Anyone use clouser minnows for trout. I’ve tried a bunch but never had much luck except the foxy minnow.
I’ve caught them on one that I tie with white calf tail, a few strands of black Krystal Flash, and gray squirrel tail. Another one that has worked for me is olive over white, but I have done better for trout using the gray squirrel on them.
Steve
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went”-Will Rogers
Hi Jkilroy,
I like any natural colors as long as the top of the fly is a dark color (gray, green, olive or brown) and the bottom of the fly is a lighter color (white, off-white, light-yellow). I was fishing a Clouser last fall in a heavily fished run near dusk and nearly had my rod ripped out of my hands. Unfortunately, there was no hook-up but it was one of the most vicious fresh-water strikes I’ve every had. 8T
You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it’s a real short camping season.
I have had good success with a tan/white Clouser with gold flash for brown trout.Any streamer can be tied Clouser style.The blacknose dace is a good one for that.
I have my best luck using coyote for my trout clousers. It has the best mix of the, in my opinion, right colors to mimic the food source in my rivers here. I usually tie them on a #10 streamer hook or #8 kink shank hook. The coyote has a nice mix of white, brown, tan and black hair.
Warren
Keel-fly came out a number of years back, did well for trout. Upside down flies have been around for a long, long time. Any streamer fly, any! that is “dark over light” will catch fish. Upside down or not. These days it is hard to find a streamer fly that is not a ‘variation’ of either a Deceiver or a Clouser.
My brother has done well with grey and white, black and white and brown and orange patterns on trout and stripers.
His one bit of advice to me was don’t tie on too much material. Use about half of what you think you’ll need.
Thanks,
Terry
From the replies on this post it sounds like some of have luck with clouser’s for trout. Can’t say I have, I guess I’ll keep the ones I tied in my fly box instead of using the razor blade on them. I actually have olive/white, black and grey/whitegray and pink over white and the foxy minnow. I just hate flies taking up space if they don’t work. What is the best time to use them?
Don’t give up on the Clousers yet. Keep trying them and you should have some luck. 8T 
A method which, if not illegal, should be, is to put a nymph dropper a foot ahead of the streamer. Trout will smash the nymph just so the ‘minnow’ can’t have it. Deadly rig. Brookies are especially vulnerable to this.
I use them for Brown Trout all the time here in N. Ga. It’s one of the more productive patterns for Browns here.
Semper Fi!