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Bonefish

The Clouser Minnow – An Oldie but Goodie

How to tie the Deep Clouser Minnow Fly Pattern.
New is not always better. Photos: Kyle Shea.

We love to push the envelope when we’re at the vise, and like most fly tyers we’re always on the search for the next big fly pattern. However, today we’re taking a step back to pay tribute to one of the most versatile patterns of all time – The Clouser Minnow.

Originally designed for smallmouth bass in the late 80’s, the Clouser Minnow has caught fish all over the world in both fresh and salt water. In fact, we fish Clouser variations all the time for bonefish at Andros South.

However, one place they really shine is on our huge run of silver salmon at Alaska West. Our guests are often surprised to learn that when targeting coho many of our guides will choose a simple pink Clouser Minnow over many other commercial salmon patterns!  They work really, really well on our river, so today we thought we’d show you the finer points of tying them.

Clouser Deep Minnow – Tying Instructions

Although the Clouser Minnow is generally regarded as a simple pattern to tie, many tyers don’t utilize some of the original techniques used by Bob Clouser himself. Check out the step by step below for some tips on tying better looking Clousers.

Materials:

  • Hook: Daiichi 2141, sz. 2
  • Thread: UTC 140 Denier, White and Cerise
  • Eyes: Large Painted Lead Eyes, Pearl White
  • Tail/Body: White Bucktail
  • Wing: Hot Pink Bucktail
  • Flash: UV Pearl Krystal Flash
How to tie the Deep Clouser Minnow Fly Pattern.
Step 1: Starting with white thread (or any color matching what will be the belly of the fly), attach your thread and advance approximately 1/3 down the shank.
How to tie the Deep Clouser Minnow Fly Pattern.
Step 2: Tie in lead eyes using figure-eight wraps both over AND underneath the shank. This will keep the eyes from rolling around the shank.
How to tie the Deep Clouser Minnow Fly Pattern.
Step 3: Prepare a small clump of white bucktail roughly 2-2.5 times the length of the shank and catch in front of the eyes. Trimming your bucktail to length before tying in will allow for a clean tie in point.
How to tie the Deep Clouser Minnow Fly Pattern.
Step 4: Pull the bucktail tight over the lead eyes while advancing thread to behind the lead eyes. Using your thumb and forefinger, pinch the shank of the hook, thus holding the bundle of bucktail on top of the shank. This is very important as this causes the thread to compress the bucktail against itself, rather than around the shank, causing the fibers not to flare more than desired. Wrap the thread over the bucktail to approximately the point of the hook using light wraps of thread.
How to tie the Deep Clouser Minnow Fly Pattern.
Step 5: Wrap the thread forward in touching turns to create a smooth body and return the thread to just in front of the lead eyes. Whip finish and trim.
How to tie the Deep Clouser Minnow Fly Pattern.
Step 6: Turn the fly over in the vise, and attach thread the same color as the top wing of the fly (in this case, pink). Keep in mind this is how the fly will ride in the water (hook point up).
How to tie the Deep Clouser Minnow Fly Pattern.
Step 7: Double over a few strands of Krystal Flash and tie in just in front of the lead eyes. The flash should extend slightly longer than the bucktail.
How to tie the Deep Clouser Minnow Fly Pattern.
Step 8: Catch in a wing of pink bucktail in front of the lead eyes, roughly the same length as the tail. Make a few loose wraps of thread to start before increasing tension. This helps to keep the fibers from flaring.
How to tie the Deep Clouser Minnow Fly Pattern.
Step 9: Build a nice head, whip finish, and cement.

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The Mini Puff – Tying Instructions

How to tie the Mini Puff Bonefish Fly.
The Mini-Puff, South Andros edition. Photos: Kyle Shea.

We’ve mentioned before that most of the time our bonefish on South Andros aren’t overly picky. However, we’d be lying if we said we don’t encounter our share of spooky bonefish from time to time. After all, they’re still bonefish!

For the most part, we like flies that are big and light. However, we’re also able to target bonefish in some pretty shallow water at times, sometimes less than six inches deep. Such conditions can make bonefish really spooky, and while the particular pattern is not overly important, if it lands like a frying pan its probably not going to end well.

