by Gerry Crow
Hook: Long streamer hook - size 6 6x-long - Long hook for big fish
Eyes: Clouser-style dumbells
Thread: Black
Tail and throat: Yellow bucktail or golden pheasant crest
Body: Black floss
Rib: Gold tinsel
Underwing: Sparse white bucktail
Overwing: White arctic fox fur or white maribou
Attach dumbell eyes about ¼ inch behind eye of hook, leaving enough room
to attach the wing and finish the head. Wrap the thread to the bend of the hook
and tie in the tail, the tinsel and the black floss, then wrap the thread back
up to the eye of the hook. Using the black floss, wrap the body and tie off
the floss at the dumbell eyes. Then spiral wrap the tinsel up to the dumbell
eyes and tie-off. Tie in the throat of the fly directly behind the dumbell eyes.
Remember that the dumbell eyes will make the hook ride point-up, so you need
to rotate the hook, so the point is up when you tie in the wing. Tie in the
white bucktail (sparsely) just in front of the dumbell eyes and then tie in
the white arctic fox (sparsely) as an overwing. The white bucktail gives some
body to the wing, which is effective in a swift current. The arctic fox fur
or maribou undulates in slower current or in still waters. The combination of
the two makes this fly effective in multiple situations. It is effective in
both the spring and fall for landlocked salmon.
Variations of this pattern include:
Instead of the arctic fox or white maribou overwing, tie in green bucktail or
a few peacock swords and instead of the black floss, make a silver or gold tinsel
body. The result will be a Nine/Three Clouser. Or use red bucktail underwing
and yellow overwing to make a Mickey Finn Clouser. I also fish this with a small
(size 16 or 18) grouse-and-flash or Ice nymph dropper off the bend of the hoook,
fished dead drift to get deep, then slow-stripped.