clousers anyone?

GeorgeMcFly · May 23, 2008

got lots of colors of bucktail! started making these today. what ya think? any other great colors to make? I made a few of each color and they are all size 10 streamer hooks and 2 inches long like the smallies like um! have caught small on the red/white and olive/white will try the others. I hear blue/white and orange/brown is good too.

GeorgeMcFly · May 23, 2008

more! I am gonna try to make some different kinds also in the coming days like small rainbow trout or lil gills or whatever.

BigCliff · May 23, 2008

The proportions of your clousers look pretty perfect, but try leaving the flash in the middle longer than the bucktail. It adds an effect that imitates a tail movement pretty well.

I've probably caught more fish on chartruese and white than anything else. I generally use the ghost grey KF in the middle. Occasionally I'll use the glow-in-the-dark flash instead. Even in fairly bright conditions, it puts off a glow once deep that I think helps.

Another favorite of mine is grey and white with black KF on top (hook point side) and light blue flash in the middle. Does a pretty good job of looking like a baby striper or other grey minnow.

Yet another favorite is ginger and white with copper KF on top and the pearl tan in the middle. Tends to look like a baby redfish or golden shiner.

All black clousers are reputed to work VERY well in dirty water. I need to try them more often.

GeorgeMcFly · May 23, 2008

thanks cliff for the info and comments i will leave it longer from now on.. I always thought maybe the hook was too small but came to learn the bass swallows this minnow whole so it don't matter much. I have bigger hooks but used those for the bunny leeches I posted. I hope to have a great day tomorrow. keep ya posted. I have black so i was thinking of making black/white and a couple others like black/red and so forth within a few days. I will try what i got now but it sucks cayse everytime I make a clouser with white bucktail and thread on these diiachis hooks theres rust color added to the white after it drys out.. does this matter? will they still work? I been cutting them down and remaking the ones that aren't to rusty. p's me off. maybe i should dry um out better before i change um and toss um in the box

liv2fish · May 23, 2008

I would say the rust doesn't matter that much. Although they don't look as nice (to the tier/viewer), I can't believe they still wouldn't catch fish. It may give them the impression of a wounded baitfish (who knows??). I def. wouldn't strip them down and reuse the hook. I've found that some totally mangled/disfigured/discolored flies continue to produce fish even though they don't exactly look like they did when I started the day. I would def. recommend getting them almost completely dry before tucking them away for a while. If the rust is so bad you think the integrity of the hook is compromised I would def. toss it or give it away. Otherwise just keep a little sharpening stone around to keep the points rust free and sharp. Good looking clousers, I always loved blue and white for bass. I would tie some solid color ones as well for varying clarity levels (white, chartruse (spelling?), and black). Don't feel limited to two-tone clousers either. I'll throw a little red up front like bleeding gills on most of my big streamer patterns.

BigCliff · May 23, 2008

Hook size on clousers is a bit tricky- too big and the eyes may not be heavy enough to make it ride right, too small and the hook is less likely to catch in the fish's mouth. Length is still another issue. I generally tie mine on Mustad 34007's, in size 6, which isn't even a streamer hook. I generally use bead chain eyes, but a size larger than what is "normal". (I also recommend seeking out the stainless or brass beadchain eyes, single best way to reduce your clouser rusting problem)

Yours look fine, but I wouldn't go any smaller with that much bucktail on them.

Frank Whiton · May 23, 2008

Hi GerogeMcFly,

Cliff's suggestion about the flash being longer than the Bucktail is right on. That is how Bob Clouser recommends you tie them.

Frank

GeorgeMcFly · May 24, 2008

I will do that for now on. thanks for the tip. I caught a small rock bass on the brown/orange today and stupid me missed a nice smallie that tried to attack it also! my buddy caught 2 smallies tho. we laughed cause I made all the colors up and after all that he had made a fly that he caught both his smallies on and it was just pearl krsytal flash wrapped up the shank with one wing of white bucktail and dumbell eyes!! after all that I guess plain white works too!! duh. I should just be basic but noooo I have to have every color! lol.

