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The Clouser MinnowBaitfishbeginner

Gulf Coast & Emerald Coast

The Clouser Minnow

Flybox sourcing profile

No TWG price or checkout is active. Use this page to validate the fly, then source it through the mapped tier or trusted fly shops.

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

Pattern Ledger

Source The Clouser Minnow

Want help finding this exact pattern or a tied-to-order equivalent? Join the sourcing ledger and we will prioritize demand by water, species, and pattern.

Sourcing Ledger

Where to source this pattern

TWG checkout is closed. These are current sourcing leads, scored by mapped tier, region, species, fly type, and named-pattern evidence. Confirm availability directly with the tier or shop.

Signature tierStrong match

Sandbar Flies

Matched on Gulf Coast & Emerald Coast, baitfish flies, redfish. Louisiana/Gulf Coast redfish and inshore signature tier lead.

Gulf Coast & Emerald Coastbaitfish fliesredfish
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Regional shopStrong match

Sight Cast Fishing Co.

Matched on Gulf Coast & Emerald Coast, baitfish flies, redfish. Texas and Gulf Coast saltwater catalog focused on redfish and inshore sight-fishing.

Gulf Coast & Emerald Coastbaitfish fliesredfish
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Regional shopStrong match

Forgotten Coast Fly Co.

Matched on Gulf Coast & Emerald Coast, baitfish flies, redfish. Florida Panhandle and Gulf Coast shop lead for inshore saltwater patterns.

Gulf Coast & Emerald Coastbaitfish fliesredfish
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Signature tierStrong match

Salty Fly Tying

Matched on Gulf Coast & Emerald Coast, baitfish flies, redfish. Drew Chicone's saltwater tying catalog and learning hub, strongest for saltwater pattern validation.

Gulf Coast & Emerald Coastbaitfish fliesredfish
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Broad sourceStrong match

Orvis Fly Catalog

Matched on baitfish flies, trout, clouser. Broad retail catalog for standard trout, warmwater, salmon/steelhead, and saltwater patterns.

baitfish fliestroutclouser
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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.

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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