It's Tuesday Tie Time! Today we are tying up another staple of almost any fly box, a Clouser Minnow. The Clouser Minnow might be the single pattern that has caught more species of fish than anything else. Here I am tying it up in a not-so-classic color pattern that is effective for targeting bass, especially active bass (but it is great for Saltwater applications as well), Sexy Shad. Let me know how it fishes for you!
Ingredients
- Hook: Umpqua U401 Size #8 (can tie on various sizes, brands, and styles)
- Thread: Chartreuse
- Weight: Dumbbell Eyes in Chartreuse (can vary the size)
- Belly: Bucktail in White
- Flash: Crystal Flash in Chartreuse
- Wing: Bucktail in Light Blue
Steps
- Place hook into vice, and wrap a small "bump" on thread 1/3 of the way down the hook.
- Place the eyes behind the bump and wrap them in with crosswraps. Lock them in place with circles that go between the eyes and the hook shank.
- Cut a small selection of the white bucktail for the belly, pull out longer hairs and the shorter hairs and trim up the base so that they are about 2.5 times the length of the hook.
- Tie that bucktail in for the belly in front of the eyes, and then wrap behind the eyes. Be careful to not wrap too tight (pulling the bucktail around the shaft of the hook.) Make sure the bucktail stays on the bottom of the hook.
- Rotate the fly in the vice.
- Choose 2 strands of crystal flash, fold them in half, and tie them in with the stands sticking out backwards to just beyond the bucktail. Make two wraps, then pull the strands in the front backwards and wrap those down.
- Cut a small bunch of the light blue bucktail, pull the long and short hairs out, and then measure and trim it so that it is the same length or slightly longer than the belly strands.
- Tie this bucktail on just behind the eye of the hook, trying to keep in in an oval shaped bunch if possible. Wrap it down.
- Whip finish and add your fly head cement. You can choose to epoxy your fly as well (Bob Clouser does), but I usually don't unless I am tying them for toothy saltwater fish.
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