Yak Hair Clouser

Recipe
Hook: Mustad 33903 (Size 2)
Thread: Gray Dual Duty
Belly: White Yak
Flash: Gray Ghost Krystal Flash
Top: Olive Krystal Flash
Weight: Medium Lead Dumbbell

In preparation for our Ely, MN trip I have been throwing together a series of Clousers. I bought some Yak fur a few months back and decided to use it on a few pike sized Clousers.

I'm sure most of you have seen Yak by now, but many freshwater fisherman don't invest in the material because it is bulky stuff. Yak is fantastic for bass and pike flies! It has significant mass in the water, but also has a nice translucent quality. The Clouser above is a good 4" and truth be told I could tie a 12" streamer if I wanted to. The fibers are literally 12+" long.

Yak comes in a staggering variety of colors, from polar white to bright pink. I went with olive because I know it will be a hot color in Ely.

The Dual Duty thread I use on Cousers is available at most textile/ craft stores. I have received a few emails from Fly Box visitors stating that the Dual Duty thread wasn't very durable. The variety I have is like steel cable. Make sure you get the Dual Duty with a polyester core. The thread is super durable even when something toothy grabs it. The thread soaks up an incredible amount of head cement.

Also, I wanted to comment on the Gray Ghost Krystal Flash used on this pattern. I recently picked up this material and I absolutely love it. The flash material has a fine texture and lifelike quality, so it pulsates beautifully when stripped. If you haven't picked up the Gray Ghost you really should have it! This is just one of those materials that makes a pattern a slayer.

If you are tying for tooth critters or hog bass, grab some Yak and get tying!

They always look better with eyes and a few coats of heat cement!
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The Yak Pile

Recipe
Hook: Mustad 34185D (Size 1/0)
Tail: White and Olive Yak
Body: Palmered Yak
Collar: Olive Deer Hair
Head: Spun Deer Hair (Olive)
Weight: Small Dumbbell
Eyes: Red Dome Eye

I have been experimenting with jig hooks and came up with this oddball. I'm not even sure I like this one yet.... Fun to tie though!

What do you guys (and gals) think?

A few days after I was done messing with this design I picked up the May issue of In-Fisherman and found the article called "Spring Hair Days For Smallies". Here is a snippet from the article:

"...that big body of hollow deer hair holds up. It's got so much buoyancy, it tries to maintain a horizontal profile, and its slightly head-down attitude suggests a distracted minnow or leech."

This is not the sexiest pattern, but based on the In-Fisherman article it should be deadly for early season smallies if it is fished slowly and kept toward the bottom. Twitching or any jigging motion is a real no-no with this pattern. Slow and steady is the key to success.