Deep Dive on the Clouser Deep Minnow

by Pete Barrett

May / June 2022 Issue 59

I recently asked my friend Captain Robby Barradale of the Bayshore Saltwater Flyrodders what he thought about the Clouser Deep Minnow. His short reply speaks volumes: “It’s a must-have fly because it catches fish so well.”

Originally designed to fool Susquehanna River smallmouth bass, over time it has proved to be equally at home in salt water—surf, inshore, offshore, and the backcountry. Simply put, the Clouser has caught virtually every gamefish that swims.

“Bob Clouser’s Deep Minnow opened new worlds for fly anglers all over the world,” says Captain Brian Horsley of Outer Banks Fly Fishing. “This fly is simple to tie and is the first fly that most saltwater fly anglers learn to tie. It is easy to adjust colors and sizes so the angler can target a wide variety of fish. In the saltwater world, fish from croakers to roosterfish, and everything in between, have all fallen to Bob’s fly.”

The Clouser Deep Minnow’s story starts in the mid 1980s. Tom Schmuecker of the Wapsi Fly Company and Bob Clouser, a Susquehanna River guide and tackle shop owner, were traveling on parallel courses, trying to get streamer flies to run deeper—Schmuecker for big trout, Clouser for his beloved smallmouth bass. Schmuecker started with bead chain for eyes but found them to be too light, so he added lead to the hollow beads. He realized that was too time consuming and eventually developed a mold to cast lead dumbbell-shape eyes that could be lashed to a hook shank.

Meanwhile, Clouser had been experimenting with small lead split-shot weights but found them hard to keep tied to the hook. When Clouser saw Schmuecker’s lead eyes, he knew they were the answer he was looking for, and after some further tinkering and experimentation, the Clouser Deep Minnow was born. It’s become a must-have fly all around the world and is popularly known simply as The Clouser.

The Deep Minnow is a great pattern for spring striped bass.