Fly Tying Inventory
Puget Sound Coho Clouser
A Clouser Minnow, the pattern Bob Clouser designed, rigged with a trailing stinger hook for coho (silver) salmon in Puget Sound. The second hook rides on a loop of line bound to the shank and is there to catch silvers that nip at the back of the fly and miss the main hook. As on any Clouser, dumbbell eyes go on top of the shank, then a pink bucktail bottom wing under pearl flash, red thread gills, and a yellow or chartreuse bucktail top wing with pale green flash. The pattern takes well to other color combinations. Tied here on a size 1/0 straight-eye saltwater hook, with a red stinger hook.
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Materials
Saltwater hook, straight eye, silver finish, size 1/0
Silver · 1/0
Tying thread, pink
Pink
Line for the stinger loop (heavy mono or braid)
Stinger hook, red finish, carried on the loop behind the main hook
Red
Glue or head cement, for the stinger wraps, eye wraps, gills and head
Dumbbell eyes, yellow with black pupils
Yellow
Bucktail, pink, for the bottom wing
Pink
Fine crinkled flash, pearl, over the bottom wing
Pearl
Thread, red, for the gills
Red
Bucktail, yellow or chartreuse, for the top wing
Yellow
Flat flash strands, pale green pearl, over the top wing
Pale green
How to Tie the Puget Sound Coho Clouser
- 1
Step 1
Secure the hook in the vise with the point down. Start the pink thread behind the eye and lay a thread base on the shank.
- 2
Step 2
Tie in one end of the loop line and bind it down along the shank with tight wraps.
- 3
Step 3
Slide the stinger hook onto the line, then bring the free end back to the shank to form a loop. Adjust the loop so the stinger rides about a shank length behind the bend of the main hook, inside the length of the wing, and bind the second end along the shank.
Park the stinger hook in the material clip at the back of the vise so it stays out of the way while you tie the rest of the fly.
- 4
Step 4
Trim the excess line, cover the ends with thread and coat the wraps with glue.
- 5
Step 5
Bind the dumbbell eyes on top of the shank a short way behind the hook eye with firm wraps, then add a drop of glue to the wraps.
- 6
Step 6
Tie in a bunch of pink bucktail on top of the shank in front of the eyes with the tips pointing back past the bend. Bind it down in front of the eyes and again just behind them so it lies along the shank.
- 7
Step 7
Tie in a bunch of pearl flash over the pink bucktail, letting it run a little longer than the hair. Trim the butts in front of the eyes.
- 8
Step 8
Tie in the red thread near the eyes and wrap a short band for the gills. Tie it off and trim it, coat the band with glue and carry on with the pink thread.
- 9
Step 9
Turn the hook point up. Tie in a bunch of yellow or chartreuse bucktail in front of the eyes so it lies back over the hook point.
- 10
Step 10
Tie in some strands of pale green pearl flash over the yellow bucktail and trim the butts.
- 11
Step 11
Cover the butts with pink thread to form a neat head, whip finish behind the hook eye and trim the thread.
- 12
Step 12
Coat the head with cement and let it dry.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIfqEpC5jyU
Credit: Nick Clayton