hello all
i'm after tying up some clousers for the salt and was wondering what type and size of hook would you's recommend also what size dumbell eyes and where is the best place to get both
any help on the above and tying the clouser would be great thanks

bass pro or gander mtn for stuff

I use a sz 1-1/0 mustad signature shrimp hook

what is your location pinklife ?

Gamakatsu stainless steel (stinger/trailer) hooks. Pick where you want the eyes and move back 1/8" toward the bend and put them there. Most of the time less bucktail is more. Size/type of dumb bell eyes is dependent on if you are using a sink tip or floating line.

Mustad 34007 sizes 4-2/0 -- 34007 is found nearly anywhere that sells flystuff. the eyes are personal pref. the I-ballz are cool; hard to find though. Cabelas has some pretty nifty ones also: Spirit River's Real-Eyes Plus. Both are good for adding your(my) character to your clousers... but thats all it does. fish could really care less. But its not all about fishing... is it?

I like the Gama's and the Mustad 34007 as well for clousers.

You got that right, they say tying your own flies are not just to catch fish, but other fisherman as well. Sounds kind of ghey, now after writing it, but how many times have you fly tiers showed other people your flies?

I am rather fond of showing them off myself.

That's a big 10-4.

Pinklife, I'd say hook selection has a lot to do with what you are planning to catch, and where you are planning to fish. If you're on a boat or some other place where you don't plan on slamming it occasionally into rocks during a cast, go with lead eyes (or whatever else tickles your fancy). If you (like I do) plan on occasionally rudely interrupting a cast with a steel railing or large hunk of granite, or hard tourist skull, then my personal choice would lean heavily towards the venerable Mustad 34007 with brass or bead-chain eyes. I like to carry a hook hone and resharpen as needed. Hard to do that with other hooks that aren't full stainless steel. Now, here's the tricky part. How toothy are the critters that we're going after here? Because myself I will tie on 34011 hooks and slide the eyes back further on the shank so you gots some hook shank between teeth and tippet.
Of course clousers are 'throw-away' flies for me, I tie them to burn. One or maybe two ladyfish and your clouser is toast anyway. Much cheaper to burn clousers than say, EP minnows or something. Anyone tried synthetic clousers to see if they hold up better? Perhaps that might help. I will do some research tomorrow evening.

I just love tying and fishing Clousers. I don't see many that tie them like I do, but the ones I tie sure do catch a bunch of fish. I far prefer to tie them on Geopge's favorite hook ...The Eagle Claw 413 60 degree bend jig hook. It is not stainless, but sure is easy to sharpen and that is a big plus in my book. No matter what size hoook you want to tie these flies on, also buy a bag of the size 2 hooks. This hook also allows you to use the size small lead eyes because this hook turns over easily. I tie the eyes on a full 1/3 back of the eye of the hook. I don't want the fly to act so much like a jig, but to swim in the water. As for the synthetic, I far prefer Wapsi's PolarFlash tied sparse for the material. I don't know what it is about this stuff, but the fish around the Dallas area think of it as some kind or crack or something...they just can't leave these flies alone. Be sure you use some superglue as you tie the eyes on the hook. I also use red thread to tie down the belly material behind the eyes. I think this gives the effect of gills there. Don't know if this is true or not, but these things sure do catch a bunch of fish. You can order all this stuff from Janns Netcraft. I don't know of any fly shops in the Dallas area that still stock the Polarflash, but you can get the hooks and lead eyes from Barlows in Richardson. These flies travel well also. I have a friend that caught his personal best bonefish of 8.5 pounds in Los Roques on one of these flies. I don't know that the Polarflash is a whole lot more durable than bucktail, but it catches fish when they will not take the ones tied out of bucktail. There is something to be said for a material that is used up catching fish.

You will also want to use some of these hooks as a platform for some crab flies. It is also the hook that I have been using for many years now when I tie mud bugs.

As slways, Have fun with this stuff.

Big Dale

As usual I am enthralled on your experience in fly tying. I guess I am going to have to get some of that Polar Flash. I just ordered some hooks from Jann's and also Hook and Hackle....so I won't be ordering for a little while. I will have to put this on a wish list though. I like those jig hooks too, and have a few left...I plan on making some clousers today. One type is when the eye goes back a little further, and it almost looks like a redfish fly. I made my own redfish fly too. It is tannish brown bucktail, krystal flash, craft fur, topped with a wing of squirrel tail...looks pretty good. I also added those cool glow in the dark eyes I like so much. I used a big Tungsten bead to get it down in the water column. I think the redfish will love the fly...hehehe.

No doubt.

Redfish will hit anything if you put in front them and wiggle it around! Especially when they are feeding!

Y'all put a smile on my face. I made two Kinky Muddlers today, and that is it so far...I plan to make the Clousers after I cook some hamburgers on the grill. The Kinky Muddler is a cool looking fly, it is a salt water fly...but I think that it will work great on stripers, hybrid stripers, and big ol lmb. I used a salt water hook...light blue bucktail...(for the tail) above the bucktail I added about 4 saddle hackles to go above the bucktail. Then you tie in the head kind of like a Puglisi Baitfish fly, then trim, add eyes, and it will be good to go. I put it on a 2/0 Gamakatsu hook...SC15 I think it was called. I will try to take some pictures with that cruddy camera of mine soon so y'all will be able to see some of my latest work.
http://www.flytyer.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1601&Itemid=0

I think it might be under the bridge.

I think you're right, Derik. I also think that pinklife may hail from Viet Nam. My dear old dad took an all expenses paid tour of that place one time, but I got the impression he wasn't really looking to go back. I wonder if pinklife's dad and my dad ever ran into each other over there...