Lefty's Deceiver - Best saltwater fly pattern?

[McFlyLures 0]

 

 

I am sorry for tying this in a way that bothers so many of you.

I have Lefty's book "Fly Fishing in Salt Water" and there are pictures of Deceiver variants tied in all sorts of ways. Don't be sorry. Lefty does however, and IN MY OPINION rightfully so, say that a "LEFTY'S DECEIVER" is correct, not just "DECEIVER". DECEIVER maybe can be anything along the basic design criteria... LEFTY'S DECEIVER is being respectful to the master and developer. To my knowledge Bob Clouser has never publicly said the same thing about the Clouser Deep Minnow. I'm certainly not an authority on it though. As great as the Lefty's Deceiver is, Lefty himself brought the Clouser Deep Minnow to public attention and calls it the most widely effective fly pattern ever developed. The Deceiver was developed specifically for striped bass fishing in the Chesapeake Bay back in the days when men knew how to fight fish without $1000 unobtanium-disc jet fighter brakes for drags on their fly reels.

 

I'm going to try to not care so much about what people call things. It will still bug me, but I am trying to just not be loud about it

Makes sense. Out of respect I won't call it that from now on. I only did because it's so commonly known, so I figure people search often for it on YouTube and therefor I would get more views. I'm sorry for not understanding, and I will keep that in mind next time.

[Bimini15 0]

By definition, Lefty's way is THE way to tie Lefty's deceivers. Yes, you can tie variations of it, but they will not be Lefty's deceivers, just deceivers.

 

Just like you may have a favorite brand of champagne, but, no matter how good it is, if it is not made in Champagne, with grapes from the region and following the Champagnois method, it really is not champagne.

[FIN-ITE 34 0]

That's sounding a bit snooty Bimini. I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Just wanted to be clear on that.

To be absolutely accurate, any fly that is named after its originator and is stated as such, should be tied as per the original. Any change should be listed as a variant and then all will be well in Mudville.

Notice that in many posts by PlanetTrout, he lists his ties as variants of some original version.

[Bimini15 0]

That's sounding a bit snooty Bimini.

Uncivilized! (I turn my nose up, to the left, and walk away...)

[McFlyLures 0]

As I said, I appologise. Sorry for being upset at first, but you all convinced me in my mistake and I am understand it now. Again, sorry for calling it that.

 

So let me ask about this other can of worms. What do you call a variation of a clouser minnow? Just a minnow? Kinda doesn't describe it well enough. For instance, I made a clouser video a while back and the same thing happened. People flipped out because I didn't cross wrap the back, just filled it in. Still pretty much a clouser minnow with the same function. I've seen many fly shops selling the same thing as a clouser, so what would you recommend calling that?

[Bimini15 0]

I guess it depends on the variations. If you wrapped it with flat waxed nylon, that is a Mummy Clouser Minnow. If you used copper wire, that is a Padaung Long Neck Clouser Minnow, and so on...

 

Just kidding. Simply call it "my version of a Clouser minnow" and noone can tell you anything.

[mikechell 0]

Retro ... KIR? I gotta say, that's one I've never seen before.

[retrocarp 0]

Keeping it real

[JSzymczyk 0]

As I said, I appologise. Sorry for being upset at first, but you all convinced me in my mistake and I am understand it now. Again, sorry for calling it that.

 

So let me ask about this other can of worms. What do you call a variation of a clouser minnow? Just a minnow? Kinda doesn't describe it well enough. For instance, I made a clouser video a while back and the same thing happened. People flipped out because I didn't cross wrap the back, just filled it in. Still pretty much a clouser minnow with the same function. I've seen many fly shops selling the same thing as a clouser, so what would you recommend calling that?

Personally I'd call it a Lead-Eye Minnow or a Clouser Variant. Was Bob Clouser the first person to add weight to the front part of a bucktail? Absolutely not.

But he WAS the first person to perfect the style of using dumbell eyes and crafting the bucktail in a certain way to make the fly behave similarly to the way a real baitfish swims,

AND share the style with influential people (Lefty Kreh!) who wrote about it in national magazines and brought it upon the world.

 

There is no real correct answer. Take a look at a Woolly Bugger... it is accepted that the first person to talk about adding a marabou tail to

a Woolly Worm was Russell Blessing, here in the Harrisburg area (same area as Bob Clouser...) and he is well known as saying he did it to suggest

a helgrammite in the area streams and the Susquehanna River. NOBODY anywhere, calls that style a "Blessing's Woolly Bugger" and it is tied in

infinite variations. The Woolly Worm with a short red yarn tag as a tail is derived from a "Hackle" fly- which has been described in fishing

literature since antiquity. What's the right answer? I don't know. I just think that if we don't respect the originators of iconic fly styles

we are losing a big part of the history of our sport... and in this day and age when history is constantly being ignored, shouted down, and changed, I think

it is important.

[retrocarp 0]

 

As I said, I appologise. Sorry for being upset at first, but you all convinced me in my mistake and I am understand it now. Again, sorry for calling it that.

