Clouser Minnows

[flytire 0]

clouser places the eyes at roughly the 1/3 point of the hook shank

[JC Hoppaire 0]

Here's a video of Bob Clouser tying his Clouser Minnow:

 

[JSzymczyk 0]

Again ... this is going to sound argumentative, but it's not intended to be. I am actually a little confused.

I've watched several videos, including a couple by Bob Clouser, himself. NONE of the above pictured flies are actually "Clousers".

He is very specific on the placement of the eyes on the shank, the positioning and tying in of materials and finishing off. He does not angle the materials to cover the hook point. He does not finish the fly with a large thread head in front of the eyes. In fact, his flies look very different to those pictured above. Every fly pictured above is more of a "Charlie" than a "Clouser."

 

So, am I incorrect in thinking that a "Clouser" is tied to a specific pattern, and the above flies are not that pattern?

 

Mike, you are 100% Correct. I've been very lucky to have been shown 1 on 1 by both Bob and Bobby Jr. Clouser how they are tied and WHY they are tied the way they do it.

 

Any more, it seems that any time anyone puts lead eyes on a hook, they call it a "Clouser" which is just ignorant at best, stupid at worst. I asked Bob if it bothered him, that anything with a dumbell eye is referred to by his name, and he said no. He's just such a nice guy.

 

The Deep Minnow if tied true to pattern, never stops gliding and moving. Bucktail is used because it provides the required stiffness, movement, and density. It's not rocket science, it's just common sense.

 

It's like the old saying "All ducks are birds, but not all birds are ducks." There are Clouser Deep Minnows, and there are a whole sh**load of flies with dumbell eyes which are NOT Clouser Deep Minnows.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

A few patterns over the years have become so successful that while they're a specific pattern (as noted above) they also have become a style of tying as in the "clouser" or the "deceiver". If you talk to Umpqua and send patterns to them for consideration (they accept new patterns yearly to be considered for contracts) they'll tell you not to bother sending any clousers, deceivers, charlies, etc. I've been a contract tyer for many years now and quickly notice when a shop is carrying copies of my patterns (with or without attribution). Since the only stuff I draw a royalty from is actually produced by Umpqua - I won't see a nickel from anyone else's copies -ever... Instead of doing something even remotely similar to a widely copied pattern -but using a different name I've always chosen to honor the original pattern by using the original name and along with a second name to show that it's not the original pattern at all - thus a Peacock Clouser or a Whitewater Clouser...

 

If I ever do something that's close to an original pattern (say a Stu Apte tarpon fly or a Prince of Tides -Flip Pallot's pattern....) I make a point of noting that it's my version of someone else's original pattern....

 

Funny thing... I've long noted that you rarely see this kind of discussion in the saltwater world - only on the freshwater side of things. Where I'm located in south Florida we never have an off season with lots of time on our hands since we're on the water year 'round.... I actually was teaching fly tying classes in the early eighties down here in paradise at my local junior college for a year or two - so I have been tying, teaching, and similar stuff for a lot of years. Now that most magazines are disappearing everywhere, I'm no longer writing articles at all -places like this site are the only game in town....

[Hatchet Jack 0]

EXCELLENT video there JC Hoppaire, thanks for posting it.

A 'simple' fly which has vexed me often but at last, now I see how to do it correctly.

[islander727 0]

Let the real judges decide...

[RCFetter 0]

Clouser with Fox Tail:

 

 

 

 

[ChromeAddict 0]

Here are some of the Clousers I tied. Suggestions and critiques are welcome and appreciated.

 

Size 12

 

My ever growing Clouser box

 

Size 8 (tan and blue dun)

 

A little detail I have been doing

[islander727 0]

I would highly recommend a coating of epoxy or uv stuff on the hairs that fold over the eyes. They have a tendency to break.

 

Chartreuse over yellow and vice versa is an excellent color combo!

[ChromeAddict 0]

I actually just got some 5 min epoxy for Copper Johns, but I'll use it on these as well. Thanks for the tip!

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Today I had a first time fly angler (to the salt that is...) . He really scored with a small popper -then switched to one of my Whitewater Clousers, fishing it until he lost it to the third or fourth spanish mackeral in a row.... that guide pattern took ladyfish, jacks, snapper, and mackeral, sometimes hooking up two and three times per cast... Great fun.

 

For those that have never heard of a "guide pattern" it's generally something really simple, durable, and pretty much a staple.... I've slowed down in recent years but I can still do 15 to 18 per hour, weedguard and all.....

[Goose77 0]

Captain Bob, that's a good looking fly. Thank you for showing it. Cheers, Ed

[JSzymczyk 0]

chromeaddict-

 

eyes a little too far forward

 

use a little bit more hair in the "wing" than you do on the "belly"

 

Thread head is a bit excessive.

 

minor critiques, but you asked... The open wraps along the shank to just short of the bend are spot on, a hallmark of the true style.

 

They'll all catch fish.

[Fisherboy0301 0]

Today I had a first time fly angler (to the salt that is...) . He really scored with a small popper -then switched to one of my Whitewater Clousers, fishing it until he lost it to the third or fourth spanish mackeral in a row.... that guide pattern took ladyfish, jacks, snapper, and mackeral, sometimes hooking up two and three times per cast... Great fun.

 

For those that have never heard of a "guide pattern" it's generally something really simple, durable, and pretty much a staple.... I've slowed down in recent years but I can still do 15 to 18 per hour, weedguard and all.....

IMHO, this isn't even a clouser. You've taken it to a different style, the "Charlie" style! The only things it shares with a clouser are eyes and bucktail. It's got no "belly", it's very fully tied, and it's eyes are a little far forward, three things that make a clouser a clouser...

[agn54 0]

 

Today I had a first time fly angler (to the salt that is...) . He really scored with a small popper -then switched to one of my Whitewater Clousers, fishing it until he lost it to the third or fourth spanish mackeral in a row.... that guide pattern took ladyfish, jacks, snapper, and mackeral, sometimes hooking up two and three times per cast... Great fun.

 

For those that have never heard of a "guide pattern" it's generally something really simple, durable, and pretty much a staple.... I've slowed down in recent years but I can still do 15 to 18 per hour, weedguard and all.....

IMHO, this isn't even a clouser. You've taken it to a different style, the "Charlie" style! The only things it shares with a clouser are eyes and bucktail. It's got no "belly", it's very fully tied, and it's eyes are a little far forward, three things that make a clouser a clouser...

 

Lefty Kreh ties his with "no belly" and still calls it a clouser, hard to argue with him on the matter. Obviously, there are variants to the clouser that are still accepted as clousers. If you tie it slightly different then Bob Clouser did (with eyes more forward, bushier, etc.) and call it something else, there will be people claiming "it's just a clouser". I guess you can't please everyone. If you you think the fly has to be tied exactly like the originator's then you shouldn't call any fly a PT nymph that is tied with thread since Frank Sawyer used copper wire on his, but I doubt you'll see that happen either