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Mlandry

Clousers

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I tie clousers for saltwater fishing. Does anyone have any tips on how to prevent the bucktail hair from fraying where its tied

over the dumbell eyes? This seems to happen sometimes even after limited use of the fly.

 

Thanks,

Mike

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Here's what I came up with years ago for Clousers (and I tie and use them for a variety of species and situations).... Many years ago the first article I ever read about Bob Clouser's famous pattern was by Lefty Kreh - and he specifically said that he preferred that pattern with the wing entirely on the barbed side of any hook's shank... I took that as a hint and from that day forward almost 90% of the Clousers that I've used and filled orders to shops for are done that way... In fact I've always thought that the clouser (note the small case...) is as much a tying style as a specific pattern... so here goes...

 

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Along with the wing entirely on top... almost all of the clousers I tie will have a weedguard of some kind (a necessity in the backcountry of the Everglades where every shoreline is wild mangrove jungle)... This is something we use a lot for reds, snook, and speckled trout - it's the Whitewater clouser in size 2/0 - named after the big bay out of Flamingo in Everglades National Park where I do a lot of guiding.... Note the large bead chain eyes instead of lead eyes so that the fly doesn't sink quite as fast - with the weedguard you can toss this into downed trees and other bad places where big fish live...

 

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These are bonefish clousers in size #4 and #6 (note how the wing is shorter and a bit sparser on the smaller bug). This pattern was a best seller in every shop I ever tied for. They ordered them in tan/white, fl. green/white, and pink/ white. The weedguard is an outrigger style so that you can allow the bug to sink into grass then strip it up in front of a fish without hanging on the grass...

 

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These might be the only "clousers" I ever did using the original format... This was the Peacock Clouser and was a popular item in shops serving the Miami area... All in size #4 for the peacock bass that are in every freshwater canal, lake and pond down here in paradise...

 

Lastly if you choose to tie in the original style -all that's needed to keep those hairs under the lead eyes from fraying is a bit of clear finish - maybe a tiny bit of epoxy - but it will add a trace of weight to a head that's already weighted substantially...

 

Hope this helps... and I still prefer the wing entirely on top for all the clousers I hand my anglers when guiding...

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Capt. Bob, I can't tell from the photo... do you attach the butt end of the wire weed guard on the opposite side of the beadchain eyes? (Rather than up and through the hook eye?) And, what size (diameter) wire do you usually for the weedguard? Thanks!

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Here's a pic or two of those guards - before they're tied in place on the underside of the hook (when the hook is mounted conventionally in a vise with the point down.... My standard size wire for making weedguards used on hooks from #1 on up is just #5 trolling wire (stainless steel Malin's coffee colored wire - most saltwater shops stock it...). For hook sizes smaller than a #1 I go down to #4 wire (and I'll even go down to #3 wire for a size #4 or smaller hook..). the way I add the weedguard is that it's just one more component in your tying routine..

 

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the second pic shows flies with weedguard in place - before you add the finish (weedguard needs to stay out of the way until whatever finish you use is cured out and ready to handle) - then bend it into place, trim it and do that final small bend at the end...

 

 

Here's how I make them... Cut the wire a bit longer than the overall length of the hook you're using - then with a tiny pair of needle nosed pliers bend the last 1/8 to 1/16" of the wire back onto itself making a tight hairpin bend in one end. That hairpin bend is your anchor point (without it nothing you can do would prevent the wire from rotating after you tie it in place - that hairpin is the key).... Tie the fly as you normally would, stopping before you need to tie in materials along the last 1/8" or so of the shank - right behind the hook eye. Now place that hairpin bend under the hook shank and wrap in place with your tying thread - leaving the wire sticking straight out from the hook eye - then complete your fly (being careful not to stick your hand on the end of that sharp pointed wire...) and whip finish... Once the bug is tied then carefully work the wire away from the hook eye and super glue the thread at the head (this will not only seal the thread - but also lock in the weedguard) - still sticking out in front. After that you may also want to use some kind of finish on the completed fly (or not -your choice...) then once everything is dry, bend the wire into place - trim it so that he end of the wire just reaches the barb on the hook, leaving the wire at least 1/16" above the hook point then grasp the wire right above the hookpoint with those small pliers and make a tiny bend in the end - not quite parallel to the hook shank... and you're done.

 

Also remember when using flies with this kind of weedguard that any strike or other contact with the fly will generally knock it out of position - so you have to re-position it directly above the hookpoint after any contact....

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Watching Bob Clouser tie over the years has been awesome, and the one piece of information I held onto was when he repeatedly said that if people saw the Clouser Minnows he ties to fish, they would never buy them because they're so sparse! I took that hint, and mine over the years have grown more and more sparse in my use of bucktail.

 

Tim

 

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There are a lot of Captains on the coast of NC that have been tying and using these "Sparse" Clouser and using them during the Albacore run. it emulates the glass minnows that the Albacore love so much.

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