I truly believe this is one of the must have instructional books for tiers of all levels.
Well Last night was the culmination of about two months of "work". Earlier this spring while I was getting ready for Smallmouth season I went to the "Clouser's Flies" book for some inspiration. Now if you are like me when you hear the name Clouser you immediately think of his most popular pattern the Clouser minnow. I have caught my fair share of fish with a Clouser minnow and I am sure you have too. When the book came out in 2006 I was one of the first in line to get it and I read it cover to cover. After reading and studying the patterns in the book I added a few of the patterns to my Bass arsenal, but just a few. I realized this spring that I had short changed myself. Mr Clouser has taken the time to share SEVENTEEN (that's right, seventeen) of his patterns in this book all with full color step-by-step tying instructions. As I thumbed through this book for the hundredth time it dawned on me...Why don't I tie my way through the ENTIRE book, all of the patterns, then try to catch at least one Smallmouth on each of the flies. To add a extra twist I wanted to do it in one season.
The benefits of doing something like this are tremendous. For me setting a goal keeps me focused, and tying flies I wouldn't normally tie stretches my comfort zone and forces me to learn new techniques I may not learn otherwise. I would need to spend a fair amount of time on the river, which I did, and I have had the best river bass season I can remember. I tied four of each pattern so my warm water fly boxes are full and because I tied and fished flies I haven't used in the past I had to adapt fishing techniques that I don't normally use for Smallmouth.
All in all this was a great learning experience for me and I hope I can share some of what I have learned with all of you. Maybe some of you are looking for some inspiration or are looking for a new challenge. Stop in and lets talk about it.
The benefits of doing something like this are tremendous. For me setting a goal keeps me focused, and tying flies I wouldn't normally tie stretches my comfort zone and forces me to learn new techniques I may not learn otherwise. I would need to spend a fair amount of time on the river, which I did, and I have had the best river bass season I can remember. I tied four of each pattern so my warm water fly boxes are full and because I tied and fished flies I haven't used in the past I had to adapt fishing techniques that I don't normally use for Smallmouth.
All in all this was a great learning experience for me and I hope I can share some of what I have learned with all of you. Maybe some of you are looking for some inspiration or are looking for a new challenge. Stop in and lets talk about it.
Swimming Nymph, One of my all time favorites.
Hellgrammite, Nothing moves in the water like rabbit fur. A true big fish producer.
Suspender, I don't know how I didn't use this one in the past. Easy and fast to tie and looks AWESOME in the water. Actually caught a fish on the first cast. My "new" favorite.
EZ popper, I always bought my poppers in the past.
Floating Minnow, KISS method at its best here. Simple and effective. Gonna spend more time with this one.
Clouser Deep Minnow, This should be a staple in EVERY streamer box regardless of species of fish. Everything will eat this fly, ask Lefty.
Half and Half, This has always been my favorite saltwater Striper fly. This little guy absolutely crushed it. (remember size doesn't matter...)
Clouser Crayfish, Indicator nymphing for Smallmouth... kinda cool to see it go under and know it is not a Trout on the other end.
Madtom, Can't go wrong with Rabbit fur and Calf tail. Another first cast producer.
Darter, I tied these in olive and orange. I was going for a perch color. I think black and grey would be effective as well. Had a good fish on with this one estimated in the 16" range. He had other ideas and came UN-buttoned before I could land him.
Foxy Redd Minnow, Great all around fly and the perfect color combo for Smallmouth. Added benefit is that Fox tail fur is full of underfur. comb it out and save it. It makes great dubbing.
Fur Strip Clouser, I love this picture, great markings on these fish. This was my most productive "one outing" pattern. I must have landed between 15 or 20 fish this morning.
Crippled Minnow, Great action on this fly. I am not in love with the red and white color combo. When I tie more, and I will, I will go with more earth tone colors.
Ultra Hair Deep Minnow, I must say this one does not really fit my style of fishing. Not much natural movement in the ultra hair. May shine in a deep water situation.
Bright Sides Minnow, When I was tying this I thought it was the stupidest fly ever, once I saw it in the water I couldn't be more wrong. Action is very similar to a Rapala jerk bait.
Rattle Clouser, I was not fond of the color combo he used in the book. When I tied them I was thinking crayfish so I used a lot of olive and brown. I used glass rattles. They are much louder, but, don't smack a rock.
This was my best fish of the project. I laid her against my rod then released her. I measured the mark on my rod when I got back to the shop and it was just over 19". Awesome fish!!!
This was my best fish of the project. I laid her against my rod then released her. I measured the mark on my rod when I got back to the shop and it was just over 19". Awesome fish!!!
Last but not least the Clouser Drake, Had a lot of help from Terry with this one. We decided to change the color from a green or brown drake to a hexagenia which is much more common on our rivers. Got 3 Smallies, several Panfish, and two trophy Fallfish on this guy. It floats like a cork. It was actually fun to fish for bass using tactics we usually use for trout.
Well there you have it, 17 fish on 17 flies. I encourage everyone to try this, I believe everyone will learn something in the process.
Tight Lines...
Tim
Tight Lines...
Tim
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