Clouser Deep Minnow

[dc410]

Aside from the “What are you tying today” thread which has always been a great long running thread with some excellent ties shared, I thought it would be interesting to devote a thread specifically to a particular pattern and the many variations of it. As we know the Clouser Deep Minnow is a very effective streamer pattern designed by Bob Clouser of PA. Over the years multitudes of variations of this streamer have been tied. Changes in hook style, weight variations, color schemes, materials used, type of flash or lack thereof etc. all can lead to some really nice streamers. I’ll lead it off with Bob’s classic original Deep Minnow pattern. This one I tied on a Gamakatsu size 4 B10S hook, medium red dumbell eyes, Chartruese/White bucktail with rainbow Krystal flash. I also used 12/0 white Semperfli Nanosilk for the thread and the color of the Chartruese bucktail comes through brilliantly when cured with UV cure resin. Hope many of you PAFF fly tyers decide to share some of your favorite Clouser Minnow patterns as it may continue to spur on the creative side in all of us.

 

[jifigz]

I'll tie one and post later tonight. Thanks for the inspiration to get on the vise, DC!

 

[hooker-of-men]

Let me ruin the concept with too much junk right quick 🤣

Rainbow smelt kitchen sink clouser. White zonker and purple Marabou tail hidden in the normal bucktail body

 

[tomgamber]

Biggest variable I've learned over the years is that when tying clousers for salt, they should be tied much more sparsely than i do for fresh water.

Some color combinations i really like:

Olive over orange for OBX

White Marabou over white with emerald crystal flash lateral line for Erie on the lake.

Blue over white for Erie tribs.

Classic red, chartreuse, pink, orange over white as stock stand-bys.

Some of these are basic knowledge but do not be afraid to try any combination you think works. Confidence can trump a lot of factors in fishing..

 

[dc410]

Let me ruin the concept with too much junk right quick 🤣

Rainbow smelt kitchen sink clouser. White zonker and purple Marabou tail hidden in the normal bucktail body

View attachment 1641239128

That’s a very interesting concept with the bunny strip, marabou and bucktail all together in one.

 

[dc410]

Biggest variable I've learned over the years is that when tying clousers for salt, they should be tied much more sparsely than i do for fresh water.

Some color combinations i really like:

Olive over orange for OBX

White Marabou over white with emerald crystal flash lateral line for Erie on the lake.

Blue over white for Erie tribs.

Classic red, chartreuse, pink, orange over white as stock stand-bys.

Some of these are basic knowledge but do not be afraid to try any combination you think works. Confidence can trump a lot of factors in fishing..

Thanks for all of those specific color combinations for particular locations, Tom. The white marabou/white bucktail with emerald flash makes perfect sense when considering the importance of the Emerald Shiner in the Lake Erie system. That’s good stuff.

I have to totally agree with you on the importance of sparseness when tying Clousers (even for freshwater). I’m often a pretty hard critic of my own ties and that is the one thing that I would try to improve on in the first one that I tied in post #1. It should be tied more sparsely - particularly with the chartruese bucktail portion and maybe even a bit sparser on the flash component.

 

[hooker-of-men]

That’s a very interesting concept with the bunny strip, marabou and bucktail all together in one.

Going for action. I'm hoping that will help get attention when I'm fishing in a giant cloud of real smelt in April.

 

[dc410]

Here’s a darker version of a Clouser Minnow tied much more sparsely on a size 4 Gamakatsu hook. This one is tied for that time of year when picking those eddies for prespawn Smallies in the Spring of the year when the water temperature reaches that magical level. Black/Grey with black pearl Krystal flash. I threw in the copper/grizzly hackle feather along the lateral line almost as an afterthought on this one.

 

[DO_inthewoods]

Here’s a darker version of a Clouser Minnow tied much more sparsely on a size 4 Gamakatsu hook. This one is tied for that time of year when picking those eddies for prespawn Smallies in the Spring of the year when the water temperature reaches that magical level. Black/Grey with black pearl Krystal flash. I threw in the copper/grizzly hackle feather along the lateral line almost as an afterthought on this one.

View attachment 1641239144

That lateral line really rounds out that fly nicely! Ill post mine when I am home tomorrow

 

[discomidge]

Here are the remnants of a clouser that's been sitting on my desk. I'll toss it eventually, but for now I like to look at it and remember the day it hooked a bunch of gorilla blues in the OBX. It was still working just fine when I cut it off, I think blues would eat a nickel if you threw it in the water. This color combo though. Folks say orange/black/gold is money in the OBX and the last couple years have made me a believer.

 

[dc410]

Here are the remnants of a clouser that's been sitting on my desk. I'll toss it eventually, but for now I like to look at it and remember the day it hooked a bunch of gorilla blues in the OBX. It was still working just fine when I cut it off, I think blues would eat a nickel if you threw it in the water. This color combo though. Folks say orange/black/gold is money in the OBX and the last couple years have made me a believer.
View attachment 1641239167

Nice! Thanks for sharing that. Great info for anybody that might be heading to the OBX next year.

 

[dc410]

It has to be at least a couple of decades ago while tooling through Middletown,PA I stopped at Clouser’s fly shop just because I was right there. I was new to the whole warmwater game and was looking to gain some information on Mr. Clouser’s Deep Minnow and Floating Minnow patterns. I didn’t have a whole lot of equipment and the heaviest rod I had was a 9’ 5 wt, so chucking around streamers with dumbbell eyes on them concerned me a bit. The door to the shop was open but everything was dark inside. Just after I walked in a door from a back room opened and Mr. Clouser emerged to greet me and turn on a few lights. I explained to him that I was just getting started in the warmwater game and wasn’t really looking to hit the Susky for Smallies but was more into fishing some of the primary tributaries into the lower Susquehanna. I asked him, “how small can you tie your Deep Minnow pattern to be able to deliver it effectively on a 5 weight outfit”? He looked at me and with a classic Bob Clouser response and a bit of a wink he said “Well, how small of bass do you want to catch, son”?

We spent the next 45 minutes chatting about flyfishing for Smallmouth and he gave me some great tips on fishing and tying his patterns. I purchased some materials from him, thanked him and went on my way. It was one of those conversations that kind of just hang with you forever.

 

[dc410]

I recently dug up an old article that was featured in the July 1989 issue of Flyfisherman magazine. It was an article on the Clouser Deep Minnow authored by none other than Lefty Kreh. Keep in mind this article was featured only two years after Bob Clouser actually developed this pattern and Lefty was the one who actually coined it as “Clouser’s Deep Minnow”. Lefty was quoted as stating that he actually caught 87 species of freshwater and saltwater gamefish on this pattern over his many years of fishing it.

There were four variations of the Deep Minnow pattern that were featured in this article and originally marketed by Bob Clouser as patterns to target Smallmouth Bass on the Susquehanna River. I’m planning on sharing all four original Clouser patterns in this thread. I already shared the Chartruese/White version in post #1. Here is another one of Bob’s original deep minnow patterns that he called the “Silver Shiner” deep minnow pattern.

Hook - Gamakatsu B10S hook, size 4
Thread - 12/0 White Semperfli Nanosilk
Eyes - Medium Red dumbbell eyes
Belly - White Bucktail
Lateral Line - Rainbow Krystal Flash
Top Wing - Gray Bucktail

 

[falcon]

There was a article in the old monthly Fly Fishing Guide by Bob highlighting various Clouser fly patterns. Some imitated yoy SM Bass, Shiners, Chubs etc. Great fly pattern. Anything can be duped with a Clouser.

 

[Cessicah]

I've tweaked mine a bit, using olive and black bucktail lately, really productive in the local rivers. Gonna have to try that UV resin trick though, sounds slick.