Things You'll Need:
- Bucktail hair in assorted colors Barbed streamer fly hooks in size 2, 4 and 6 Fly-tying thread in assorted colors Weighted glue-on dumbbell eyes Krystal flash Fly-fishing vise Tweezers Needlenose pliers Pocket knife or thread clippers
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Step 1
Choose the Bucktail for your Clouser fly. Company founder Bob Clouser uses long, straight deer hair from colder climates. Use the top 75 percent of the tail hair. The rest tends to kink or become frayed and does not hold up well under fly-fishing conditions.
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Step 2
Clip and shape a piece of bucktail in the desired color. White and chartreuse (yellowish-green) is the classic combination. Length should be 1 1/2 to 2 inches with a torpedo shape slightly thicker in the front and middle than the end. If using larger saltwater hooks, the rule of thumb is a piece of bucktail 2 1/2 times the length of the hook hank.
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Step 3
Clamp a streamer hook into your fly-tying vise.
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Step 4
Slip 10 to 12 strips of Krystal flash within the bucktail using tweezers, spacing the strips as evenly as possible.
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Step 5
Hold a pair of dumbbell eyes at the head of the hook and wrap fly-tying thread diagonally between the eyes, working from the back of the eyes to the front and around the hook shank at least 12 times. Besides adding to the realism of the fly, the dumbbell eyes provide a bit of weight to help the lure dip on retrieval.
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Step 6
Wrap thread at least eight times around the hook shank in front and back of the eyes to prevent them from moving diagonally.
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Step 7
Tie the bucktail and Krystal flash to the head of the streamer hook, just behind the eyes, making another eight tight wraps around the hook shank.
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Step 8
Make another eight wraps of thread over the bucktail and around the dumbbell eyes to hold the bucktail securely.
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Step 9
Trim and flare the bucktail so it tapers outward from the eye of the hook toward the barb.
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Step 10
Shape the bucktail with your fingertips using the photo provided as a reference.
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Step 11
Clip the finished streamer in your fly box.
