Clouser Minnow

One thing I like about moving down here, bass flies are much easier (and cheaper) to tie than trout flies. If you’ve ever spent an evening tying #22 midge emergers (as I’m REAL sure the few people who read this stuff have), you know what I mean. It’s tedious, and for those of us with poor fine motor skills it requires superhuman, microscopic dexterity. Bass flies, on the other hand are big, easier to see, and in many cases more simple. Also, trout flies, especially dry flies, are EXPENSIVE. To make good dry flies larger than a #12, you need high quality, genetic hackle. There is now way around it. A decent hackle cape is at least $60, and you need many colors. Bass flies, on the other hand, require only the cheapest materials.

Below is a Clouser Minnow, developed by Bob Clouser, a famous guy (in the circles I travel in) in Pennsylvania on the Susquehanna River. This one is on a #6 Daiichi 1750 hook, white and green fake hair, Krystal Flash, and eyes made out of a ceiling fan chain. The most notable thing is the eyes set on the top of the hook shank, which causes the fly to swim upside-down to cut down on snags.