Clouser eye size

[jd1983 0]

I feel like this topic has to have been beat to death but I'm not finding the info I want in searches. I know eye size depends a lot on water speed and the depth you want the Clouser to ride but what range of eyes should I be looking for if I'm wanting to tie size 4's and 6's for Ozark stream fishing? I'll be using Mustad 3366s. Is there something too small or too large? That just won't fit the hook well? Thanks.

[phg 0]

... I'm wanting to tie size 4's and 6's for Ozark stream fishing? I'll be using Mustad 3366s. Is there something too small or too large? That just won't fit the hook well? Thanks.

Not really. It's the sink rate that determines the eye size. I use a lot of bead chain eyes when I know I'll be fishing still water. Small or medium dumbbells for moderate flows, and large eyes for heavy flows (larger streams, even if they current isn't very swift.) The Clouser, to be effective, needs to be bouncing off the bottom, so use whatever weight it takes.

[muskyhunter81 0]

I generally use Large eyes to get the Clouser down.

[sandflyx 0]

you don't have to have it on the bottom, I fish them with just enough weight to get below the surface for fresh and salt they work np matter what part of the water column they are fished. bob designed them for the Susquehanna river which is a shallow river. the clouser was invented to glide along like a minnow not as a jig

[Kudu 0]

I agree with Sandflyx. Clousers swim like a minnow when the eyes are spaced appropriately on the hook (not against the eye) and do fish well at all depths. They act more jig like when the eyes are placed against the eye. This may be the most versatile fly ever designed.

[muskyhunter81 0]

When I say down I don't necessarily mean the bottom I just mean deeper than a fly without extra weight.

 

Bob Clouser's book "Clouser's Flies: Tying and Fishing the Flies of Bob Clouser" says that the Clouser minnow originally was just a bucktail fly with lead spit shot tied on it to get a jigging action. The flies would "dive and dip like jigs." (Clouser Deep Minnow) and if one continues to read the chapter of the "Clouser Deep Minnow" they would read that although they did fish them in the Susquehanna river, they fished them in the deep holes of the river.

 

In my opinion yes they can be fished sucessfully throughout the water column, but they were meant to be fished deeper than just the surface.I don't think he intended it to be bounced off the bottom of the river but i do think he wanted to go deeper than the just below surface. I think it was the action that the added weight gave the fly that he was after.

[rotaryflytyingdotcom 0]

Jd1983 - here's a chart that might help you. Scroll down a bit and you'll see Eye Balz, Super Eyes and Prepainted Eyes - all are Clouser Eyes and reading across you'll find the eye size - the hook it fits (for normal use) and the sink rate. Hope that helps.

[tidewaterfly 0]

I've used 3/16" & 7/32" lead barbells on size 4 3366's in the past, but frankly prefer to keep them smaller on that size hook. I actually like the 1/8" size best on a size 4 hook. When you start getting that heavy the fly sinks like a rock, rather than like a baitfish in all conditions except the heavier currents. So, there needs to be a balance between the weight & the hook size. You could use a smaller size tungsten barbell but you still have the weight, or use the brass or aluminum barbells in whatever size you feel works. Much of this takes some trial & error to get the sink rate where you can get the fly down and still have the fly look like a minnow. I'm always experimenting with the various barbells to get flies how I want them to meet conditions in places I fish most, and when I find what I'm tying won't work well, I make an adjustment as I feel will better fit the situation.

 

I tie with some rather heavy barbells sometimes too, but more so on larger hook sizes, like a 2/0 or 3/0 & for deeper water or heavier current situations. Keep in mind that even with the buoyancy of bucktail, a smaller, sparser fly may actually fall faster than a larger fly tied with the same size barbells. IMO, a better approach if you're not sure what to use might be keep the barbells on the lighter side and use a weighted leader or full sinking lines of various sink rates or of course you can add split shot or other type weight (like the tungsten putty) to a leader if the barbells are not getting the fly deep enough.

 

The unfortunate thing with these barbells is there's no simple answer that will fit all situations. That means some variety in the barbell sizing combined with additional weight will let you fit the conditions or situations you encounter better than if you only have a single choice with the barbell sizing, but it also means you'll have additional gear needed & the investment to procure that additional gear.

 

No matter which approach you elect to take, there's going to be compromises with any of it. NO chart, although the one such as Rotary posted is a good one, will provide all the answers, and will certainly give you a good starting point.

[ditz2 0]

IMO in slow water on size 4, 2, and 1 hooks large bead chain does a good job and is a little easier to cast than a lot of the lead dumbells. I personally try to get by with a little weight as possible to facilitate casting. I fish smaller water generally so my flies tend to be small and even medium bead chain works well for me.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

I tend to not like eyes that are to large as the very large eyes will get hung up on stuff or more specifically pick up grass and acquatics. I usually use small and medium eyes and if I want more weight, I use 1/8" wide strip lead on top the hook. Lead wire would work as well too.