Catching Rainbow Trout With Mice!

Rainbow trout are commonly caught in size 22 dry flies and near microscopic nymphs, fished under an indicator. Delicate presentations are often thought to be the most effective and stealth is key to success, especially in small streams. Not in Alaska.

Rainbow trout swim up high mountain streams by the hundreds, ramming the sides of spawning sockeye salmon to knock loose eggs out. They follow closely behind the female salmon and gulp down eggs as fast as they can. Brown bears line the riverbank and tear into the salmon, scattering pieces of flesh into the water, creating feeding frenzies for piscivorous trout. To add to the intensity of the situation, the high grass on the riverbank is teeming with small mice. Red-backed voles, to be more precise. Voles are a very common tiny rodent that regularly tumble down the riverbanks into the jaws of opportunistic trout.

For my birthday, my wife rented a remote cabin in the chugach mountains, right on the bank of one of these streams. We hiked in 11 miles and were greeted by a beautiful little wooden house. A 10x10 cabin outfitted with bunk beds, a table, and a wood stove. These cabins are managed by the state of Alaska and are rented out to hikers, fishermen, and hunters. The guest book inside is full of previous guests' tales of bears and fish. We quickly unloaded our backpacks and headed upstream with fly rods and bear spray in tow.

Salmon swam past our feet in groups of about 40. The schools of fresh fish were mostly silver. Bright red fish spawned in pairs in the shallow rapids. It didn’t take long to locate trout. I casted a foam and rabbit hair mouse into a small pool directly behind a pair of spawning sockeye. As I stripped my fly toward me, a silver bullet shot across the river from the far bank and crushed the mouse imitation. He didn’t get hooked, turned into the current and charged again. It was his third attack when the hook finally grabbed him. It was like watching a great white shark jump out of the water with a seal in its mouth. The trout flew into the air and shook to kill its prey. I fought it to the net and squealed with excitement.

What followed will forever be remembered as one of the most exciting days of fishing I’ll ever have. My wife and I walked the banks of a mountain stream casting for trout, our bird dog watched us fish intently. Brown bear scat and tracks littered the water’s edge. We spoke loudly and sang to the dog so that we would not surprise any bears.

The tactic we settled on was to cast the mouse 45° upstream and twitch it as it floats down. Short fast strips seemed to trigger more bites than long slow ones. Also, if a fish hits the mouse and doesn’t get hooked, resist the urge to cast again. Instead let the mouse drift down as if it is stunned and the trout will return to consume it.

The video below is a fishing montage my wife made of me catching trout after trout on these foam mice. Notice how the foam is torn from trout teeth by the end of the video.



My name is Benjamin Stevens. I am a wildlife artist based in Kenai Alaska. I have a passion for the outdoors, especially fly fishing and bow hunting. I make films to share my passion with my loved ones and also to promote my artwork.

My art can be found here
StevensWild.com
And also in galleries throughout Alaska

My Instagram is
Instagram.com/Benjamin.stevens

You can contact me at
[email protected]