Spring, spring, spring, lakes, lakes, lakes. Hmmm, please,
please, please do not forget about our beloved South
Sound! Springtime doesn’t just have to be lake season, or
fighting crowds while batting away giant salmonflies on
the Deschutes.
The South Sound is also “waking up”, with feisty cutthroat
turning their attention to eating rather than fornicating, it is
an opportunity any fly angler should not dismiss.
Fortunately for us one of the oldest tricks in the book, or
should I say fly box still works. The Clouser minnow.
Granted the Clouser that I am featuring here has a different
spin on it, but the concept is still the same. The Clouser is
one of those flies that can be effective as an exact copy of
the original, or as varied as you can make it. It has been
tied in every color, and with a multitude of materials from
marabou to polar bear.
Here in the sound I like to keep it simple, bucktail, flash,
bucktail. Using a tube in the Sound has several advantages.
It keeps your hook small, places it at the back of the fly,
and is easily changed when it gets dull.
Sometimes fishing top water, or just below the surface can
be very exciting. Using plastic or foam eyes can transform
your Clouser, into an effective topwater fly.
The Clouser is a must have fly in any saltwater (and lake)
anglers fly box. It is also the go to fly for many anglers. In
my opinion you can never have enough!
Tube Clouser
Tube: HMH plastic 3/32” tube
Body: White Bucktail or Yak
Wing: Dyed Bucktail or Yak
Eyes: Medium Dumbell eyes or plastic eyes
Flash: flashabou or krystal flash (pearl)
Thread: White 3/0