Bob Clouser invented the Clouser Deep Minnow in the late 1980s while trying to design a fly that would sink quickly to smallmouth bass holding along the bottom of Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River. The pattern, built with lead or tungsten dumbbell eyes that flip the hook point up and a sparse wing of bucktail, turned out to be effective on virtually every predatory fish species on earth, from smallmouth and largemouth bass to bonefish, striped bass, tarpon, redfish, and dozens of saltwater species worldwide. Lefty Kreh called it the most effective fly ever designed. Clouser has spent his career guiding on the Susquehanna and teaching fly tying clinics, and his influence on the sport is difficult to overstate given that his pattern appears in nearly every fly box in the world.
Galvan
Product description
Galvan fly reels are designed, machined, and assembled in the family-owned factory in Sonora, California, founded by Boni Galvan in 1992. The lineup covers click-and-pawl brook trout reels (Brookie), large-arbor freshwater and light saltwater reels (Torque), two-handed models (Swing), and a dedicated euro nymphing reel (G.E.N.) with a full cage. All models carry a lifetime warranty.
Connection note
Product description
Created by Bob Clouser in 1987 for smallmouth bass on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, tied with bucktail, Krystal Flash, and lead dumbbell eyes. The dumbbell eyes invert the hook point upward, making the fly nearly snag-resistant, while the weighted head produces a jigging action. Lefty Kreh coined the name in a 1989 Fly Fisherman article and reported catching over 87 species on the pattern. Tied in a wide range of sizes for both freshwater and saltwater.
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Thomas & Thomas
Product description
Four-piece, 9-foot, fast-action 8wt saltwater rod handbuilt in Greenfield, Massachusetts. The blank uses T&T's proprietary StratoTherm Resin in a multi-modulus layup with a matte blue low-friction finish for fast dampening and a thin tip section that cuts wind. Hardware includes ceramic titanium frame stripping guides, RECoil snake guides, and a milled aluminum up-locking saltwater reel seat. Targets bonefish, permit, and flats species.
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