GeorgeMcFly · May 24, 2008

just read this! thought I would share it. I was fishing wrong! I was steady stripping or soemtimes strip pausing but never like he describes! I will have to try this out for sure!

"Bob Clouser developed a particular stripping method for fishing with this fly called the Susquehanna Strip. This technique, as described in his book, accelerates and pauses the fly during the retrieve so that when stripped back, it darts like a fleeing baitfish. With this technique, strikes increase tenfold over a steady stripping retrieve. Cast, and when the fly hits the water, drop the rod tip down to 6 inches from the water and make a long strip of 3 to 4 feet. As you start the strip, bring your arm back along your side. When your hand reaches your leg, quickly turn your thumb rearward to accelerate the strip. Ending the strip with a speed-up-and-stop portrays the erratic escaping movements of a scared baitfish. The quick acceleration frees the fly from the leader. The fly stops and turns down because of the weight of the metallic eyes. The strike comes on that drop"

FlyGal · May 24, 2008

They also describe that stripping method for the salt as the drop or fall back stripping...

Cliff, the all black with no flash has been ultra successful - give it a go.

Nice Job Mcfly!!! Those are nice flies.

MrEsox · May 30, 2008

Nice job GM.

MrEsox · May 30, 2008

GM here try this, add maraboo on the back of the hook before you tie the rest of the fly. I find that the added color works very well for bass. Smallies love color and the action of the maraboo.

GeorgeMcFly · May 30, 2008

thanks for the tip esox. whats colors did ya use on that clouser? looks some sort of clown clouser with lots of diff colors in it?! check these out. I made these today. no clouser at all but a minnow imitation. its just a zonker rabbit strip tied behind the bead chain eyes and it has flash wrapped up the hook shank. will give um a go tomorrow as I here these have great action in the water and are great for bass and gills. made um in olive and white. black is also a great color i hear

MrEsox · May 30, 2008

Actually G I just took a hair stacker and added a bunch of differant colors. The maraboo was oj and purple. The buck colors are pink hot pink, olive, grey, and some red. I find that smallies as well as pike love brighter colors. Though cant pass over natural colors. I like your zonker minnow. I picked up the clouser minnow book. There is actually in there a clouser that uses the zonker stripps. I tryed one but the zonker strips I got are too thin. Since I use size 2 hooks up to 5/0. So the strips are about as thick as the hooks are. As I pick up differant material I see if I can make a clouser out of it. I'll post a pic of my clouser box. I also have made some on size 4 and 6 hooks for smaller fish. Hope this gives you some more ideas

GeorgeMcFly · May 30, 2008

I see now your flies are huge!! for the smallies around here I always used a size 6,8.or 10 althought i am no expert.. these are on just a size 10 streamer. thats why the zonker actually fits these should work for gills bass and crappie.. a size 2 I don't see um fitting like you say. the olive seems thicker than the white zonkers i got. I have never tried using a fly so big before like you do. the smallies around here are not that huge. 14 inches I have seen. prolly could get bigger I suppose? I also use a 5wt for fishing. with the big hooks you use what size you throwing? 7wt?

MrEsox · Jun 5, 2008

I got a 5wt and now a 9wt. I made most of my Clouser's for pike and have some smaller ones for bass. The ones I have made for bass are on a size 2 to 1/0. A lot of the bass here are bigger, often 18+. I often use larger popers, bigger plastics (4"-5"), and 1/2-1oz spinnerbaits. Though some of my clousers look big, I try more for a thick and most are in that 2" range. I like your idea of just a bit of a zonker coming off the top. I just find that color does much better then going natural. But orange/black, perch, and frog are the colors I stay with. We got a ton of perch in our lake and the smallies feed heavly on it. I've made a few darker colored (blue, silver, black, purple) but have not yet to use them. Dont hurt to have some natural colors around.

aroostookbasser · Jun 5, 2008

Ok so who is tying clousers for the spring fling swap thing???????

GeorgeMcFly · Jun 5, 2008

not me aroostook. I am sitting this one out.

Joni · Jun 5, 2008

GM, try adding a collar of Marabou to the front behind or in front of the eyes. GARTSIDE style. Two or three turns is all you need. Will add some movement and a little belly like a shiner.

clousers anyone?

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