Copper John
Fly of the Month 02.12 Copper John
This “fly of the month” represents the latest in the Tim Wilhelm/Tom Adams series.
The first time I recall being aware of the Copper John was a weekend I spent with the Blue Ridge Chapter at Balsam Lodge. Balsam is owned and operated by the Forest Service and BRTU takes two trips a year up there, in fact their trips coincide with our Appletree trip. My son was attending WCU nearby, so it was a pretty easy decision whenever they invited me to join them. After breakfast everyone would scatter to the stream their choice returning after a full day of fishing to the lodge for an extravagant feast. Afterwards after everything had been cleared off the table from dinner and the libations poured, talk turned to the more serious matters of the day: What was caught and what caught them. It was Sam Stitcher that had the best report that night and the Copper John was at the center of his report.
John Barr created the Copper John over a 3 year period, deciding on the final recipe in 1996. The pattern’s popularity and creditability among fly anglers became such that in 2001, this nymph pattern became the best selling fly in the Umpqua catalog of flies. Some of the key features that make this fly appetizing to fish include the large gold bead, slim profile, flash and breathing hackle; but the real strength for this fly comes from its weight. Most of us that don’t do well with nymphs are probably guilt of not putting the fly in front of the fish. In other words, we don’t fish deep enough so the compact design and the materials used in construction allow this fly to sink quickly to the level we need to present the fly. The copper body adds significant weight to the fly helping it rapidly descend to where the big fish lay. Weighting a fly in this manner also allows it to roll across the river bottom in a natural fashion unlike a fly weighted down with a split shot attached to the leader. After 5 ½ years it was somewhat of a bittersweet day when Mike graduated and I no longer had a reason to make the trip to Balsam Lodge but I still carry and frequently fish a Copper John.
Fly of the Month 02.12 Copper John
Hook : Tiemco 5262 or equivalent 2x long, 2x heavy, wet, perfect bend, TDE, Size: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24
Thread: Uni 8/0 or equivalent
Tail: Brown Goose biots
Abdomen: Wire
Thorax: Peacock Herl
Legs: Brown hen back hackle
Wing Case: Black Thin Skin w/ Pearl Flashabou
Bead Head: Gold, Black or Silver
Note: There are many color variations; from the original copper to chartreuse and John Barr feels whatever works is the right color.
Directions:
1) For a size 14 use a Gold 1/8 countersunk bead for the head. Slide it on and mount the hook in the vise. Wrap with lead or lead substitute. For a size fourteen hook use .015. Wrap thirteen tight wraps of lead and push into the countersunk bead.
2) Tie on thread and wrap several turns at the abdomen end of the lead to trap it in place. Advance the thread to above the hook point and
let the bobbin hang.
3) Select two equal size goose biots and tie in at the hook point in an outward Vee. Crossing over the two biots in something of an x and hold them against the hook shank, slightly facing you, will aid in placing them on top and centered to the rear.
4) Once the position is good lightly advance the thread several wraps toward the eye adding pressure as you go forward. Do not cut the extra biot material yet. Continue binding down the excess toward the eye and stop about three quarters of the way to the eye. Bind and trim the biots. Wrap the thread to where the abdomen starts. There should be a good difference between the thickness of the abdomen and the thorax. As always do not wraps more turns than necessary. The build up of materials will smooth out the unevenness and the taper will be best with less.
5) Select about five inches of wire. Tie in the wire, on the bottom of the hook shank (I doubt the fish care, but it looks much better to us) at the junction of the thorax and abdomen with the length toward the hook bend. Advance the thread along the wire in even, tight wraps to above the hook point. Advance the thread back to the eye. If you have a rotary vise tie the thread off. If you do not, let the bobbin hang. With a rotary vise begin wrapping the wire forward in very tight, touching wraps. It helps to keep the excess wire at an angle toward the hook bend when wrapping, this insures tight wraps. Advance the wire to a little short of the three quarter mark of the hook shank. Tie in and remove waste wire, pushing down the trim end with a fingernail and then complete several (not too many) wraps to smooth the rough end of wire. For non-rotary vises the basic direction is the same, but using a firm grip with your fingers.
6. Tie in a strand of Pearl Flashabou at the wire and push the excess out of the way.
7. Trim a section of Thin Skin about 1/8 of an inch in width and tie in immediately in front of the Flashabou. Lift the Thin Skin up and out of the way, pushing it back towards the hook bend.
8. Select several peacock herls and tie in by the tips (not to close to the tip- they are too fragile for the first ½ inch or so) and wrap forward from the Thin Skin tie in to the bead head. Tie in and trim the excess.
9) Select a Brown Hen Hackle feather This should have a least some bars for the leg segments. Even up the tips and pull or cut six or eight barbs. Tie these in close to the bead, on the side and make the length about the same size as the thorax. Repeat on the other side.
Note: When you are tying these in, make sure where they are tied in is relatively flat. If they fall in to a crack they will stick straight out instead of along the thorax. Make several turns of thread to even up the area directly behind the bead head. It is not necessary to build up as high as the herl.
Trim the waste and let the bobbin hang.
10) Take the Thin Skin and pull tight across the top of the hook shank, trapping the herl and tie in with several wraps. Trim the excess.
11) Repeat with the Flashabou.
12) Make a narrow collar of thread at the bead head, whip finish and cut the thread.
13) Using five minute epoxy, cover the thorax on top where you have tied the Thin Skin forming a slight dome of epoxy. After the epoxy hardens you are ready to go.
With the availability of colored wire, this fly pattern is tied in a variety of body colors including Red Copper John, Green Copper John, Blue Copper John and Black Copper John.
