Working with Deer Hair

[texag17 0]

I am fairly new to tying flies and I have been tying lots of Clouser minnows to prep for the white bass run. I ventured off from tying a sparse pattern and tried to do a thick, perch clouser pattern. I did a base with bead chain eyes, a small clump of florescent orange, then a bit of olive green on top of that before flipping it over and tying in flash and another set of olive green. Towards the end of putting it all together with the last set of hair, the thread started to slip and rip from other parts that had been finished. Is there a way to prevent this? I had to untie a bunch of it and tie the last clump of hair further back to get it to all tie in together and I used a lot of head cement because I was unsure of how it will hold up in the water. I have attached a pic for reference of the end fly.

[vicente 0]

Super glue will keep it all together, I'd probably use heavier eyes if you're using buck tail as it floats, I only use bead chain on my small synthetic clouser variants I tie mostly for pan fish, bass like them too though.

[fshng2 0]

From the man himself.

Bob Clouser tying the clouser minnow

 

Tied by his good friend Lefty Kreh

Note he ties all flash and hair to the underside of the hook.

[flytire 0]

have you tried tying in multiple smaller bundles of bucktail vs one large bundle?

[MuskyFlyGuy 0]

Tex

Where is the pic?

[texag17 0]

I uploaded a file but it didn't come in I guess. Now I don't know how to post with a URL.

[fshng2 0]

I uploaded a file but it didn't come in I guess. Now I don't know how to post with a URL.

Save picture to your computer.

Then open more reply options/choose file/attach this file and add to post.

[Poopdeck 0]

I believe it may be a few things but I would bet good money your tying your later wraps tighter then your initial wraps. Other possibilities would be your not picking or combing out the under fur or you do not have a ceramic bobbin and your metal tube is fraying the thread.

[texag17 0]

Here's the pic.

[smbeck 0]

Your problem is you're putting on too much bucktail. The more you try and cram onto the hook the less holding power your thread is going to have, especially with two thick clumps stacked together. Keep it sparse and you won't have a problem.

 

I'm a big fan of Tim Flagler's videos. You can watch him tie a clouser minnow with high resolution close-ups in this video.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLUN6BFLolk

 

Edit: I re-read the original post after looking at the picture more and noticed you are tying your double clump on the "bottom" (top of the hook shank but bottom of the fly). Natural materials have a side effect of righting themselves, in that the side of the hook with more materials on it is the side that will try and ride up. You're going to have a crooked clouser in the water if you tie that way. Instead, tie in your eyes, then a clump of olive, flip the hook, then tie in your orange and olive clumps.

[mikechell 0]

Main problem, I see is ... it's not a "Clouser" if you're using a lot of material.

Every suggestion above about thinning the materials is spot on if you want to tie "Clousers".

You stated you're after a " ... thick, perch clouser pattern."

 

Drop the "Clouser" from that and just look at "perch patterns" and you'll find plenty of flies that will suit your needs.

[Poopdeck 0]

I think you guys are missing the problem. I think his problem is his thread breaking not the tying recipe of an actual clouser.

[smbeck 0]

I don't see him stating that the thread broke. He's stating that the the thread is slipping off of the already tied in bucktail which is a symptom of there being too much of it. Tim's video is a demonstration of how to properly tie in the bucktail so that the thread won't slip off. He's more than welcome to still use multiple clumps of bucktail in different colors or swap in bead chain eyes for the lead eyes usually used on clousers.

[DarrellP 0]

Put down a good spiral thread base. Tie in small amounts at a time. Glue after each step and let it dry (tiny amounts). You don't need to tie really heavy, as you are looking for a suggestion of a fish. If you want it more opaque, use opaque materials.

 

What thread are you using?

[chugbug27 0]

Looks like a Thunder Creek and a clouser had a baby.... If you put some weight on a Thunder Creek at the head you might get what you're after.

Here's an article from fly anglers online

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/oldflies/part193.php

Heres another source, just a materials list

http://www.southeastflyfishingforum.com/forum/streamer-yellow-perch-thunder-creek-streamer-t45902.html

This video is French but looks spot on for perch. There are lots of videos...