New to tying flies, my clouser attempts

[Mutiny4130 0]

Hey guys ! Just found the forum and just started tyinng flies. I learned to make clousers this weekend. Does anyone have any tips so that I can improve them ??

 

 

[Jokey 0]

Other than a little neater work on the head I think it looks pretty darn good.

Great job.

 

J

[mikechell 0]

It appears you've followed directions very well. Jokey said it, neaten up the threads on the head, if you want to display your flies. But for fishing ... go get those wet !!!

[agn54 0]

Those look great for first attempts. I agree with the others on the head, which is usually the sloppiest part of the fly for beginners. One suggestion would be to move the eyes a little back so you don't crowd the hook eye when making the head and so you can make more of a cone shaped head. If you move the eyes to near mid-shank, the fly will sink more level if you want that, move them towards the hook eye and it will dive like a jig.

[Mutiny4130 0]

Ok thank y'all ! I will clean up the head and move those eyes back a little bit so the hook eye isn't as crowded. Looking forward to learning all I can and making new friends =P

[flytire 0]

they look ok to me but....

 

as has been said clean up the head area

 

divide the hook shank into thirds and place the eyes at the 1/3 area of the shank

 

i would probably reduce the number of strands of flash to about 3 strands on each side of the fly

[Cold 0]

Excellent job.

 

For the head/eyes, remember that this isn't a variable that is without impact. Moving the eyes will change the balance, and by extension the action, of the fly while fishing. Moving them closer to the eye will result in more of a twitching/jigging motion, while moving them closer to the bend will give you more of a sliding/darting motion. Neither is wrong, but you should certainly understand what you're doing.

 

As far as the thread head, from the looks of it, the portion that would be most affected by moving the eyes (the white bucktail that you're using as the belly, pulled over the eyes) actually looks fine, so I don't think you're going to see a significant improvement by moving them back. The only thing it might do is give you slightly better access up top, which is where your problem really lies.

 

Don't get me wrong, your "problem" is simply one of aesthetics. These ties should fish just fine and hold up under duress no worse than any storebought clouser. But if you're going for the tightest pattern you can tie, the top (as fished) portion of the head is the most significant issue.

 

To help here, I'd suggest a few simple tactics:

 

1. Since your vise isn't rotary, I'm curious as to whether you're tying the chartreuse/olive bucktail on the underside, or if you're re-mounting the hook. I'd recommend the latter, tying in the eyes and white belly hair as one process, whip finishing, adding a dab of cement as you see fit, then removing the hook, inverting it, and tying in the flash and chart/olive bucktail with the hook in the vise point-up.

 

2. When you tie in your bucktail, I'd suggest using a soft loop method (for all bucktail, but especially the top): gather your bunch, then make one turn of thread around *only* the bucktail, then make a second wrap around the bucktail and hook shank like normal, then pull both tight. This will keep it all together and with a gentle upward pressure, centered on the top of the pattern. Yours isn't bad at all, but often, the bunches tend to merge together and around the sides of the pattern.

 

3. When you're tying that last bunch of bucktail in at the top, start tying in just in front of your tie-in point for the eyes. Give it a few good solid wraps to secure the bucktail, then pull up on the butt ends and use your scissors to trim them off at a gentle taper from the eye back to the tie-in point. This will create a nice, gentle slope for finishing off the head of your fly, and once you've coated the hair butts in a layer of thread, you're done. The gentle taper also prevents any issues with a bunch of tight thread wraps sliding down off the front end of a bunch of hair.

[rstaight 0]

They look great for a first attempt. But as mentioned the head needs cleaned up and the hook eye is crowed. I can't add to the hints the others have posted. No doubt, those flies will catch fish.

[Mutiny4130 0]

Excellent job.

 

For the head/eyes, remember that this isn't a variable that is without impact. Moving the eyes will change the balance, and by extension the action, of the fly while fishing. Moving them closer to the eye will result in more of a twitching/jigging motion, while moving them closer to the bend will give you more of a sliding/darting motion. Neither is wrong, but you should certainly understand what you're doing.

 

As far as the thread head, from the looks of it, the portion that would be most affected by moving the eyes (the white bucktail that you're using as the belly, pulled over the eyes) actually looks fine, so I don't think you're going to see a significant improvement by moving them back. The only thing it might do is give you slightly better access up top, which is where your problem really lies.

 

Don't get me wrong, your "problem" is simply one of aesthetics. These ties should fish just fine and hold up under duress no worse than any storebought clouser. But if you're going for the tightest pattern you can tie, the top (as fished) portion of the head is the most significant issue.

