copper john?
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ryanh
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Good fished dead drift, add some shot depending on the swiftness of the water.
Let it swing on the bottom of the drift, that is always a hot spot for strikes as that mimicks a bug rising up through the water towards the surface.
If you want to immatate a midge get em small.
Let it swing on the bottom of the drift, that is always a hot spot for strikes as that mimicks a bug rising up through the water towards the surface.
If you want to immatate a midge get em small.
Copper Johns are supposed to immitate general mayfly nymphs and as said before they are best fished on the bottom with a strike indicator. I usually don't use much added weight because they tend to sink on their own with the bead head and copper wire. I find that throwing them into the tail of the rapids and letting them flow into the pools really works well.
To immitate midges you should try some simple thread midge nymphs or the common "Brassie" nymph as shown in the links below. You can basically wrap the majority of the hook with either copper or gold wire OR simple colored thread and then put on a small head of dubbing up toward the eye. These should be tied in sizes from #20-28. They work well fished by just throwing them to fish feeding on surface.
http://www.orvis.com/store/product_directory_tnail.asp?dir%5Fid=1236&group%5Fid=1248&cat%5Fid=5484&subcat%5Fid=6633
http://www.eflytyer.com/patterns/jardine.html
To immitate midges you should try some simple thread midge nymphs or the common "Brassie" nymph as shown in the links below. You can basically wrap the majority of the hook with either copper or gold wire OR simple colored thread and then put on a small head of dubbing up toward the eye. These should be tied in sizes from #20-28. They work well fished by just throwing them to fish feeding on surface.
http://www.orvis.com/store/product_directory_tnail.asp?dir%5Fid=1236&group%5Fid=1248&cat%5Fid=5484&subcat%5Fid=6633
http://www.eflytyer.com/patterns/jardine.html
I only began using them recently but I've had pretty good luck with them. They're designed to sink fast, but in deep fast water you'll want add additional weight.
When fishing nymphs in general, not just with this pattern, you want enough weight to get deep where the fish are. This means that you'll get hung up the rocks occasionally. That's normal. But if you are getting hung up really often than you are using too much weight, so you use less.
The ideal thing is to get a deep drift, but not get hung up too often. It takes practice.
When fishing nymphs in general, not just with this pattern, you want enough weight to get deep where the fish are. This means that you'll get hung up the rocks occasionally. That's normal. But if you are getting hung up really often than you are using too much weight, so you use less.
The ideal thing is to get a deep drift, but not get hung up too often. It takes practice.
MKern
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- Sep 11, 2006
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Like troutbert, I too have just starting using them. Like other flies you'll hear about, "if you aren't catching any fish, thry a copper john."
I like mine through the riffles (pocket fishing) in the mid to late summer. Also, it's a great brookie fly. Another time I use it, is during a hatch. Its light reflective properties resemble an emerging mayfly.
I like mine through the riffles (pocket fishing) in the mid to late summer. Also, it's a great brookie fly. Another time I use it, is during a hatch. Its light reflective properties resemble an emerging mayfly.
Padraic
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- Sep 13, 2006
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I think a copper john will imitate just about anything depending on the size. In an 18 or smaller, they could look like midges. 12 to 18 they look like mayflies. Bigger, and they look like stoneflies... especially if you get them (or tie them) with rubber legs.
I think of them as really heavily weighted pheasant tails. Which means that they may be a duplication with that fly. But I carry them so that I don't have to add weight to the line when fishing deeper or faster water. Because of the weight they are not good in a dropper combo. Like the pheasant tail, how and where to fish them is dependant on what is active. You might want to get a copy of "Aquatic Insects and Their Imitations" to see all the hatches that pheasant tails are useful for. Put it this way... it'd take a while to list them all.
I think of them as really heavily weighted pheasant tails. Which means that they may be a duplication with that fly. But I carry them so that I don't have to add weight to the line when fishing deeper or faster water. Because of the weight they are not good in a dropper combo. Like the pheasant tail, how and where to fish them is dependant on what is active. You might want to get a copy of "Aquatic Insects and Their Imitations" to see all the hatches that pheasant tails are useful for. Put it this way... it'd take a while to list them all.
