Fly Tying Copper John

[gaeronf]

Happy New Year Everyone. Here's a fly called the Copper John, invented by John Barr. These can be tied large for anchor flies, or small for droppers. Great all around patterns, can be tied in many color and material variations such as rubber legs, hot beads, etc. Here's the recipe:

Hook-Any heavy straight or curved shank hook
Bead-Matching Tungsten Bead to hook size and wire color
Thread-Black UTC
Tail-2 Black Goose Biots
Abdomen-Copper Wire in Medium
Thorax Cover-Brown Thin Skin-Mottled
Thorax-Peacock Ice Dub
Legs-Partridge

If you extremely desire the step by step you can find it here. But you may not need it, the materials are listed in the order in which they are tied in.

 

[CathyG]

A very effective fly but getting the biot tails just right gives me fits. I really need to work on that.

 

[sniperfreak223]

you just forgot one bit...normally the fly gets a drop of epoxy on the wingcase, not required, but definitely makes for a nearly indestructible fly.

 

[gaeronf]

@sniperfreak223 You are correct I forgot the epoxy. It's not necessary but I'd recommend it too. Which reminds me...I need to buy more epoxy!

 

[WildTigerTrout]

I agree you really do not need epoxy. I don't use it on mine and they hold up fine. I use clear thin skin for the wing case on my copper johns then just a dab of flex cement. Barr came up with a good pattern with this fly.

 

[quillfly]

I do mine with a pheasent tail tail and use nat mallard flank . I hate messing with the biots and using the mallard you can make the legs really thick .Its also easier ,again my lazy nature finds its way into every thing i do

 

[odizz17]

I've been having some recent success using a grizzly soft hackle for the "legs" with a yellow ice dub thorax. Using blue Easter egg grass for the wingcase, and some hard as nails over the top of the fly. 1st rainbow of 2012 came on this

 

[Fishnut]

That is probably my most used nymph. I absolutely love the copper john and it is a tough fly that can take a beating. I caught close to ten steelhead on one a few weeks ago and it is still in perfect condition.

 

[Leteras]

One other thing with the copper john. You can use different colored wire and make your copper john any color you want. You can do some really nice colors for steelhead not saying that the original is not good as is but this gives you some options and versatility.

 

[whheff]

I have been using 2 colors of wire and the fish love them. Try black and copper together the next time you tie one up.

 

[Coughlin]

Very jealous of you guys who actually catch fish with the Copper John.I love tying the fly but dang if I can convince a trout to take one!
Coughlin

 

[RLeeP]

While everybody's mileage will vary, my experience with the Copper John is that, in the right sizes and colors, it is in the top tier of nymphs on limestone fisheries and in the bottom third of the pack over wild fish in freestone fisheries, that is to say, not a very good choice. But I tie and use a pile of them on the Midwest Spring Creeks, usually in 1XL #16 and #18 in either the original copper or the dark green uni-wire. Seldom any bigger. I think larger Copper Johns tend to amplify their main drawback; they don't look very lifelike. Pheasant tail fibers for a tail ( I don't believe the biots make any difference to the fish) and a wingcase of several strands of pearl Krystal Flash gooped into place with a drop of Hard As Nails. I'm not about to start epoxying flies, not at my age...

What i find most interesting about this thread is all the innovative takes folks here have offered on the original Copper John. This is the stuff that the lifeblood of the art of tying is made of. It reminds me of something a guy named Terry Helleckson once said in his book "Popular Fly Patterns", back in the 70's. (If you aren't familiar with the book, you aren't really missing much, its mostly oriented to Western patterns). He was complaining about Jim Teeny, who was among the first to have the audacity to patent his patterns. Helleckson argued that Teeny was going (and perhaps destroying) against over a century of a fly pattern culture where new patterns served not only as specific recipes for tiers, but also as templates or platforms from which to build in whatever direction your imagination took you. And that was a very good thing, not only for tiers, but also for the state of the craft.

I always agreed with that sentiment.

As an aside, when I went to Google Helleckson's name to be sure I had the spelling correct, I see he passed away this past August at the age of 72. I sort of wish he would have outlasted Jim Teeny...

 

[PennKev]

I've done mine with a variety of leg, tail and wingcase materials. Seems the only things that matter are the wire, the flash, and the peacock.

 

[jerseygeorge]

I have no difficulty with the Biots. But I never feel that I get the first wraps of wire correct. I tie the wire along the entire length of the hook, from the bead down to the tail, normally on top. But the first wrap always seems to not like down smoothly (like the ones in the pictures). I have seen multicolored versions, and will try some. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[PennKev]

jerseygeorge wrote:
I never feel that I get the first wraps of wire correct. I tie the wire along the entire length of the hook, from the bead down to the tail, normally on top. But the first wrap always seems to not like down smoothly (like the ones in the pictures).

The are two solutions, depending on the thickness of the wire you are using (or have available).

You do not need to tie down the wire first when using "medium" sized or heavier wire. Just tie in your tail, then get a piece of wire and start wrapping it around the thread base starting at the end of the tail. When done you should have a coil of wire wrapped around the hook with a tag at each end. Snip off the tail-end tag as close as possible to the coiled wire body. Tie off and trim the front tag. Quicker, easier, and makes a more uniform body than trying to tie the wire down along the shank and winding back over. I've never had problems with the wire uncoiling, even after using hemo's to grab the fly and remove it from a fishes mouth.

The alternative is to use finer wire which can usually be tied down first and wrapped back without the unsightly first wrap, but you'll need to build up a thicker thread base to achieve proper body proportions and taper. Also, the fine wire will require more wraps and you won't have the same segmented effect as with heavier wire.

Kev

 

[jerseygeorge]

Thanks Kev, I will give that a try!

JG