A lot of fly anglers spend more time at their vise than on their skiffs. While I enjoy tying flies, I enjoy catching fish more! As such, my files are all very simple and easy to tie. They are not very pretty but they do catch fish. This time of year, Redfish, Trout and Flounder (along with everything else that has fins and teeth) get really focused on eating shrimp. Thankfully, a sparsely tied tan Clouser Minnow looks just like a shrimp.
Recently, I started using Steve Farrar’s Flash Blend for all my shrimp and glass minnow flies (which are sparsely tied Clouser Minnows). This material is easy to work with and provides a translucent silhouette in the water. It helps me to quickly tie simple but effective flies (that catch fish).
Step away from that vise and go fishing!