Purple Darter Tied by Bob Clouser

The Purple Darter
The Purple Darter is a pattern that was developed to catch Susquehanna River smallmouth. The purple darter is a fish that is found in the Susquehanna River. The purple and olive colors were discovered when Bob examined the fish under water. The colors where more vibrant under the water then they were when the fish was taken out of the water for examination. Bob has had excellent results with this pattern. When Bob was here in Lincoln, Nebraska doing a workshop, I believe that I heard that this is also a good carp pattern.

Bob Clouser
Bob was Fly Rod and Reel magazine 2001 Angler of the Year winner in their annual Kudo awards. Bob has a fly shop in Middletown, Pennsylvania and is a guide on the Susquehanna River for smallmouth. He has created a number of fly fishing patterns and the one pattern that is associated with Bob is the Clouser Deep Minnow. Lefty Kreh has stated that he, Lefty, has caught up to 85 species of fish on that fly. Bob has also developed a number of other patterns: Clouser's Crayfish, Clouser's Soft Hellgrammite and his new Clouser's Floating Minnow.
Bob is also a conservationist. For years, he has pestered the Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission as a leading advocate for the state's Big Bass Water" regulations which were finally imposed in 1990. This has allowed the smallmouths in the Susquehanna River, other rivers and many other lakes to grow and breed.

(Picture by Cathy and Barry Beck permission pending)

Hook: Mustad 3366 or equivalent. 2-6.
Thread: 6/0.
Eyes: Painted Lead Bar Bell.
Tail: Purple Calf's Hair & Purple Flashabou
Wings: Upper and Lower Olive Calf's Hair

(Click on picture to enlarge)

Step 1: Attached the thread approximately half way between the point of the barb and the eye of the hook. Lay a small thread base down for the bar bell eye to be tied on.

Step 2: Tie on the bar bell eye approximately half way between the point of the barb and the eye of the hook. Tie the eyes on the hook with crisscross winding (figure 8). Use Zap-A-Gap CA+ glue to more securely adhere the eyes to the hook.

Step 3: Select a clump of purple calf's tail about the length of the hook.

Step 4: Tie the purple calf's to the top on the shank of the hook right behind the eyes. When tying in the calf's tail in do not aloud the hair to go around the shank of the hook

Step 5: Select a clump of olive calf's tail about the length of the hook.

Step 6: Lay the olive calf's hair on top of the hook and so that the ends go over the eyes and almost to the back of the eye of the hook.

Step 7: The upper wing is tied on to the top of the shank of the hook. When tying in the calf's tail in do not aloud the hair to go around the shank of the hook.

Step 8: Hold the hair in place right behind the eyes and on top of the shank of the hook..

Step 9: Work your thread to behind the eyes and wrap the thread several times behind the eyes. This will secure the upper wing. Once again tying in the calf's tail in do not aloud the hair to go around the shank of the hook. The olive calf's hairs should not extend beyond the length of the purple. The purple should extend further than the olive.

Step 10: Place the fly upside down. Get about 10 strans of purple flashabou and measure off about the length of the purple tail. DO NOT CUT YET!

Step 11: Place the purple flashabou around the thread. Grather the fashabou together. You should have a short section and a longer section. Now tie the flashabou on to the hook right infront of the eyes.

Step 12: Gather the long ends of the flashabou and extend them behind the hook. Now cut the LONGER section of flashabou about 1 shank length from the tip of the purple calf's hair.

Step 13: Select a clump of olive calf's tail about the length of the hook.

Step 14: Lay the olive calf's hair on top of the hook shank and secure with a number of thread wraps right in fornt of the eyes.

Step 15: Trim of any excess hairs by tapper your cut. This step could be eliminated by trimming the calf's hair to match the length you want before you tie it in. The olive calf's hairs should not extend beyond the length of the purple. The purple should extend further than the olive.

Step 16: Place a head on the fly and whip finish. Put some head cement (we use Sally's Hard as Nair) on.

Step 17: A finished Purple Darter. Now go out and catch some fish