Favorite Deceiver and Clouser Minnow Colors

[joe cool]

I plan on tying up a bunch of deceivers and clousers and I'm looking for input on colors to include. I already have a general idea of what I am going to include, but I am curious to see what others from this site suggest. Both solid colors and multiple colors combinations suggestions will be helpful.

Also if you could include the reasoning behind your suggestions if it's something out of the ordinary and what species you use it for if it has a specific use.

I am tying these up as general baitfish imitations in a wide range of sizes for everything from trout and bluegill to saltwater so any suggestions will be appreciated.

I'll try to edit this post with a list of colors so people coming in can see if they have anything new to add.

[dudley]

Besides the standard chartreuse over white and olive over white, I like the Ray's fly colors of olive over yellow over white, and pink over white.

I believe that Gary LaFontaine's Theory of Color is probably just as important in for imitating baitfish as it is for insects.
In a situation where the sun is setting and the sky turns pink, the pink over white works unbelievably well.... Probably the same reason why the chartreuse over white works so well in full light and at first light

The Ray's fly colors of olive over yellow over white seems to match a number of bait fish.. always good.

Another favorite would be yellow over white...a good match in large sizes for menhaden. I went nearly a full season one year using just yellow over white decievers of different sizes and profiles. An interesting experiment and not unfruitfull.

[FishnDave]

Chartreuse over white!

I chucked an all-white Clouser Deep Minnow for white bass, and caught next to nothing. Switched to the chartreuse-over-white, and caught quite a few. It was an overcast day, and the water was fairly muddy. I think they could see just the chartruese better? The fish were feeding on gizzard shad, which are predominantly a shiny white/chrome color.

Also, I believe it was Lefty Kreh who likes to say, "If it ain't chartreuse, it ain't no use."

[92Esquire]

In my box I typically carry Chartreuse/White, Pink/White, Olive/White, Olive/Chartreuse/White, Blue/White, and Brown/Orange.

Pretty much Chartreuse/White outdoes all of the rest of them. Probably because I only switch to the others when Chart/White won't work for some reason.

[shorthaul]

Pink/ chartruse (tutti-fruitti) caught more false albecore on that than any other fly. Caught a bunch of speckled trout on it too.

[Uncle Barry]

Deceiver
white

clousers.........I will never use one.


Kind regards,
UB

[Gigmaster]

Mostly White on bottom, a very thin black layer (lateral line) and olive on top, because that's what color the minnows are around here.

[fishaholic69]

olive/white, olive/pink/white, red/white, all black, all white, blue/white and brown/orange and chart/white. also every other color you can tie!!! lol.

[tailingloop]

In addition to those combinations already mentioned I have used all black successfully for pike, stripers, and largemouth bass, especially in low light situations.

Our calico bass (kelp bass) really seem to like orange over yellow with gold flash.

Many of our bottom oriented saltwater species seem to go for brown over orange and pale orange over white. The egg sacs on crabs are orange color. Ghost shrimp tend to a pale orange and whitish color.

I also use several three color variations, that for some reason sometimes out produce two color variations. Brown over yellow over white has been quite good for me for largemouth bass and stripers. It is similar in color to perch and golden shiners. Grey over pink over white has also done very well for me. Very large clouser minnows 7 - 10 inches long tied with various hairs and synthetics in olive over pale pink over white imitate stocked trout that the largemouth bass like to feed on.

[joe cool]

Thanks for all the responses so far, hopefully they keep coming. Exactly what I was looking for. I had already considered most of these, but hearing others reasoning for them is always helpful. I probably wouldnt have thought to include pink over chartruese, but it will probably make the final list.