# Best Size Clouser Minnow for Blind Casting?



## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

1/0 chartreuse and white, 3 to 4 inches long.


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## AZ_squid (Mar 14, 2018)

Whatever size you already have hooks for. Blind casting is just that, really any fly 2-4 inches should work for blind casting at structure.


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## Featherbrain (Nov 5, 2021)

I like a size 1 or 2, but like @AZ_squid said whatever size you already have on hand should work.


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## Loogie (Jul 24, 2019)

A lighter fly will be easier to cast. I would stick to size 2 or 4 clousers, anything bigger will be harder as a beginner.


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## Ken T (Dec 10, 2015)

3 to 4 inches Chartreuse and White for prospecting. Don't worry about being judged. Work on your casting and getting some cooperative fish fish before sight fishing reds.


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## fishnpreacher (Jul 28, 2018)

For clousers and learning to cast, use bead chain for the eyes instead of lead. Bead chain will be easier to cast and won't sink as quick. Chartreuse and white, olive and white, or black and purple for stained water would be on my short list. And as already stated, size 2 or 4.


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## Skram (Feb 8, 2019)

Hard to beat a #2 or #1 Chartreuse and White Clouser. They just plain work. Also don’t worry about blindcast vs sightcast. Do what you want and have fun. I blind cast flies all the time in promising spots with good success. Good luck


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## Sawyer Martin (Jan 30, 2019)

To me, blind casting can even be more fun sometimes, because you're not expecting to get eaten like you are when you're sight casting! It's always a nice surprise to get smoked by a redfish when you're in the middle of stripping, not really paying attention.


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## TylertheTrout2 (Apr 21, 2016)

Clouser is a great search bait.. and fly fishing isn't all about sight casting... 

Don't let the fly fishing "bro's" out there stump you out of having fun!

Bomb that all white or white and chartreuse out there and bump it!


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## Moore Lyon and Quick (Aug 26, 2015)

90% of the time I'm blind casting clousers, puglisi minnows, redfish crack style flies with an intermediate line. Mostly, it's clousers like these:








#2 or #4 hook, light eyes, no more than 3/16 in brass. Careful on the backcast with a clouser in a wind - sooner or later you catch one between the shoulder blades - like getting shot!


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## OED (Feb 26, 2019)

My first redfish on fly was caught blind casting in a ten foot or so deep mangrove lined channel using a chartreuse over white clouser with medium lead eyes and a couple strands of flash. The trout, lady fish and pretty much anything else in the area will typically take that fly.


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## karstopo (Nov 28, 2019)

2,4, or 6. I’d likely go with a 2, 4 or 6 simply for ease of castability. In my experience where I fish, one doesn’t need bigger flies to catch nice redfish. When I fish likely water it is mostly with size 2, 4 and 6 patterns.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

For me... the size of that clouser is always a compromise between how big it needs to be to get bit - and the size of the rod you're tossing it with... In the backountry of the Everglades our go to fly for blind casting clousers along heavy mangrove cover is this one, the Whitewater clouser on a 2/0 hook (note the weedguard..) and we're using a 8 or 9wt rod.









For small peacock bass in canals we're down to a 1/0 or #1 clouser tossed with a 7wt or all the way down to a 5wt rod (for close quarters distances...).

Hope this helps...


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## hillcharl (Feb 7, 2011)

lemaymiami said:


> For me... the size of that clouser is always a compromise between how big it needs to be to get bit - and the size of the rod you're tossing it with... In the backountry of the Everglades our go to fly for blind casting clousers along heavy mangrove cover is this one, the Whitewater clouser on a 2/0 hook (note the weedguard..) and we're using a 8 or 9wt rod.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I like the weedguard!


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Without weedguards (actually snag guards ...) you'll spend too much time in the backcountry fishing your fly out of mangrove cover or downed trees... and every time you move in to retrieve that snagged fly - you mess up that spot.... Another of those "ask me how I know" deals... I'm as likely as the next guy to toss a fly just a bit too close to cover so I long ago decided that every pattern I tie for that area will have a weedguard if at all possible.... The fish don't even notice them.


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## spc7669 (Apr 15, 2015)

If I didn’t blind cast it would cut my time on the fly by half or more. Fish the water you’ve got, not the water you wish you had.


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## Featherbrain (Nov 5, 2021)

spc7669 said:


> If I didn’t blind cast it would cut my time on the fly by half or more. Fish the water you’ve got, not the water you wish you had.


^^^^^^This!! You sir are exactly right!


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## SS06 (Apr 6, 2021)

80% of my fly time is spent casting blind and casting blind at known structure (seawall, trees, rocks, pilings etc) ...gurglers, mullet patterns, and clousers are my goto flies in that order


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## VASKIFF (Jan 3, 2022)

I like a Size 1 Clouser for a search bait, but if I'm being honest I'll use my ML Spinning setup with a paddle tail and a 1/8oz trout eye jig head as a search bait and then once I find the fish I'll drop the spinning setup and start chucking flies. I don't get that much free time to fish, so I can't afford to be a purist.


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## Ken T (Dec 10, 2015)

Here's a link to the Clouser Style I've been using for years.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Size #1 clouser with medium lead eyes.


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## Jdl80 (Nov 19, 2019)

sjrobin said:


> Size #1 clouser with medium lead eyes.


This


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## jnicosia (Jan 6, 2021)

I think the overall size 3.5", perfect size and bucktail shouldn't be an issue .


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