February 2012 Fly(s) of the Month

Jerry's Simple Clouser and Dan Blanton's Whistler

Jerry's Simple Clouser

If any two flies have dominated the fly fishing for Delta Stripers, Bob Clouser's Clouser pattern and Dan Blanton's Whistler have to top the list. However, the clouser featured this month is not one of Bob's, it's a variation  that I've worked on for the last six years, changing it slightly and each time, experiencing a slightly better response from willing fish. If you follow the link to the tying instruction page, you'll find, along with the material list, a supplier list.

I've made some changes to the fly since I wrote the story about the "Eganator" on my website but the changes have actually improved the performance as well as the durability. When first tied I was using bucktail instead of synthetic materials. The fly worked well but after a day's fishing or a dozen or so fish, the natural fibers of the bucktail started to break down and the fly became really shabby looking. It definitely had to be parked at the end of a day's fishing and a new fly tied on for the next session.

The switch to synthetic materials has made the fly much more durable with one fly holding up for dozens of fish and multiple days of fishing. While the fly shown is chartreuse over white, the pattern can also be tied in gray over white and surprisingly, pink over white.

The tying instructions for this fly can be found at the DeltaStripers.Com website in the fly tying section under the tab, Jerry's Simple Clouser

Dan Blanton's Whistler

Dan Blanton started fly fishing for Delta Stripers in the '70's. At that time the delta's waters were much more turbid than they are today. The growth of the invasive weed, Egeria Densa has since changed that. The weed acts like a giant particle filter as water passes through it during the delta's daily tidal cycle and the result is water that is sometime so clear that 12 foot visibility is possible. Dan designed the fly with a large collar so that it would push water and cause vibration when retrieved. Whether the concept really works is unknown but the fly's ability to produce grabs is undisputed.

Dan maintains the material list and tying instructions on his website, DanBlanton.Com. The tying instructions show a pair of stainless wire weed guards as part of the tie. In truth I've never seen the fly, whether on the end of Dan's line, or tied by someone else, actually sporting the wire struts. I recommend leaving the legs off since they can cause the fly to foul the leader when casting.

The step by step instructions for the fly including photos can be found on his site under the title, "SPS Flashtail Whistler"