The Clouser Minnow is basically a simple fly to tie: a hook with lead eyes tied under the shank, causing the hook to ride point up to avoid snagging the bottom, with a little bit of bucktail lashed to the bottom and top of the shank and a bit of flash. When I fish the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta for stripers, my fly box is full of simply tied Clousers (see top fly). They sink fast, unhampered by too many materials.
But there’s a way to tie a Clouser that sinks more slowly, a version that, unlike the slim original, can imitate a fat, juicy sunfish or a bluegill. Striped bass in the Delta don’t feed exclusively on threadfin shad, after all.
Start with a 60-degree jig hook, the preferred hook style of anglers such as Dan Blanton. Tie in a pair of large, heavy lead dumbbell eyes to the top of the shank — which will be the underside of the fly — as ballast. Then begin by building a basic Flashtail Clouser, with a bucktail belly and wing and with a flashtail that extends behind the bucktail three inches or so. But then continue to tie in and layer flared bucktail and craft fur in sunfish/bluegill colors, creating bulk that pushes more water. This slows the fly’s sink rate, prolonging its tantalizing dance in front the lethargic predators in winter’s colder waters. It’s true that a bulky body tends to throw off the balance of the fly and ordinarily might cause it to turn sideways, but we have already taken that problem into consideration. The 60-degree jig hook lowers the center of gravity and acts as a keel to keep the fly upright.
Finish by tying in more flash behind the eyes, creating a flashy cheek on either side of the shank. Then go tell the stripers that dinner is served.
— Andy Guibord
