Clouser Deep Minnow

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Stoney is this old news? Looks a bit more jiggy than the box you tied up for me years ago.

Just popped up on my Google feed.

Article for those interested

Clouser Deep Minnow - Adirondack Explorer https://share.google/C06urMZ7pXuhsxKhB

 

[Stonedfish]

That is a great pattern and kudos to Bob Clouser for creating it. The cool thing about that pattern is how you can tweak it to meet your own fishing needs, aka pimp your clouser.
Bob might have some heartburn with the way I tie some of mine.
SF

 

[Mike Cline]

That is a great pattern and kudos to Bob Clouser for creating it. The cool thing about that pattern is how you can tweak it to meet your own fishing needs, aka pimp your clouser.
Bob might have some heartburn with the way I tie some of mine.
SF

Couldn't agree more. A great platform for a lot of different tweaks. For someone like me with an aversion to weighted flies and a distinct preference for long sink tips, here's my favorite tweak--unweighted dumbbell eyes. Get the same Clouser Deep Minnow profile without the weight. Tied with mono thread and finished with UV resin. The resin head provides some density to help the fly stay oriented while the long sink tips get it deep. The weightless dumbbells won't trash your fly rod during an errant cast as well.

 

[Sam Roffe]

I think the Clouser is my number one fly I tie. It's easy and effective.

Mike, I think those unweighted eyes are cool. Do you flies ride point up when you fish them?

 

[Pink Squirrel]

Many moons ago we hosted Bob at the annual meeting of the Hawkeye Fly Fishers Association and he told one of my favorite fly fishing tales. It seems he was demonstrating how to tie his deep minnow for a group when one of the observers stood up and declared that he was tying it wrong. Apparently he was not using enough bucktail in the pattern. Bob, who is known for his dry sense of humor, looked at the guy and asked “do you know what my name is?”

If you have read his book on the fly and all its variation you can be pretty sure that he would approve of this modification. I have used the foxy clouser for years as a personal freshwater favorite.

 

[Mike Cline]

I think the Clouser is my number one fly I tie. It's easy and effective.

Mike, I think those unweighted eyes are cool. Do you flies ride point up when you fish them?

The density of the head sealed up with UV resin usually causes the fly to ride hook point up.

 

[wanderingrichard]

Ok, are my eyes playing tricks, or are there two different hook examples used in the various pics? It looks like the one from the referenced website is using a shank bent before the eye, while a different pic is using a more conventional hook.

 

[RRSmith]

Jack Harrell (owner of Pacific City Fly Fishing) gave me a rather unique variation of the Clouser which he ties. He fishes them under a float during slack tide.while targeting estuary fall chinook.

 

[Chucker]

Ok, are my eyes playing tricks, or are there two different hook examples used in the various pics? It looks like the one from the referenced website is using a shank bent before the eye, while a different pic is using a more conventional hook.

Just a down eye hook. I think it helps them ride hook down, but still tie most of mine on a straight eye hook. The other alternative is a 60 degree jig hook, which also works really well, especially for getting right down on the bottom.

 

[SurfnFish]

Jack Harrell (owner of Pacific City Fly Fishing) gave me a rather unique variation of the Clouser which he ties. He fishes them under a float during slack tide.while targeting estuary fall chinook.

View attachment 187714

x2....believe Jack got that pattern from his good buddy Jay Nicolas, who started tying that pattern 15 or so years ago to use with a centerpin set-up at slack tidewater. After watching Jay stick some nice ones at slack one day, checked out his set-up and ended up mounting an Okuma Sheffield on a Douglas centerpin rod and tied up a bunch...I seemed to have more luck with 3" Clousers dangled under a Thill Gold Medalist wood float. They definitely work at slack high.

 

[Vagabond]

Ok, are my eyes playing tricks, or are there two different hook examples used in the various pics? It looks like the one from the referenced website is using a shank bent before the eye, while a different pic is using a more conventional hook.

The great thing about Bob’s fly is the 100 different ways you can tie it with a hundred different style hooks and never be wrong. I’ve tied them on #4 circle hooks for winter redfish(puppy drum) and 3/0+ hooks for saltwater Half & Half, half Deceiver, half Clouser.
Probably right up there on the leader board for MTAFF, most tied adaptive fly forever.

 

[Vagabond]

Ok, are my eyes playing tricks, or are there two different hook examples used in the various pics? It looks like the one from the referenced website is using a shank bent before the eye, while a different pic is using a more conventional hook.

Almost forgot, he was damn near your neighbor at one time! You could have “wandered” over and pestered him about him about his flies when you were a young Buck!

Beckie’s was right upriver and you could have been a pest to Barry & Cathy also.

 

[rattlesnake]

Love this thread cause I love this fly. So good how variable you can make em… bucktail, synthetic, on different style hooks, etc etc.

I fished Bob one time and he was a super nice guy, real enjoyable to spend a day with. I never asked for a fly at the end of the day and still kick myself for it!

 

[wanderingrichard]

Almost forgot, he was damn near your neighbor at one time! You could have “wandered” over and pestered him about him about his flies when you were a young Buck!

Beckie’s was right upriver and you could have been a pest to Barry & Cathy also.

Yeah my small town might as well have been on Mars in relation to Bob and the Harrisburg area. it wasn't until after I left that I found out what was really around me. Penns was just another creek, as well as the Susquehanna just being the local river. Fisherman's Paradise was an hour west of me and I only got there once, on a high school field trip to the Bellefonte hatchery.

As for local legends with big impact, Bob Holman, John Murray, (both also science teachers in my school district) Bob Clouser, Lefty (even though he'd left Baltimore by then) etc. Never heard of Beckies.

Just realized, it's the same situation I've been in here for the past 25 years. All the local greats and rich, huge fishing traditions and history, and I've missed most of it.