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The Clouser MinnowBaitfishbeginner

Gulf Coast & Emerald Coast

The Clouser Minnow

$6.95

Available Sizes#2 - #1/0
Color Variations
Chartreuse/WhiteOlive/WhiteAll WhiteTan/White

Bob Clouser tied the first one for smallmouth bass on the Susquehanna, and then the saltwater world stole it without apology. This pattern sinks like a regrettable decision and swims like it meant to do that. If you only buy one fly, buy twelve of these. It has caught more species than any marine biologist has catalogued.

Meet the Tier

Nick Vlahos

Sandbar Flies

Louisiana

Orvis Signature Tier. Fulling Mill designer. Nick's redfish flies are born in the Louisiana marsh and tested on fish that don't suffer fools. His multi-channel presence has made Sandbar Flies a Gulf Coast institution.

Orvis Signature Tier, Fulling Mill designer, multi-channel
Meet All Our Tiers

Quick Facts

TypeBaitfish
Difficultybeginner
SeasonsSpring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Target SpeciesRedfish, Speckled Trout, Jack Crevalle, Ladyfish, Spanish Mackerel, Flounder
Sizes#2 - #1/0
Best LocationsDestin, FL; Mosquito Lagoon, FL; Calcasieu Lake, LA; Galveston Bay, TX

Where to Fish It

Destin

FL · Flats

Mosquito Lagoon

FL · Flats

Calcasieu Lake

LA · Marsh

Galveston Bay

TX · Bay

Map unavailable. Locations for The Clouser Minnow: Destin, FL; Mosquito Lagoon, FL; Calcasieu Lake, LA; Galveston Bay, TX

Related Reading

region guide

The Complete Guide to Gulf Coast Redfish on the Fly

The Gulf Coast is redfish country. Whether you're poling across Louisiana's spartina grass flats or wading the sand-bottomed shallows of Laguna Madre, these copper-colored brutes will test your nerves, your casting, and your fly selection. Here's everything you need to know.

seasonal playbook

The Summer Guide: Long Days and Willing Fish

Summer is fly fishing's season of abundance. Sixteen-hour days, prolific hatches, aggressive fish, and the full spectrum from mountain trout to saltwater flats. This is your playbook for making the most of the warmest, longest, most generous months of the fishing year.

species science

The Copper Bruiser: Redfish Biology for Fly Anglers

Redfish are built to eat in water you can walk through. Their lateral line detects vibration in zero-visibility mud, their underslung jaw is a crustacean-crushing machine, and their temperature tolerance keeps them feeding when other species shut down. Understanding their biology makes you a better angler.

hatch guide

Saltwater Forage: Matching the Bait

In saltwater fly fishing, there are no hatches — there is forage. Mullet, shrimp, crabs, baitfish, and worms drive every feeding event on the flats, in the surf, and along the mangrove edges. Understanding the forage base and matching it precisely is the difference between a fish of a lifetime and an empty line.

technique

Water Temperature: The Master Variable

Water temperature controls everything. Metabolism, feeding intensity, insect emergence, dissolved oxygen, where fish hold, and whether they'll eat your fly. Understanding thermal dynamics across freshwater and saltwater systems is the single most reliable way to predict fishing quality before you even leave the truck.

technique

Fly Selection: A Decision Tree for Every Situation

Most anglers open their fly box and stare at it like a menu in a foreign language. But fly selection isn't mystical — it's a decision tree. Start with what the fish are eating, narrow by presentation depth, match the profile and size, and you'll arrive at the right fly in under sixty seconds. Here's the system.

technique

Barometric Pressure and Fishing: Fact vs. Fiction

Every angler has heard it: 'The barometer's falling — the fish are gonna feed.' But how much of barometric pressure lore is actual science, and how much is confirmation bias wrapped in a fishing vest? The answer is more nuanced than either camp wants to admit.

technique

Solunar Tables: Science, Myth, and Practical Use

Solunar theory claims that the gravitational pull of the moon and sun creates predictable periods of peak animal activity. Saltwater anglers swear by it. Freshwater anglers roll their eyes. The truth, as usual, lives somewhere in between — and the practical implications might surprise you.

technique

After Dark: The Night Fishing Guide

The largest brown trout in any river feeds almost exclusively at night. The biggest smallmouth in your favorite river moves into the shallows after dark. And the redfish on the marsh flat feed through the night on every tide. Night fishing is where trophy hunters go when they get serious — here's how to join them.

technique

Casting in the Wind: A Saltwater Caster's Guide

Wind is the defining challenge of saltwater fly fishing. It blows every day on the flats, and it doesn't care about your presentation. The anglers who catch fish consistently aren't the ones who wait for calm — they're the ones who've learned to cast through, under, and around the wind with techniques that turn the breeze from enemy to ally.

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