Deneki Outdoors Fishing Lodges

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The Coho Clouser – Tying Instructions

How to tie a stinger hook Clouser minnow
The Coho (stinger hook) Clouser. Photos: Kyle Shea.

When asked about our favorite flies for silver salmon, many of our guests are surprised to hear that one of the most popular patterns amongst our guide staff at Alaska West is not a ‘typical’ Alaska-born coho pattern such as a hareball leech or dolly llama, but rather a plain ol’ pink and white Clouser minnow.

Why? For starters, the Clouser minnow’s strategically placed lead eyes coupled with its sparse profile produces a more aggressive jigging action than similar flies tied with fluffy materials like bunny or marabou. Plus, with only a few materials required to tie and very little time to complete, it checks all the boxes for a fly worthy of a species you might actually hook hundreds of over the course of a week (not an exaggeration).

However, in an attempt to improve landing rates, reduce mortality rates of released fish, as well as extend the overall lifetime of a single fly (from the ability to replace dull hooks), several of our guides have adapted the use of stinger hooks into their Clousers minnows. We’ve dubbed the modification the Coho Clouser, it works really well on our river, so we thought we’d show you how to tie it.

The Coho Clouser – Tying Instructions

Materials:

  • Thread: UTC Ultra thread, 140 denier, fluorescent pink and white.
  • Shank: Daiichi 2546, size 1, hook bend cut-off. 
  • Stinger Loop: Senyo’s Intruder Wire.
  • Stinger Hook: Owner ssw, size 2.
  • Eyes: Painted lead eyes, size large. 
  • Body/tail: Bucktail, white. 
  • Wing: Bucktail, fluorescent fuchsia.
  • Flash: Mirror Krinkle Flash, pearl.

How to tie a stinger hook Clouser minnow
Step 1: Starting at the eye of the hook, cover the shank with a layer of white thread. We’ve used a size 1 Daiichi 2546 saltwater hook for our shank here, but any shank or hook can be used.
How to tie a stinger hook Clouser minnow
Step 2: Connect a size 2 stinger hook via loop to loop connection to a length of wire and catch in at the bend of the hook (with stinger hook riding down). The stinger hook/loop should extend beyond the bend of the hook approximately 1.5-2 times the length of the shank as shown. Wrap your thread forward in touching turns toward the eye of the hook and pass the tips of the wire down through the eye of the hook.
How to tie a stinger hook Clouser minnow
Step 3: Pull the tips of the wire tight and secure to the underside of the shank with touching turns of thread and trim excess. This prevents the wire from slipping.
How to tie a stinger hook Clouser minnow
Step 4: Secure a pair of leads eyes at the 1/3 position of the shank with criss-cross and/or figure eight wraps of thread. A drop of super glue here can help keep eyes from rolling around the shank after multiple fish.
How to tie a stinger hook Clouser minnow
Step 5: Catch a small clump of white bucktail in front of lead eyes. The tips of the bucktail should extend just beyond the bend of the stinger hook.
How to tie a stinger hook Clouser minnow
Step 6: Fold the bucktail over the top of the lead eyes and lash down behind the eyes to form the body. Use the thumb and forefinger of your left hand to pinch the shank of the hook as you wrap. This keeps the the bucktail from rolling around the shank. Traditionally, the body is formed with a few criss-cross wraps of thread, although we prefer to cover the body with touching turns for added durability. Bring your thread back in front of the eyes, whip finish, and trim your thread. The rest of the fly will use a different color thread.
How to tie a stinger hook Clouser minnow
Step 7: Attach pink thread at the eye of the hook and wrap to just in front of the lead eyes.
How to tie a stinger hook Clouser minnow
Step 8: Catch in 3-4 strands of flash and double over creating 6-8 strands along the length of the fly. Flash should extend beyond the length of the bucktail and be split evenly on each side of the hook bend.
How to tie a stinger hook Clouser minnow
Step 9: Catch in a larger clump of pink bucktail in front of the eyes that extends slightly further than the bucktail used for the tail.
How to tie a stinger hook Clouser minnow
Step 10: Create a smooth bullet shaped head with thread, whip finish, and cement.
How to tie a stinger hook Clouser minnow
Step 11: Remove from the vise, cut the bend of the hook off with a pair of wire cutters, and go fishing!

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Comments

  1. I’ve been using this fly in pink/white, red/white, silver/white, chart/pink, orange/black, and blue/white in light and medium colors, barred, and highlighted with holographic tinsel or sparkle hair. Most productive fly configuration has varied from stream to stream, but I generally start with the crazy chicken [green wing over ping body with holographic strands matching the lighter colors. They all catch fish, but I seem to have better much better success with the articulated versions. My fly box is crowded with these flies and articulated leeches, with a few small flies thrown in for fun [eggs, minnows, darts and the like].

  2. They’re certainly hard to beat, Michael! Glad you agree. What are you targeting mostly? Thanks for weighing in!

  3. I just used a variant of this, (Front hook down back hook up) and used a dark green top, a small amount of black in the middle, with some holographic tinsel mixed in.

    We were targeting spawning rainbows, pulling it through 1-8 foot deep water, only about 6 inches down.

    These are fantastic little guys.

  4. This is a pattern I first invented and published in my book “Fly Fishing Inshore Saltwaters for Pacific Salmon” page 64, Amato Books. Good fly.

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