The Alaska Trout One-Two Punch That Delivers

Here in Western Alaska, a large part of our season, we are blessed to be able to target trout using one of our favorite means of all time, with mouse patterns. When it’s good, it’s great and can make for some fast-paced, highly visually tantalizing fun. That said, it doesn’t select all the fish, and while fishing a mouse pattern is super fun, more often than not, a well-presented streamer (mainly sculpins on The Kanektok River) will catch more fish at the end of the day.

So how do we determine between the entertainment value of a mouse pattern and the effectiveness of a streamer? Give ’em the ol’ one-two punch – The Mouse – Sculpin combo. Here’s how it works.

Whether fishing from the boat while drifting down the main river, or walking smaller side tribs, one angler rigs up with a topwater mouse pattern (Morrish, Pip Squeak, etc.), while another angler rigs up with the sculpin pattern. The angler rigged with the mouse typically gets the first shot at the fish, or fishy looking lie, while the angler bats cleanup with the sculpin. If fishing from the boat, this means the angler with the mouse will take the front of the boat while drifting, while the sculpin-rigged angler will take a stance in the rear.

This allows the mouse fly to target the most aggressive fish first (thus the most apt to strike a mouse pattern), while the streamer can follow up, hopefully fooling the more cautious, and often larger fish in the lie. Not only is it a productive way to target trout on our river, but it’s also a hoot’n’ holler a lot of fun, and something that is always a part of our program at Alaska West Lodge!