Therefore, we always like to have a few smaller flies in our box ready for spooky fish in skinny water. One of the best patterns we’ve found for such conditions is the Mini Puff. It’s light, sparsely dressed, and the chenille ‘puff’ helps the bead chain eyes of the fly to enter the water softly. It’s a great fly to have in your bonefish box and today we’re going to show you how to tie it.

Materials:

  • Hook: Tiemco 811-S, Sz. 4-6.
  • Thread: UTC 140, Fire Orange.
  • Eyes: Medium Bead Chain Eyes, Silver.
  • Wing: Calf Tail, Tan.
  • Over Wing: Grizzly Hackle Tips.
  • Flash: Krystal Flash, Copper.
  • Head: Ultra Chenille, Hot Orange.
How to tie the Mini Puff Bonefish Fly.
Step 1: Attach your thread to the hook and catch in bead chain eyes using figure eight wraps of thread. Make sure to leave enough room at the head of the fly for a single wrap of chenille.
How to tie the Mini Puff Bonefish Fly.
Step 2: Turn the hook over in the vise and catch in a small clump of tan calf tail just behind the bead chain eyes. The calf tail should extend slightly past the bend of the hook.
How to tie the Mini Puff Bonefish Fly.
Step 3: Catch in a grizzly hackle tip on each side of the wing, roughly the same length as the calf tail. Notice how the color of the calf tail shines through to give the wing a more natural barred appearance.
How to tie the Mini Puff Bonefish Fly.
Step 4: Double over a strand of Krystal Flash and tie in on top if the calf tail wing. We used copper here, but any color could be used.
How to tie the Mini Puff Bonefish Fly.
Step 5: Strip the coating back from a length of chenille. This will allow a cleaner tie-in point.
How to tie the Mini Puff Bonefish Fly.
Step 6: Catch chenille in at the tip and make one wrap in front of the wing, followed by a wrap BEHIND the wing. This will help to keep the wing propped up over the hook point instead of lying flat in the water.
How to tie the Mini Puff Bonefish Fly.
Step 7: Return the chenille to just in front of the wing. Continue wrapping chenille in a figure eight pattern to create a ‘puff’ ball around the eyes. Tie off chenille in front of bed chain eyes.
How to tie the Mini Puff Bonefish Fly.
Step 8: Trim chenille, build a clean head, whip finish, and cement.

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Orange Crush Clouser – Tying Instructions

How to tie the Orange Crush Clouser Bonefish Fly.
Crush is right.. Photos: Kyle Shea.

This season we were joined by our good friend and long time Deneki guest, Frank Carlton, at Andros South. He introduced us to one of his favorite bonefish flies, a pattern he referred to as the ‘Orange Crush.’

Knowing how long he’s fished in the Bahamas, we spun a few up and wouldn’t you know, they work! A glorified ‘clouser style’ pattern, the Orange Crush features just about everything we like in our bonefish flies – a large profile, bead chain eyes, and plenty of orange. If you’re thinking about fishing on South Andros, you’re going to want a few of these in your box.. Here’s how to tie them.

Orange Crush Clouser – Tying Instructions

Materials:

