The Copper John fly, a popular and versatile nymph pattern designed by John Barr
The Copper John, a name synonymous with fly fishing success, stands as a testament to innovative design and enduring effectiveness in the world of modern fly patterns. Born from the creative mind of John Barr, this fly has rapidly ascended to become a staple in fly boxes across the globe. Its journey from conception in 1993 to its refined form in 1996 is a story of meticulous experimentation and a relentless pursuit of angling perfection. The Copper John wasn’t an overnight sensation; it was forged through iterative design changes, each aimed at enhancing its fish-catching prowess and tying efficiency.
The Genesis of the Copper John: A Fly Tyer’s Evolution
The initial spark for the Copper John emerged in 1993, marking the beginning of a three-year design evolution. Barr’s early iterations, while successful in attracting fish, were considered by him to be works in progress. He sought a fly that was not only effective but also embodied specific design principles. A crucial element in this development was the selection of the right hook. After extensive experimentation with various hook styles, Barr landed on the Tiemco 5262. This particular hook, a 2XL, 2X heavy model, provided the ideal proportions and robustness he was seeking. For those unfamiliar with fly tying terminology, “2XL” signifies a shank twice as long as a standard dry-fly hook, and “2X heavy” indicates a wire gauge twice as thick. This choice was fundamental to achieving the desired profile and durability of the Copper John.
In its nascent form, the Copper John featured a simple abdomen crafted from natural-colored copper wire wrapped directly onto the hook shank. Lacking an underbody, this early abdomen presented a uniform, untapered profile. Hungarian partridge feathers were employed for the tail and legs, while the thorax was fashioned from wrapped peacock herl, complemented by a turkey quill wing case treated with epoxy. The inspiration for the epoxy-coated wing case came from Hal Jansen’s Callibaetis nymph pattern, where Barr observed the use of epoxy. The rationale behind this epoxy application was intriguing; it was speculated that the epoxy might impart a subtle luminescence, mimicking the natural sheen often observed in emerging nymphs and pupae. While the definitive impact of the epoxy on the fly’s effectiveness remained uncertain, its contribution to the fly’s visual appeal was undeniable.
Material Innovations for Enhanced Performance
A significant turning point in the Copper John’s evolution occurred with the introduction of Wapsi Thin Skin. This versatile synthetic material presented a superior alternative to turkey quill for the wing case. Thin Skin, available in sheets, offered enhanced durability, ease of manipulation, and consistent availability. Moreover, it proved to be a more receptive base for the epoxy coating compared to turkey quill, which tended to absorb the initial epoxy layer, often necessitating a second application.
Further refinements targeted the tail and legs of the Copper John. The original partridge material proved to be less durable than desired. In response, Barr transitioned to hen-back fibers for the legs and goose biots for the tail. Hen-back fibers offered improved resilience and came in a diverse array of mottled colors, adding to the fly’s natural appearance.
To optimize the fly’s sinking rate, a critical factor for nymph patterns, Barr incorporated lead wire wrapped onto the hook shank beneath the thorax. This strategic weighting, combined with the metallic bead head, copper wire abdomen, and a slender profile, was meticulously engineered to achieve rapid descent through the water column. To impart a more natural tapered shape to the abdomen, a tapered thread underbody was introduced, ensuring a smooth and contoured foundation for the copper wire wrapping.
The Copper John was nearing its final, perfected form. The concluding element was inspired by artist Dave Hall, who suggested integrating a single strand of pearl Flashabou over the Thin Skin wing case before the epoxy coating. This subtle addition of flash proved to be the finishing touch, completing the pattern and enhancing its attractiveness to fish.
Beyond Copper: Expanding the Color Palette
Initially, Barr exclusively tied the Copper John in its namesake natural copper hue. However, the fly’s versatility expanded thanks to a suggestion from Michael White, owner of Blue Ribbon Sales in Boulder, Colorado. White proposed experimenting with red and green wire. While initially hesitant, Barr eventually embraced these color variations, and they proved to be remarkably effective, broadening the Copper John’s appeal across different fishing conditions and water types.
The introduction of Wapsi Ultra Wire in spring 2001 further revolutionized the Copper John. This tarnish-proof wire, available in a spectrum of colors, unlocked a new dimension of customization. The original copper-colored Copper John was now joined by a vibrant array of counterparts in red, green, chartreuse, silver, wine, zebra (black and silver), black, blue, and even hot pink. This expanded color palette allowed anglers to tailor their Copper Johns to specific environmental conditions, insect life cycles, and personal preferences, solidifying its position as an adaptable and indispensable fly pattern.
Tying the Copper John: A Step-by-Step Guide
The Copper John is not only effective but also a rewarding fly to tie. Here’s a detailed step-by-step guide to create your own Copper Johns:
Materials:
- Hook: Tiemco 5262, size 12-18
- Bead: Matching metal bead, sized to hook
- Weight: Lead wire, .015″ or .020″
- Thread: 6/0 or 8/0, color to match body
- Tail: Goose biots, brown or black
- Abdomen: Copper wire, small
- Wing Case: Thin Skin, clear or pearl
- Thorax: Peacock herl
- Legs: Hen-back fibers, mottled brown
- Flash: Pearl Flashabou
- Epoxy: 5-minute epoxy
Tying Steps:
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Bead and Weight: Place the bead on the hook by inserting the hook point into the smaller hole on the front of the bead and slide it up to the hook eye. Secure the hook in the vise. Wrap thirteen turns of lead wire onto the hook shank from behind the bead to the back.
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Secure Lead: Break off both ends of the lead wire with your thumbnail. Push the lead wraps up into the back of the bead, countersinking them into the recess.
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Thread Base: Start the tying thread at the back edge of the lead wraps. Build a smooth taper from the bare hook shank up to the lead wire and continue with a smooth thread base back to the bend of the hook. Leave the tying thread hanging at the bend.
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Prepare Biot Tails: Select two matched biots from a goose quill. Choose two adjacent biots to ensure they are of similar width and length. