Topwaters For Smallies

[Steve S.]

Has anyone fished the Crease Fly or Clouser Floating Minnow?

[Guest airbornemike]

Tied a bunch of crease flys up last month after I saw some in Joe Cornwalls box, fished em a couple times here and there. What ya need to know?

[Jonn Graham]

I have both of them, but must admit I have not fised either one very much. The crease fly definitely has a different sound/action than a standard popper. The crease fly "spits" much more than a popper. The Clouser floating minnow never saw the water this year (maybe my mistake). My topwater bite was non existent all year (for the most part). Of course, my bite all together was non existent.

[Steve S.]

Tied a bunch of crease flys up last month after I saw some in Joe Cornwalls box, fished em a couple times here and there. What ya need to know?

 

Just wondering how the crease flies fish compared to typical poppers, more so about the action. I've read about both but haven't given them a try yet.

[Stuart_Van_Dorn]

Crease flies, I bought the cutters for making crease flies when they first came out. I like to toss the smaller one tied on a #4 stinger hook. Have had some success with it and I fish it much like you would any popper. Nice thing about it is that it's an easy tie or should I say, glue. Also there are two ways to finish it, some have been using epoxy some have been using polycrylic because it doesn't smell, is cheaper and is easier to work with.

I use polycrilic because I don't like epoxy all that much.

 

Clouser floating minnow. Not as noisy. Easy to tie. It's more of darting minnow type of fly. I throw it from time to time when I see fish busting minnows to the top. It's a nice top water searching fly and a good substitute for pencil poppers. It's light so you can cast it easily on a five weight or smaller. Also easy to tie.

 

 

I have fished both with good success. The crease fly is a noisy popper with a large footprint without being difficult to cast like some large balsa/foam poppers. You can also fish it in saltwater with some success as well.

That and you can glitz up all you want with craft pens, tails, glitter, a rattle and on and on. It's a versatile tie and Capt. Blados (sp) did us all a favor when he wrapped a bit of foam around a hook.

 

Now the clouser floating minnow is a quieter presentation. It has a head made from foam and a tail from buck tail. I fish it with an intermediate sink line and a long (10 foot) leader so that it sinks a bit when I strip it back. Also, there is a technique called the Susquehenna strip. As you strip back the lure, put your thumb on the line and give it short flip to animate the fly. With the intermediate line, the fly floats but when you give it the little action at the end, it dives down and pops up leaving a bubble trail. This is usually when the bass attack it. This is also a good quick fly to tie that you can tie in different sizes to match the forage base.

 

You should have both patterns in your fly box. When the top water bit is on, both will be successful. Also suggest that should add a fly called the Fence Rider, which is deerhair and is small Dahlberg diver fly. Not as easy to tie as either one of these but a deadly fly none the less. And that crease fly, indestructible.

[Steve S.]

Thanks Stuart. I should have tried the Clouser Minnow by now; the Boogle Bug has worked so well for me the past two seasons but I can see where a non-popping topwater may have been the ticket recently. I know the Sneaky Pete is a good option but the ones I had (store bought) weren't very durable and I never replaced them.

 

I also like the big rabbit strip divers but I'm not as adept at casting them and I was looking for something more subtle when fish are in shallow, clear water and on the spooky side.

[ronk]

Thanks Stuart. I should have tried the Clouser Minnow by now; the Boogle Bug has worked so well for me the past two seasons but I can see where a non-popping topwater may have been the ticket recently. I know the Sneaky Pete is a good option but the ones I had (store bought) weren't very durable and I never replaced them.

 

I also like the big rabbit strip divers but I'm not as adept at casting them and I was looking for something more subtle when fish are in shallow, clear water and on the spooky side.

Steve

The problem with cork SP's is that the cork pulls off the hook.To prevent this put a drop of epoxy at the rear of the cork permanently glueing it to the hook.Should be no problem with the new foam versions.

[Guest airbornemike]

Steve the thing I like about crease flys is it's an effective fly in situations were bass are chasing minnows and it's a very simple simple to tye. I use a large rattle on the top of the hook (1/0+) and leave a small gap between the rattle and bent foam so it leaves a bubble trail when stripped. Add some glitter to your clear epoxy when you go to coat the body, it gives it some decent flash.