What are the best clouser colors?

[L. B. Fly Tyer 0]

I tie clouser deep minnows 90% of the time when I tie flies because I think they're easy to tie. I know a few colors to use that are proven to work are brown over white and chartreuse over white but I'm not sure what colors work better for trout and what colors work for bass. Tie On!

[flyty1 0]

Pretty much anything as far as colors go. Pick out your favorite streamer flies and adapt them to the Clouser style.

Don't be limited to the classic materials for Clousers either; I have had lots of success on tiny Mickey Finn Clousers

tied on straight eyed, streamer hooks as small as #12 - BTW, I tied these with arctic fox fur!

 

Try some in all black, mottled colors (like small baitfish), all white, and imitators including yellow, orange, red, etc.

[Dave G. 0]

I don't tie clousers for much of anything. If I tied them for trout around here I would include Black Nosed Dace colors and some herring colors, since those work well here in the standard size 6 and size 8 BND layout ( same layout but different colors for the herring, the three color streamer though). You need to know your waters and what is in them. I'm far more likely to tie the imitations I want in something besides the clouser method though, for one thing we have baby herring around here and I need to suspend my streamers in mid water or higher water columns. Clousers sink and you jig them, that's the wrong action for what I need in a streamer here.. So yeah, I really don't use clousers for trout at all.

[FlatsRoamer 0]

Bass would like anything IMO, olive/white, all white, chart/white, blue/white, black/white... You get the idea

 

Here in the Miami canals a pink/white size 2 clouser is actually a really deadly weapon that many people overlook, the fly I caught my first fish on my own fly ever, (peacock bass). Also tilapia, largemouth, oscars, and cichlids take this fly.

 

In short, 95% of clouser combination will work for bass, but just because it doesn't work on that day doesn't mean it will be the hot ticket the next...

[Jokey 0]

I like chart/yellow, dark grey/white, black/purple, tan/white, purple/pink. Almost always have a couple strands of flash in there as well.

 

I tend to wrap the body in axxel flash too and give it a coat of epoxy since my clousers are my pike flies. Makes them last a little longer.

 

Also not a bad idea to swap out the dumbell eyes now and then with some large bead chain eyes. Gets you a different sink rate yet still will make the fly turn over and ride hook point up.

 

J

[rstaight 0]

We have a creek in our area that has a west fork and an east fork. Chart/white works well for west. Blue/white for the east.

 

Tie up a few in various color combinations, you never know.

[Poopdeck 0]

I river fish for SMB most times when I go fishing freshwater. In fact I just tied up some clousers for a trip at the end of the week. I'm not a fan of orange, red or pinks for freshwater. White is always on the bottom. My hands down favorite this time of year is white over white with some UV minnow belly flash or a little purple flash. We have the shad fry coming down river this time of year which is why I like white on white, the minnow belly flash is clear but has a bluish purple shimmer to it. Next best colors over the white and in no particular order are chartreuse, brown, silver, yellow, green and blue. during times of high muddy water I do like brown over orange.

[mikechell 0]

One color "combo" I've never heard of (except white) ... is solid color clousers.

In clear water, a simple all green or all tan clouser might draw strikes when more vibrant colors or contrasting colors don't.

Subtlety is sometimes the answer.

[agn54 0]

Many of the above combos are great. I would ad electric chicken (chartreuse/pink) to the mix.

 

Mike, I ties a lt of solid color clousers, not just in white, although that is the most common for me since it works so well in the salt. All black is a great one, but also all yellow, all chartreuse, and all pink are great

[rstaight 0]

I was at a bass fishing seminar probably 30 years ago. The gentleman said if he could only use one lure it would be chart/blue/white.

 

I have a couple of clousers in chart/blue/white

[Brodrash 0]

I have always caught bass as well as trout on a small all black Clouser with red eyes and krystal flash of course. Keep experimenting color combos that work may surprise you.

[Kentuckysteve 0]

For bass olive/white,yellow/white,chartreuse/white,red/black,solid white with some flash added.

 

For bluegill and crappie solid yellow w/black eyes,solid orange w/black eyes,grey/white with black eyes,solid white,solid grey.

 

Other colors work well.These are just my favorites.

 

I can't comment on the trout.I do not fish for them enough to have a good opinion.

[Dave G. 0]

Out of all these replies I get the impression that one guy uses clousers for trout and recommended two color combos. Just my casual observation though and I surely could be wrong..

[heavynets 0]

Last week I caught a 20" brown with an all white clouser on the Dh&xplk! River.

[mikechell 0]

Out of all these replies I get the impression that one guy uses clousers for trout and recommended two color combos.

And you're point?

It's a discussion board. It'd be pretty boring if each original post question got one answer and then shut down.