Clouser minnow

[troutmaster08 0]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqufXpDOdM8&t=201s

[WWKimba 0]

A couple of things - all related to the eyes.  First, over/under ties help to tighten your crossing ties and hold the eyes in place much better.  What I mean by over/under is take your thread in horizontal wraps (think tying on a post) over the hook shank and under the eyes.  This tends to draw the crossing wraps in and therefore make them tighter.  Second, to further improve the eyes and keep  them from twisting/rotating around the hook shank tie in a short (2-3 eye width) bit of dubbing, using any (junk) material on a noodle.  This trick also works if you tie in a post or any other extending type addition to the hook shank.  Third, don't use a streamer hook, use a popper hook.  This will help keep your eye placement VERY consistent - this will help address that issue you had with cutting the chartreuse bucktail.  Also, a popper hook helps avoid the "hole-in-the-head look" where the bucktail goes over the lead eyes.  is There's a great article on this in FAOL - Fly Anglers OnLine, Your Complete Internet Flyfishing Resource.  Search under "Tying Deep Minnow Clones".

Is there a way you can test your videos on this site before posting them on YouTube?  I think you can see that there are more than one tyer that may be able to help you polish your fine product.

Hope this helps and keep up your fine work.

Kim

[skeet3t 0]

I tied bead chain for eyes. Using the figure 8 wrap, I also put a drop of Ca glue on the wrap and let it set a few seconds.

[Poopdeck 0]

I fish a lot of clousers. It's one of my mainstays because it catches a ton of fish and it's a simple quick tie with minimal and very basic materials. My kind of fly. I tied some clousers on popper hooks and didn't care for them. Didn't have any problems with them I just didn't feel they brought anything extra to the table. Yes it takes the guesswork out of consistent placing of eyes on a clouser but eye placement is not difficult and doesn't need a trick. I've read all the tricks and refinements some have done to the clouser minnow and all I say is, why? The simplicity is the essence of this fly and nothing I have ever read about and tried made the fly fish any better. It's also a remarkably easy fly to re-tie if you want. I generally fish them till they break off which is often. I'm not shy about where I toss them since they are so simple and quick to tie. It's why I don't tie game changers. 

Kimba, what is the hole in the head look that the popper hook prevents?

[WWKimba 0]

If you look at Clousers, just in front of the lead eyes on the bottom side of the fly (as fished) there can be a hole formed where the white/light bucktail moves away from the hook shank and goes "over" the lead eyes.  A hole may be seen both in front of and behind the lead eyes.  This is very noticeable if the tyer does not tie down the hair close enough to the lead eyes on each side.

Kim

[yetavon 0]

I tied a screwed up Clouser for a swap many years back...tied all the bead chain eyes on 1st...

Then not paying attention I didnt consider that the hook was flipped and tied my colors upside down till half way done....

Tossed them aside and started over....

One day I finally tried fishing with one... OMG... Bass and Brim tore them up.

Apparently it mimic's a wounded dying minnow just ripe for the picking.

Works very well on Crappie to  

[WWKimba 0]

Try it with Thundercreeks!  Same result!

Kim

[yetavon 0]

Will do

[DarrellP 0]

I have found that measuring where to place the eyes is simply a matter of laying the eye long ways from the hook eye down the shaft.  Mark the end of the eye and that is where you put your thread dam.  Consistent flies every time and it lays just right, to me anyway.  As for the hole in the wing you speak of, I think that actually helps because it allows the wing to pull down on the strip and then spring back.  Just my 2 cents.  Reading Clouser's book and seeing him tie was really eye opening for me.  Glue is your friend on Clouser's.  I tie in my eyes and then glue them all up and let it dry.   Clouser says to wrap one way several times, then wrap the other way several tines.  He says it is stronger than the figure 8.  I then wrap around the eyes on top of the hook, as WWimba said.  Keep up the good work.  Your fly looks great.  Now go catch a fish.

[skeet3t 0]

On 2/5/2021 at 10:34 AM, yetavon said:

I tied a screwed up Clouser for a swap many years back...tied all the bead chain eyes on 1st...

Then not paying attention I didnt consider that the hook was flipped and tied my colors upside down till half way done....

Tossed them aside and started over....

One day I finally tried fishing with one... OMG... Bass and Brim tore them up.

Apparently it mimic's a wounded dying minnow just ripe for the picking.

Works very well on Crappie to  

"Screwed up" is known as a design modification. Fish don't care how the hook rides. Obviously your success proves that.

[WWKimba 0]

On 2/10/2021 at 8:45 AM, DarrellP said:

I have found that measuring where to place the eyes is simply a matter of laying the eye long ways from the hook eye down the shaft.  Mark the end of the eye and that is where you put your thread dam.  Consistent flies every time and it lays just right, to me anyway.  As for the hole in the wing you speak of, I think that actually helps because it allows the wing to pull down on the strip and then spring back.  Just my 2 cents.  Reading Clouser's book and seeing him tie was really eye opening for me.  Glue is your friend on Clouser's.  I tie in my eyes and then glue them all up and let it dry.   Clouser says to wrap one way several times, then wrap the other way several tines.  He says it is stronger than the figure 8.  I then wrap around the eyes on top of the hook, as WWimba said.  Keep up the good work.  Your fly looks great.  Now go catch a fish.

Bob Clouser and Polly Rosburough are just two of many fine tyers that KNOW that glue is your friend!

Kim