Clouser minnows

[JohnP 0]

I would like to tie some Clouser minnows to use for smallmouth bass and crappie, but I don't want to pay the big bucks for saltwater hooks that I don't need. What is a good substitute for the Mustad 34007? Would the Mustad 3366 work?

Thanks in advance.

[flykid 0]

I use the 3366 and that is the hook that Clouser himself uses and recommends. So yes that definitely will work. Plus it's probably the cheapest hook out there!

[JSzymczyk 0]

3366 is a preferred hook for that style, and there is no need whatsoever to spend $$ on "corrosion resistant" hooks for normal freshwater use. One small difference I have experienced however, is using them for stream trout, I've often had trout nip at the tail and not get the hook if they're tied too long. Tied them a little shorter and solved the prob. Never had that problem with bass or crappie though. They seem to just "inhale" more than bite or nip like trout sometimes do. I had real good success on crappies using a pink and chartreuse version- ugly as hell but the fish liked it.

[tidewaterfly 0]

Joel, nice color combo! I use that same combination for striped bass sometimes! Electric Chicken! :yahoo:

 

To solve the short strike issue, I started using long shank straight eye streamer hooks like Daiichi 1850 hooks. They're a lot more expensive than Mustad 3366's but they have worked better for me in stream environments primarily for Smallmouths. I tie the flies the same length, but the hook longer shank places the point further back in the fly.

 

If you look around you can find some inexpensive hooks that work well for Clousers. Mustad 3366 are good. Mustad AC33637 are basically the same hook, except they have a couple of barbs on the shank and were sold as worm hooks. They're discontinued but they show up on Ebay occasionally, and many folks don't even know what they are, so they often go unsold or very cheaply. Great hook for tying bass size flies!

 

Aberdeen style hooks work well, especially for panfish. I particularly like Matzuo Sickle Aberdeen hooks, or Mustad Ultra Point Aberdeens in black nickel or red finishes. They too can often be found on Ebay, and obtained rather inexpensively. Sometimes Gamakatsu Aberdeens are listed rather cheap.

 

I recently bought some old stock size 2 Mustad jig hooks on Ebay, #91740. I got 2000 of them for about $12. They were supposed to be cadmium & tin plated, but turned out to be bronze. They look just like a 3366 too, but have a 60 degree bend, but still could be used for Clousers as well. I bought them to mold jigs for perch, but will probably tie some flies with them too.

 

Look around, you might really be surprised at how many different hooks are available that can be used to tie flies, that are not sold as fly hooks!

 

 

[JohnP 0]

Thanks for the replies. I would like to see a picture of the pink and chartreuse Clouser. Is it in the database? What size do you use for crappie? I notice the sponsor only has them down to a size 4, which seems a little big for crappie.

[tidewaterfly 0]

JohnP, It really depends on the size Crappies you're looking at catching. They have a large mouth, so even a 6 inch fish can eat a size 4 fly. I use size 4 & 2 most of the time for panfish with a 6 wt rod. The waters I fish has a combination of species, and that size hook will often keep the smallest fish off the hook, plus there are bass & Pickerel in the same waters, so they work for them too. My Crappie size flies are usually between 1 1/2 to 3 inches long. Most of the fish are in the 6 to 10 inch range, but I occasionally catch a few larger.

 

I also use size 6 or 8 sometimes, when I'm only interested in panfish. I rarely go smaller than a size 8. They swallow the fly too deeply with anything smaller & I release most of them anyway.

 

I down size to a 3 or 4 wt rod.

 

Most of my bass flies are tied on 1/0 to 3/0 size hooks!

[JohnP 0]

Thanks Tidewater. The place I usually fish has some nice-sized crappies in it, along with bass and lots of bluegill. Many of the bluegill are pretty small, so I can see where a larger hook size might be an advantage. I also fish the Snake River for smallmouth bass, so I guess maybe size 4 would be about right for both. My go-to fly for bluegill and crappies is very simple - red wool tail, yellow and black variegated chenille for the body, and a couple of turns of grizzly hackle. It's a killer, but it will be fun to have a secondary fly to try when the action slows down.

[TheCream 0]

I have used the Mustad R73 standard streamer hooks for most of my Clousers for bass and crappie and have had great success with them. I tie them in both the deep Clouser and "skinny water" Clouser versions, mostly in size 6 for crappies. The color combos that claimed the most crappies for me last year were blue/white and pink/white. Those two colors accounted for about all of my bigger crappies over 12-13" last year.