EP Fiber Clouser critiques please!!

[dafack01 0]

I've never tied with EP fibers before and just bought some the other day. I think this is how they're tied. Do i need to tie them more sparse? Less sparse? How about the trim job? is it right on or what do I need to do to correct them?

 

Here's one in Mullet colors to look like a Mud Minnow or a Mullet for fishing the salt:

 

 

Here's one in Electric Chicken:

 

[DHise 0]

They look great. Get some Dr. Slick synthetic scissors and Anvil thinning shears if you decide you want to work with these type of materials a lot. They make the process pretty easy.

[JSzymczyk 0]

I think they look great- flies tied much fuller than yours, and tied much more sparse will all catch fish. People will tell you that clouser style lead-eye minnows MUST be tied sparse, and that is BS. Tie them to provide the presentation you want- profile, visibility, fall rate, etc. I tie some minnows very full for visibility in the murky waters I have around here, and some very sparse for when I get to fish in clear waters. And I've caught fish on full-tied minnows in clear water, and sparse tied minnows in murky water. You can move the lead eyes back a little farther for an almost horizontal sliding action, or right up at the hook eye to get a jigging action. Only thing I've had a few headaches with is: if you tie them too full, it gets difficult to make a neat, tightly wrapped head.

[Steeldrifter 0]

I use EP fiber ALOT for my streamers...and I have to say thats about dead on for the amount you will want to use. I use to use alot more in my patterns but noticed that when you start adding more fiber it really starts to take away from the movment of the material when stripped. What you have is about perfect IMO.

 

Steve

[dafack01 0]

Steve, there are areas where I would tie it thicker than I did (mostly areas with raging current where you want it to stick out and hold its shape well, and where the fish won't have time to inspect it close anyways), but for the fishing I'll be doing around the Georgia coast I wanted to keep the translucence of the fibers to look more like a real baitfish.

 

I wanted to try this stuff out because it looks REALLY fishy. I'm not sure if it will make a difference between naturals and synthetics where I fish (Redfish and Trout in coastal Georgia aren't exactly known for being fussy) but I figured I'd try it anyways. I actually enjoy trimming them down to shape too for some odd reason.

 

Plus when the Stripers come back down to the salt this winter I'd like some realistic-looking streamers to go after them with. I REALLY want to catch a Striper this winter. Those EP fiber streamers look about as real as you can get.

[DHise 0]

They're easier to cast if you thin them down. Natural materials dont last as well but cast much better; like the deceiver.

[Fred H. 0]

Don't foget about brown, tan and rootbeer colors. The brown shrimp colors.

[dafack01 0]

Don't foget about brown, tan and rootbeer colors. The brown shrimp colors.

 

 

I'll have those covered too. I'm trying to cover all the colors that I use when I'm using soft plastics on spinning tackle.

 

I"m going to tie some up in a new penny color. Cream or light tan over a bronzeish color. I may try tan over white too, though all white seems to work great on its own.

 

I also might try dubbing it into a brush and palmering it forward like a Sparkleminnow. I think that might give it a little shrimpier look. Of course just using hackle and tying a Seaducer would do the same thing with less headache.

[Houdini 0]

It may be the view or the photo but it looks like all the fiber in on one side of the hook. Clousers usually are tied with a belly as well as the topping. As the fly rides upside down, the "top" color is usually darker.

Take a look at http://www.flyfisherman.com/ftb/bobclouser/index.html

 

There is a video there in two parts done by Bob himself.

[dafack01 0]

It may be the view or the photo but it looks like all the fiber in on one side of the hook. Clousers usually are tied with a belly as well as the topping. As the fly rides upside down, the "top" color is usually darker.

Take a look at http://www.flyfisherman.com/ftb/bobclouser/index.html

 

There is a video there in two parts done by Bob himself.

 

 

I know. I've tied some that way too. I do most of my fishing around oyster rakes and they tear the bucktail up on the streamers I've tied when I tie it like most people do.

 

I saw Lefty Kreh tie his clousers like this on a video on tying saltwater flies so I figured if it's good enough for Lefty it's good enough for me. I've yet to fish them like this but I think it will help prevent oysters from tearing them up so much.

[Guest]

Well tied, they look good!

[bigtroutflies 0]

If you want them to realistically depict a specific baitfish with the correct 3-Dimensional profile,try this: Place some fibers on each side of the fly to create shoulders.I use a length the size of your hook shank and on the upper third of the fly.This will create that 3-D profile that real baitfish have.Take a look at my website bigtroutflies.com and I have Clousers tied with a 3-D profile.This should give you a good idea of how I tie them. Your flies,however, look just fine.