Essential flies for Miami Valley fishing

The Clouser Minnow
Clouser Minnows have been used in saltwater fly fishing since its creation in 1987 and over the years they have found their way into the fly boxes of freshwater anglers as well. This fly can be deadly on fish as huge as marlin, swordfish and tarpon and, in scaled down versions, can be just as deadly on trout, crappies, white bass and bluegills.

The eyes have it
One of the main differences in the Clouser and other streamer flies is readily apparent. Those lead barbell eyes jump right out and stare back at you and they are the major reason for the success of this fly. Many predatory game fish such as bass, walleyes and pike are excited to strike by the eyes of their prey. Some say the predators even strike toward the eyes of the minnow, the better to lead their intended victims lest they aim too far back and end up missing altogether. Another advantage of these eyes is the weight they give the fly. Clousers sink readily to get down where the big fish live. This is especially true in deep lakes, fast rivers and oceans.

Bringing it home
Most local fly anglers use Clousers for smallmouth and largemouth bass. Smallmouth anglers work the deeper holes of the local rivers with Clouser Minnows in sizes from 2 through 1/0. Largemouth fly anglers prefer to stick with the larger end of that selection. These sizes give bass a large bait to think about and often they decide in favor of eating it. Trout anglers on the upper reaches of the Mad River use size 10 Clousers whenever they have the feeling the trout are looking for a minnow snack, especially when the brown trout binge on minnows in the fall.

Tying a Clouser
The Clouser Minnow pattern was originated by Bob Clouser of Middleton, Pennsylvania, for use with clients he was guiding on trips set up by himself and his wife from their fly shop. It is really a fairly simple pattern to tie. All you really need is two different colors of deer hair or bucktail, a hook suitable to the size fish you will be using the flies for, some strong thread in a color that matches the top color of your fly and a barbell eye that also matches the size of the fly.

1.Put the hook in your vise, point down and start a base coat of thread, ending with the thread about halfway back on the shaft of the hook.
2.Holding the barbell eyes at a diagonal on top of where the thread is, wrap the thread around the hook and the mid-point of the eyes.
3.Once the eyes are somewhat secured by four or five wraps, hold them on an opposite diagonal and wrap from the other side of the hook just as before.
4.Select some bucktail of the lighter color and trim the ends you will tie over so they are even.
5.Lay the bucktail along the hook with the trimmed ends just in front of the eyes and, holding the bucktail together very tightly, wrap the bucktail to the hook with 8 or 10 good wraps. This is the body and tail of the fly.
6.Lay the bucktail back, over the saddle in the eyes and wrap them down behind the eyes as well.
7.Wrap the thread forward so it is hanging about at the front of the first bunch of bucktail, then turn the hook over so it is in the vise with the gap riding up.
8.Select some bucktail of a darker color to serve as the wing. Local anglers seem to think chartreuse or yellow over a white body works well. The fish seem to agree.
9.Tie in the wing just in front of the eyes in the same manner that you did with the body.
10.Trim off any excess bucktail, build a head, whip finish and cement the head.

There are superb video lessons of this very process on e-How by Alvin Dedeaux.

Clousers in the Miami Valley
One local angler and guide has used Clousers to account for a 21-inch largemouth bass and a 21-inch saugeye along with many trout and smallmouth bass. While these are outstanding catches to be sure, these feats are definitely repeatable by dedicated anglers who throw Clouser Minnows.
How to fish the Clouser Minnow
Fish Clousers like any other streamer fly with casts across the stream and quartering slightly downstream. Remember that this is a heavy fly when you get into shallow water and make the most of a quicker strip retrieve. Don't worry about being too fast! It may be possible to strip in fly line fast enough to outrun a determined predator but it is highly unlikely. In lakes, cast the fly out and wait for it to sink before beginning the retrieve. Experiment with different depths by adjusting the amount of time you wait. The usual rules apply for deciding where to cast in lakes. For bass, northern pike and muskies, cast toward the shore and around logs, rocks and other structure. For white bass, trout and saugeye, cast to deeper water from the shore and concentrate on any moving water such as inlets.

Now that you know more about Clouser Minnows, tie a few up and give the local fish a chance to critique your handiwork!