Ugly & Loud

It's obviously less popular than the standard clouser, unless you or people you know fish them I'd guess you never hear about them, which is Shame because they're very good for all kinds of species. I have more than once had guys confidently tell me that it isn't a clouser, incredibly bold considering it's right in the middle of Bob Clouser's book! And if you look online there isn't much on the real rattle clouser, it's mostly the Adachi clouser which is just an Avalon keeled clouser and a lot of other clousers with glass rattles lashed to them. Bob's original solution for fitting the rattle is better than the majority of the attempts I found because it's more durable and has a minimal impact on the clouser's movement and action in the water. The Adachi clouser changes is tough but it's a lot of extra weight and it does change how the fly swims.

The problem with the rattle clouser, I think, is 2 fold:

First of all it's weird looking, bordering on ugly but there isn't really an elegant way to fit a rattle to a fly like a clouser because there's nowhere to really hide it. Bob's solution is about as good as it gets, but I suspect the look of the thing puts people off a bit.

Secondly it's the weird resistance that some/many/most (delete as appropriate) fly anglers seem to have to things like rattles. It's either from a purist position, the "that's not a fly, it's a lure" crap that the hard of thinking love to parrot or just some weird scepticism. Any online fly tying or fly fishing forum is bound to have multiple post with people asking if rattles work or make a difference and multiple people arguing about whether they do or don't.

For me it's pretty obvious, there's not a conventional lure on the market that doesn't have some consideration of sound and vibration in its design. Willow blades, squirrel tails, paddle tails, ridges, ripples, fins, one knockers, ball bearing chambers, jig rattles you name it, there's always something that makes noise underwater. So called silent lures are the exception, and they're all much louder than flies because they displace water without allowing it to pass through them. We know vibration is a trigger, and some flies like muddlers, surf candies, poppers and bufords to name just a few all exploit this. Adding rattles to your flies that allows you to exploit this trigger. It works in all kinds of conditions from crystal clear water over rocky bottoms to murky flooded marshes, and it works well. Several times with rattling flies I've watched fish that clearly couldn't see the fly either because it was behind them or several yards away, react to the noise generated on the strip then turn round and come to the eat it. There's no way that could have happened without the rattle. it probably happens more often in dirty water too, but you can't necessarily watch that happening.

Here's the dressing:
Hook: Long shank predator hook-the original was a mustad C74, but I prefer something with more gape like a partridge attitude streamer
Thread: Flat waxed nylon
Eyes: Lead, brass or tungsten dumbbells
Rattle case: Corsair or flexo tubing
Body: Cactus chenille
Rattle: Plastic bass jig rattle with the mushroom end cut off https://amzn.to/4wMjwCV
Wing: Bucktail
Lateral line: Flashabou or crystal flash

Don't use those pyrex/glass rattles that are sold in fly shops, they're crap and they break. Plastic or metal rattles are what you want, you acn experiement with different kinds. I've put an amazon link to the type of rattle you want so you can see what to get, but you should pick them up in a lure shop near you and support the small business.
I've just put a how-to video on YouTube today because I couldn't find one that already existed so here it is.


Alternatively you can get Bob's book for the SBS photo tutorial.

Now, don't let its looks or doubts about rattles put you off, tie some if these and get them in your box.  You'll be glad you did!