Went mousing Saturday night on the PM. It was the kind of trip that really had nothing to do with numbers... an amazing evening/night. Floating the PM in pitch darkness brings out the animal instincts and (as my wife would say) engages the reptilian brain... you see/hear more than normal, you feel the line 100xs better (and the fly moving for that matter) far better than you do in daylight. The rio lumalux line really helps.
It was only my 2nd mousing trip ever in a drift boat. While you go (and spend huge marital capital to get basically 2 days 1 night off to make it happen) to hunt the big boys who only feed at night... you realize that the odds are still pretty long for tying into a true trophy. I felt like I played par golf. I was on it for the most part... and felt relatively dialed in. I felt like catching one of those hook jaw browns, that looks more alligator than fish, even though the odds are better at night, is still pretty much like hitting a hole in one, or chipping in from 90 yards for eagle.
I think I landed 5-6 fish in the 17-19 range, a few smaller... but nothing over 20"... but also none of those, " I want to carve my brains out with an infant baby food spork" moments that haunts you for the next 5 years of your life. While those moments "bring you back"... I've got too many of those self-inflicted missed fish wounds from yanking the fly away on the pre-mature visual hook set (I guess that's an advantage of night fishing you can't see the fish coming in for the take), or any number of equally bone-headed maneuvers...
It was a good time. Can't wait to go again.