  • Hook: TMC 811s, Sizes 2-6.
  • Thread: UTC 140 Denier, White AND Fire Orange.
  • Eyes: Medium Silver Beadchain Eyes.
  • Tail/Body: White Bucktail.
  • Flash: Pearl Krystal Flash.
  • Under Wing: Tan Bucktail.
  • Over Wing: Fluorescent Orange Arctic Fox.
How to tie the Orange Crush Clouser bonefish fly.
Step 1: Starting with white thread, start your thread at the eye of the hook and wrap 1/3 of the way down the shank. Tie in beadchain eyes at this point using figure eight wraps of thread.
How to tie the Orange Crush Clouser bonefish fly.
Step 2: Prepare a small clump of white bucktail approximately two times the length of the shank. Trim the butt ends square for a tidy tie in point.
How to tie the Orange Crush Clouser bonefish fly.
Step 3: Catch in the bucktail in front of the eyes. Pull the bucktail back tight, and advance the thread to just behind the eyes.
How to tie the Orange Crush Clouser bonefish fly.
Step 4: Cover the bucktail with turns of thread to create a body along the shank of the hook. Use your thumb and forefinger of your left hand to pinch the clump of bucktail together on top of the shank of the hook while wrapping. This will keep the hair from spinning around the shank, keeping it on top of the shank as seen in the photo above.
How to tie the Orange Crush Clouser bonefish fly.
Step 5: Cover the body with touching turns of thread to create a smooth body, advance the thread to the eye of the hook, whip finish, and trim.
How to tie the Orange Crush Clouser bonefish fly.
Step 6: Turn the hook over in the vise and attach orange thread at the eye of the hook. Cover the head of the fly with touching turns of orange thread to in front of the eyes so that no white thread can be seen at the head of the fly.
How to tie the Orange Crush Clouser bonefish fly.
Step 7: Catch in a few strands of pearl Krystal Flash. Here, we doubled over two strands making four strands total. Trim slightly longer than bucktail.
How to tie the Orange Crush Clouser bonefish fly.
Step 8: Catch in a clump of Tan bucktail in front of the eyes, approximately the same size and length as the white bucktail.
How to tie the Orange Crush Clouser bonefish fly.
Step 8: Catch in an over wing of orange in front of the eyes. Traditionally, this pattern was tied with orange bucktail, however we substituted fluorescent orange arctic fox fur for added movement, which we’ve found to work really well!
How to tie the Orange Crush Clouser Bonefish Fly.
Step 9: Create a clean head, whip finish, and cement.

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Worm Flies for Bonefish?

Worm fly for bonefish.
Not much to it. Photo: Kyle Shea.

When most people think of bonefish flies, they generally think of patterns imitating small shrimp, crabs, or potentially baitfish – all of which are common prey for bonefish.

However, bonefish have a surprisingly diverse diet and many anglers are surprised to learn that a large portion of their diet is actually made up of many different species of naturally occurring marine worms.

This is certainly no secret. In fact, saltwater anglers have known for generations that many gamefish feed on worms – just take the famous palolo worm hatch for tarpon in the Florida Keys. Regardless, the vast majority of bonefish flies imitate none other than shrimp, crabs, or baitfish.. So we ask, why not worms?

The Answer

The answer came to us by our friend Bill Hegberg who joined us for a week this season at Andros South. Bill came armed with the materials to tie worm patterns of all shapes and colors off of the same hunch – if bonefish eat worms, and we tie a fly that looks like a worm, then maybe a bonefish will eat our fly.. Whoa.

We’re really glad he did, because based on his numbers, the worm fly works, and it works well.

A big thanks to Bill for having the courage to try something new. The wooly bugger probably seemed pretty off the wall at first too, but that’s how we all learn, and that’s all part of the fun!

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Tube Flies for Bonefish?

Tube flies for Bonefish.
Why not? Photo: Kyle Shea.

If you’ve been following our blog for some time, you’re probably well aware that we really dig tube flies. Tube flies have become common place in the world of salmon and steelhead, and for good reason.. They work really well!

We’ve also had great success fishing tubes for other species from trout to barracuda, so lately we asked ourselves, why not bonefish?

Most fly tyers are reluctant to tie flies on tubes for anything other than salmon and steelhead, but tubes offer a whole bunch of advantages over traditional flies that are not limited to swinging for anadramous fish. For example, tying on tubes allow the following..

  1. Smaller shank hooks. The longer the shank of the hook, the more leverage can be put on the hook bend throughout the fight, in theory leading to more ‘thrown’ hooks. By tying on tubes, the size of the fly is not limited by the size of the hook, allowing the use of shorter shanked hooks with more holding power.
  2. Larger flies that are easier to cast. At Andros South, we like flies that are big (by bonefish standards) but light. Tubes allow for flies to be tied as light (or heavy) as possible, making for flies that are easier to cast and potentially land softer on the surface of the water.
  3. Longer lasting flies. Flies take a beating in saltwater, even ones tied on ‘stainless’ hooks. Flies tied on tubes allow the hook to be changed whenever need be, without damaging your fly.

Flies that land soft, are easier to cast, hold better, and don’t rust out? Seems ideal to a bonefish pattern to us. We’re going to be spinning up a few bonefish tubes in preparation of our upcoming season and we’ll be sure to report our findings.

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