couple layers of 1/4” foam, cut out a head, and saddle hackles a body.  Didn’t have yellar thread.   Pull some rubber legs thru the foam with bobbin threader.   Wish I had some black swimmer legs.  Ain’t tried it yet... may be needs to be wider.   might role over...    could do one just foam maybe stick some feathers in the foam   All the thread is for is too attach feathers.   It’s not really as big a real duck but.... nothing like getting hit in the back of the head with half a chicken👍

Looking good!  I’ll try that.

My attempts at frog like kind of deals-

top is some streamer I made up.  It used to have grizzly hackles but they fell out.  Guess I didn’t have them in tight enough.  
 

middle is my attempt at a dahlburg diver.  Critique please.  
 

Bottom is something I made up with an offset bass worm hook,  but kind of looks more like a green blob to me.  Is there something I could do to it to make it look more like a frog?  Thanks

8 minutes ago, flytire said:

short answer

yes

Does it have the same floating ability that deer hair has?  Thanks

2 minutes ago, flytire said:

Those look good.  How would one tie those?  Where do you buy a jointed hook?

48 minutes ago, denduke said:

Welcome NH... Gobs of mouse patterns around.  Traditional stack and pack deer hair,  elk?, trimmed or fur and foam creations.   Some try to exact copy a mouse others focus on how they look swinging on a drift or  twitched along.   You mentioned mouse, ducks are you fishing for pike or musky?   Here’s my “BabyNutraRat” fly, 7/0.

You can use the elk hair to substitute rabbit or squirrel strips I suppose and use foam for some.    Stack and pack your elk hair sounds like what you wanta do.

 

Those look great!  I was hoping to fish for pike with ducks, and bass/trout with mice. 
thanks

8 minutes ago, skeet3t said:

If fished in fast water, accuracy in form isn't real important. A mouse pattern fished early AM or late PM will bring up some big fish.

FWIW, a university professor in wildlife management spoke to our TU chapter several years ago. The question was raised about striped bass eating trout. Necropsy showed a few trout inside stripers but the surprising thing was a baby duck. So...get the baby duck out of the kid's bath, tie a hook on it and fish!

understood.  That’s interesting about the necropsy, I’ll have to try that idea! 😊

I wanted to get going on a mouse fly.  Just went to the store and they have nothing.  I have plenty of elk body hair, though.  Is this sufficient for a mouse?  Thanks.

I’m relatively new to tying, and I was wondering if there is a fly you can tie to imitate a duckling in distress/dead?  Would you spin deer hair, or use feathers?  What size hook?

thanks