A.K. Best has a comment on it in one of his books--I don't have them
around so I don't remember which one exactly. but I do remembe his
point. He showed a boughten mouse that was all trim and neat, with a
smother round stomach, pointed faice, etc. He related a fishing
experience with them (on a lake--not moving water) and why they didn't
work and then showed his version of a mouse fly. The main things he
pointed out:

--Pointed face vs flat face: no live mice have flat faces, but since
the idea is to create a wake, the flat face helps displace water a
little more abruptly, and the pointed face also had a tendancy to slip
under the surface ( which was bad, apparently).

--Big, bushy body: the rounded body and neat sides of the bought mouse
were unrealistic. Mice are kind of flat on the bottom, and wild ones
have longer hair that is almost shaggy, so don't make the bottom out
of clipped ends. Maybe clip out a strip, but leave some hair tips down
like hair on the sides of a mouse. And don't round off the butt/tail
of the fly either. Mice don't have neat, round ends--again, kind of
squarish.


I think the whitlock mouse looks pretty good, IMO. Maybe that pattern
w/ a flat face/nose would be the ticket. I've tied a couple (though
not w/ flat faces), but I've never got around to fishing them...maybe
that should be a goal this year--a fishing scenario in which to use
mouse patterns... ; -)

good luck w/ all that spinning,
TyKo

"B.Bear" wrote in message ...
Yeh can understand the cute bit. Don't think I could subject the poor thing
to being eaten by a fish either.
Cheers all
B Bear
"Stephen Welsh" wrote in message
. 1.4...
"bbear" wrote in
:

I seem to remember when watching Chris Helm
that he stacks on top of a previous layer, presumably to get the
density and size.

Layered flaring is often used to achieve colour blocks but would it
increase density ??? Quite Likely ...

Steve (who's only does it for colour since the first (and last) mouse was
sceamed at.)