- Tom Adams, Tim Wilhelm
This “fly of the month” represents the latest in the Tim Wilhelm/Tom Adams series.
The first time I recall being aware of the Copper John was a weekend I spent with the Blue Ridge Chapter at Balsam Lodge. Balsam is owned and operated by the Forest Service and BRTU takes two trips a year up there, in fact their trips coincide with our Appletree trip. My son was attending WCU nearby, so it was a pretty easy decision whenever they invited me to join them. After breakfast everyone would scatter to the stream their choice returning after a full day of fishing to the lodge for an extravagant feast. Afterwards after everything had been cleared off the table from dinner and the libations poured, talk turned to the more serious matters of the day: What was caught and what caught them. It was Sam Stitcher that had the best report that night and the Copper John was at the center of his report.
John Barr created the Copper John over a 3 year period, deciding on the final recipe in 1996. The pattern’s popularity and creditability among fly anglers became such that in 2001, this nymph pattern became the best selling fly in the Umpqua catalog of flies. Some of the key features that make this fly appetizing to fish include the large gold bead, slim profile, flash and breathing hackle; but the real strength for this fly comes from its weight. Most of us that don’t do well with nymphs are probably guilt of not putting the fly in front of the fish. In other words, we don’t fish deep enough so the compact design and the materials used in construction allow this fly to sink quickly to the level we need to present the fly. The copper body adds significant weight to the fly helping it rapidly descend to where the big fish lay. Weighting a fly in this manner also allows it to roll across the river bottom in a natural fashion unlike a fly weighted down with a split shot attached to the leader. After 5 ½ years it was somewhat of a bittersweet day when Mike graduated and I no longer had a reason to make the trip to Balsam Lodge but I still carry and frequently fish a Copper John.
Fly of the Month 02.12 Copper John
Hook : Tiemco 5262 or equivalent 2x long, 2x heavy, wet, perfect bend, TDE, Size: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24
Thread: Uni 8/0 or equivalent
Tail: Brown Goose biots
Abdomen: Wire
Thorax: Peacock Herl
Legs: Brown hen back hackle
Wing Case: Black Thin Skin w/ Pearl Flashabou
Bead Head: Gold, Black or Silver
Note: There are many color variations; from the original copper to chartreuse and John Barr feels whatever works is the right color.
Directions:
1) For a size 14 use a Gold 1/8 countersunk bead for the head. Slide it on and mount the hook in the vise. Wrap with lead or lead substitute. For a size fourteen hook use .015. Wrap thirteen tight wraps of lead and push into the countersunk bead.
2) Tie on thread and wrap several turns at the abdomen end of the lead to trap it in place. Advance the thread to above the hook point and
let the bobbin hang.
3) Select two equal size goose biots and tie in at the hook point in an outward Vee. Crossing over the two biots in something of an x and hold them against the hook shank, slightly facing you, will aid in placing them on top and centered to the rear.
4) Once the position is good lightly advance the thread several wraps toward the eye adding pressure as you go forward. Do not cut the extra biot material yet. Continue binding down the excess toward the eye and stop about three quarters of the way to the eye. Bind and trim the biots. Wrap the thread to where the abdomen starts. There should be a good difference between the thickness of the abdomen and the thorax. As always do not wraps more turns than necessary. The build up of materials will smooth out the unevenness and the taper will be best with less.
5) Select about five inches of wire. Tie in the wire, on the bottom of the hook shank (I doubt the fish care, but it looks much better to us) at the junction of the thorax and abdomen with the length toward the hook bend. Advance the thread along the wire in even, tight wraps to above the hook point. Advance the thread back to the eye. If you have a rotary vise tie the thread off. If you do not, let the bobbin hang. With a rotary vise begin wrapping the wire forward in very tight, touching wraps. It helps to keep the excess wire at an angle toward the hook bend when wrapping, this insures tight wraps. Advance the wire to a little short of the three quarter mark of the hook shank. Tie in and remove waste wire, pushing down the trim end with a fingernail and then complete several (not too many) wraps to smooth the rough end of wire. For non-rotary vises the basic direction is the same, but using a firm grip with your fingers.
6. Tie in a strand of Pearl Flashabou at the wire and push the excess out of the way.
7. Trim a section of Thin Skin about 1/8 of an inch in width and tie in immediately in front of the Flashabou. Lift the Thin Skin up and out of the way, pushing it back towards the hook bend.
8. Select several peacock herls and tie in by the tips (not to close to the tip- they are too fragile for the first ½ inch or so) and wrap forward from the Thin Skin tie in to the bead head. Tie in and trim the excess.
9) Select a Brown Hen Hackle feather This should have a least some bars for the leg segments. Even up the tips and pull or cut six or eight barbs. Tie these in close to the bead, on the side and make the length about the same size as the thorax. Repeat on the other side.
Note: When you are tying these in, make sure where they are tied in is relatively flat. If they fall in to a crack they will stick straight out instead of along the thorax. Make several turns of thread to even up the area directly behind the bead head. It is not necessary to build up as high as the herl.
Trim the waste and let the bobbin hang.
10) Take the Thin Skin and pull tight across the top of the hook shank, trapping the herl and tie in with several wraps. Trim the excess.
11) Repeat with the Flashabou.
12) Make a narrow collar of thread at the bead head, whip finish and cut the thread.
13) Using five minute epoxy, cover the thorax on top where you have tied the Thin Skin forming a slight dome of epoxy. After the epoxy hardens you are ready to go.
With the availability of colored wire, this fly pattern is tied in a variety of body colors including Red Copper John, Green Copper John, Blue Copper John and Black Copper John.
- Tom Adams, Tim Wilhelm