 

To help here, I'd suggest a few simple tactics:

 

1. Since your vise isn't rotary, I'm curious as to whether you're tying the chartreuse/olive bucktail on the underside, or if you're re-mounting the hook. I'd recommend the latter, tying in the eyes and white belly hair as one process, whip finishing, adding a dab of cement as you see fit, then removing the hook, inverting it, and tying in the flash and chart/olive bucktail with the hook in the vise point-up.

 

2. When you tie in your bucktail, I'd suggest using a soft loop method (for all bucktail, but especially the top): gather your bunch, then make one turn of thread around *only* the bucktail, then make a second wrap around the bucktail and hook shank like normal, then pull both tight. This will keep it all together and with a gentle upward pressure, centered on the top of the pattern. Yours isn't bad at all, but often, the bunches tend to merge together and around the sides of the pattern.

 

3. When you're tying that last bunch of bucktail in at the top, start tying in just in front of your tie-in point for the eyes. Give it a few good solid wraps to secure the bucktail, then pull up on the butt ends and use your scissors to trim them off at a gentle taper from the eye back to the tie-in point. This will create a nice, gentle slope for finishing off the head of your fly, and once you've coated the hair butts in a layer of thread, you're done. The gentle taper also prevents any issues with a bunch of tight thread wraps sliding down off the front end of a bunch of hair.

Thanks for explaining how the postion of the dumbbell eyes affects the action of the fly. I think I will choose to move it back a smidge.

In regards to the first tactic that you mentioned, since I don't have a rotary vice, I have been tying in my eyes and white buck tail, adding my cement and then remounting the hook point side up to tie in my olive bucktail and flash. In reference to tactic 2, I had no idea about the soft loop method but I can see how it will be a very beneficial trick to help keep the bucktail together. My main problem was all the bucktail bunching up on one side of the fly. Tactic 3 is also something I will certainly use. I was cutting a taper in the bucktail but i was doing it before I had secured the material to the hook, obviously cutting the taper while the bucktail is secured will make things much more manageable! I don't know why I didn't think of this ! Thank you very much for the tips I will definitely be using them.

[Kudu 0]

Look good. You can always watch bob Clouser video on YouTube. I have his book. It is a simple fly but bob had a reason for every aspect of that fly. When I first started fly fishing I didn't think much of that fly. Big mistake. It is probably the most versatile fly ever created and is an incredible fish catcher.

[JC Hoppaire 0]

They look pretty darn good for your first attempt.

 

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

 

[Dave G. 0]

They look pretty darn good for your first attempt.

 

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

Great video thanks !

 

And to the OP, you have a great start !

[Philly 0]

I learned to tie the clouser the same way you did. I went out and fished them, nada. It got to the point I quit using them. A few years later my fly fishing club had Bob Clouser come in to do a presentation and he offered to show how to tie any of his patterns that we had questions about. I showed him a couple of the clousers I'd tied. He looked at them and told me what I had tied were basically buck tail jigs. He proceeded to show me how to tie one correctly. I brought his pamphlet on how to tie a clouser. Two things he emphasized to me was the sparseness of the buck tail and the proportions. There is a method to his madness. As already mentioned divide the hook shank into thirds. What he told me was until I tied enough of them measure the hook shank. Pick up a clear 6 inch ruler. It works better with a mm scale. Measure the shank from the back of the hook eye to the bend. Say the shank measures 33 mm

Start your thread on the shank bring it up to 11 mm behind the hook eye, make a couple of wraps to mark the spot, that's where the eyes will be tied in.

Wrap the thread back another 11 mm, make a couple of more wraps, this will be as far back as you wrap the belly buck tail. Wrap in the eyes, You've already have gotten good directions on how to start the wrap on the buck tail. Once you've got it in place,bring the thread forward and make side by side wraps to the eye, pull the buck tail over the eye. Hold the buck tail on the center of the shank, bring the thread over the eye and make side by side wraps back to the 2/3's point on the shank, then wrap it forward to behind the hook eye.

Flip the hook, so the eyes are facing down.

Take 6 to 10 strands of flash wrap that down in front of the eye. Remember side by side wraps. Clouser told me the flash shouldn't extend more than a 1/4" past the end of the buck tail.

Take the same amount of dark buck tail used for the belly and wrap that down in front of the eye.

Half hitch or whip finish. Coat with head cement, clear nail polish. I use UV resin.

You're off to a good start. Just work on the proportions.

[Mutiny4130 0]

I really appreciate all be tips ! Looks like I have a lot of practicing to do. Thanks again everyone

[Mutiny4130 0]

Took y'all as advice as best I could and I think my fly has improved ! I'm certainly happier with it !