THE FLIEDERMOUSE

The Fliedermouse 

    

I don't normally fish topwater flies as my primary type. 
There, I said it. Clap me in irons, sharpen the guillotine.

    I tend to view fly fishing as a shallow water style, and top-water flies are a natural. So don't be concerned by that opening statement - I like shallow water floating flies, bugs, and poppers. There is nothing as exciting as that splashy surface bite. 

    Yessir, surface patterns have their place and I usually start any session by fishing the surface. 

    
    But there is an inherent problem with surface flies that is almost never mentioned: They are useful only part of the time. 

    When the sun gets high, or the wind turns sharp and brisk, they start to be ignored. Or, for whatever reason known only to the fish, they just won't come up to take a surface offering.
    At those times, I start probing down in the water column.
Many fly anglers simply won't fish anything BUT a surface fly or bug.... but I'm not one of them. 

    So I'm in two minds - I know there is a time to let go of the surface fly and fish down in the water. But I also like floating foam patterns, and I really like imaginative "creature" flies. 

    Some would say I'm conflicted; but I say, "Not at all."
I call it smart... or maybe realistic. Maybe both.
    And with that understood, I feel safe in saying that I have been taken with this particular foam-and-hair surface bug.

THE FLIEGERMOUSE ... What's In A Name?

    The name of this fly, "Fliedermouse," is a clever play on words, something I also like. The word, "flieger," in German means flyer. There also used to be a popular old pattern called the "Fledermaus" - German for "bat."
    This one borrows from these ideas and mixes them all into... "The Fliedermouse." The "Flying Mouse," if you like.

    This pattern comes from Harrison Steeve III's book, "Tying Flies with Foam, Fur, and Feathers." 

    If you like terrestrial flies and tying with foam, it is a must have for your library.

Rear Quarter View

A UNIQUE APPROACH

    Harrison developed a concept using craft foam discs as the base material for any number of flies, and this is simply that: several foam discs of different sizes, affixed in imaginative ways to the hook. 

    Added to the Fliedermouse is another favorite material of mine - deer hair. In this case, if forms a durable tail and wings.
As far as I'm concerned..., "Deer hair is fish-catching magic!"
You can quote me on that.

    The tail is deer hair tied on the hook shank in the usual way for a tail. I tie it in tight, but not too tight that it flares widely. The body is a disc of foam, folded up and around the hook, taco-style, so it surrounds the butts of the deer-hair tail.
Super glue holds it closed.
    The shoulders and head are another two discs.
One is pinched to a tiny point, then tied just in front of the body to form the shoulder. A jot of super glue holds it tight to the front of the body 
    Next comes two tufts of deer hair, one each tied to either side to form wings.
The last item to go on is another disc, pinched and tied in at the eye, forming the head shell. Here again, a little more super glue holds one atop the other, keeping the hair wing under control.

    Some fur dubbing, or peacock herl, blends the bottom of the what is now a thorax into a whole.

You end up with a foam surface bug having a combination effect:

Part waking slider
Part hair fly
Part critter

NOTE: Fliedermouse is a two material fly, but don't let that fool you  - it is not a "quickie," simple tie. It requires some dedicated material prep, a couple of tricky bindings, skillful thread tension control, and the winging work of a "Humpy" trout fly.
    If you like 2 step patterns, this may not be for you.

    But, it's not terribly difficult, either. If you have other foam and fur patterns under your belt, and aren't raw beginner,... you should give it a go. If you run into trouble, just contact me at the email below and I'll help you over the rough spots.
My suggestion? Tie the first ones big, to get the hang of it.

Bottom View

FISHING NOTES

    Let me be up front here....

    I want to tell you The 

Fliedermouse has caught every species of fish, from Ankara to Zanzibar. 

I'd love to tell you how bass and bluegill leap from the water to grab them. 

    Well,.... I have only fished them in my local warm water lakes and ponds. I have trolled them over submerged weeds. They have been cast in among rocks, docks, wood and weeds in my float tube stomping grounds.
    The fish always react positively, however, and the Fliedermouse gets bit readily. 

So at this point, I can say it works, and has great universal potential. 

    My suggestion is to tie it in the #6 hook range, on a fairly long hook 3X, 4X that hind of thing. I use Aberdeens.
This way, they cast handily, and appeal to both bass and panfish.*

Then, fish the heck outta the thing.

* This size range is known as the Bass-Bluegill Lap and is covered here, by Skip Morris:
The Bass-Bluegill Lap

    Add The Fliedermouse to your kit as a complement to poppers, when something more subtle is called for.

You may find the fish will like them better. 

Or just maybe, you will.

I hope you liked this, and learned something from it. I have  no idea how to make money at this article writing , so I go for a job well done. If you think I did that, please like and share. 

Thanks for reading, and "Tight Lines!"

David Hutton 

If you have questions, you are invited to send them by email to... dahutist@gmail.com
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