 

So let me ask about this other can of worms. What do you call a variation of a clouser minnow? Just a minnow? Kinda doesn't describe it well enough. For instance, I made a clouser video a while back and the same thing happened. People flipped out because I didn't cross wrap the back, just filled it in. Still pretty much a clouser minnow with the same function. I've seen many fly shops selling the same thing as a clouser, so what would you recommend calling that?

Personally I'd call it a Lead-Eye Minnow or a Clouser Variant. Was Bob Clouser the first person to add weight to the front part of a bucktail? Absolutely not.

But he WAS the first person to perfect the style of using dumbell eyes and crafting the bucktail in a certain way to make the fly behave similarly to the way a real baitfish swims,

AND share the style with influential people (Lefty Kreh!) who wrote about it in national magazines and brought it upon the world.

 

There is no real correct answer. Take a look at a Woolly Bugger... it is accepted that the first person to talk about adding a marabou tail to

a Woolly Worm was Russell Blessing, here in the Harrisburg area (same area as Bob Clouser...) and he is well known as saying he did it to suggest

a helgrammite in the area streams and the Susquehanna River. NOBODY anywhere, calls that style a "Blessing's Woolly Bugger" and it is tied in

infinite variations. The Woolly Worm with a short red yarn tag as a tail is derived from a "Hackle" fly- which has been described in fishing

literature since antiquity. What's the right answer? I don't know. I just think that if we don't respect the originators of iconic fly styles

we are losing a big part of the history of our sport... and in this day and age when history is constantly being ignored, shouted down, and changed, I think

it is important.

 

You make a valid point.

[FIN-ITE 34 0]

OK, I'm going to do a little defending of the video McFly posted.

 

Take a look at this video by Lefty Kreh and listen to see if he ever calls it anything but a Clouser. Then compare his tying method to that of Bob Clouser. You can all make up your own minds.

 

https://youtu.be/ulI2vmMlriY

[FKROW 0]

In older videos Lefty explains why his version of the Clouser is different than one tied by Bob.

Lefty ties a rather sparce wing,, often with top wing only,, this is for clear flats saltwater.

Bob ties his with heavier dressing, mainly for big river smallmouth fishing, this is his livelyhood.

The Clouser Deep Minnow was actually created by Lefty,,, Bob was a friend with young family who had just lost his job and was struggling to start a guiding business. Lefty wrote an article Fly Fisherman magazine giving Bob credit and named the fly,,, the rest is history.
Class act.

I have a collection of Clouser Minnows and other flies tied by Bob, they also have subtle and specific design features. Several videos are available on the web with Bob detailing the fly construction.

Having fished with Bob and Bobby JR,,,. dining with his family in their kitchen, I tend to respect the fly design evolution and the variations developed by the Clouser family over the years.

Slap on some barbell eyes and excessive deer hair with 30x the numer of thread wraps, is it a correctly tied Clouser,,,, you decide,,,, IT IS YOUR HOOK AND MATERIALS.

If someone posts a video with a poorly tied Clouser, yes it will catch fish,, and the fly shops have tons of crappy imports just like yours,,, expect some comments.

Regards,
FK

[FlatsRoamer 0]

Did you really have to call it crappy!?

[FIN-ITE 34 0]

https://templeforkrods.wordpress.com/2015/12/26/the-inside-story-on-how-lefty-named-a-clouser-fly/

 

This doesn't jibe with your story FK. But I like your story better.

[FKROW 0]

Yes, that is how it was written in the original Fly Fisherman article that introduced the fly to all of us.

I should have said the name "Clouser Deep Minnow" was created by Lefty.

Additional details are not published.

 

 

Bob was experimenting with the new lead dumb bell eyes introduced by Wapsi Fly Co.

Most of us could not see the application of the new eyes and just ignored them because they were not featured in established patterns.

Bob liked the action and fish catching ability of lead head jigs and wanted something created by fly tiers.

 

Lefty had an important contribution to Clouser in growing his business,, he wrote frequently on how well the fly worked.

I remember years ago, meeting up with Lefty who had just returned from Russia on a Salmon fishing trip,,, he stated the best flies by a large margin was a Clouser tied pink over white and a second with blue over white. The classic elaborate Salmon flies did not work very well, the Clouser flies really upset the traditional fly purists.

 

For my saltwater striper fishing the standard color was chartreuse over white,,,, it was the best producer by far.

Occasionally we had to "match the hatch" when specific baitfish were inshore.

 

One of the key elements according to Lefty and Bob is the ability of the Clouser to swim in a level attitude,,, not head down like a typical lead head jig.

Minnows swim more level than nose down and that is reason for precise positioning of the dumb bell eyes on the hook and I believe the reason for the huge success in the Clouser design.

 

Also developed by Bob is the "Susquehanna Strip" method of swimming the fly,,, yes, yes, other methods will also catch fish.

 

Regards,

FK