Coyote Ugly Clouser:


My good friend Steve Bechard may have actually been the inventor of this fly. At the time of its birth we were fishing often for carp on Oneida Lake. It was then that we discovered coyote fur was a great material for matching the tan crayfish that were lingering around on the mud and sand flats.
I‘ve fished this fly for trout, bass, brim and even snook and redfish. It is a very effective fly and the material was chosen to imitate a breathing action even when the fly is not being retrieved. The under-fur of a mammal that does not normally swim in the water, usually makes for a very soft texture. Also the slight curl to the hair I believe helps trap air bubbles which gives it some glint in the water.

This version of the Clouser Minnow is tied entirely from coyote fur. If you have a chance to get your hands on a coyote pelt, acquire it. In fact you may want to try to get a few, because of the huge variation in the fur color and texture. You’ll notice there’s a big difference between the texture of the back fur, the belly and the tail. Some guard hairs will be very banded, others almost white.

When experimenting fishing this fly make sure you have many versions of it in your fly box. I also like to tie this fly with hot orange thread and I will at times crisscross the orange thread on the underbody. When in the water this banded effect looks like the modeling of a baitfish or crayfish.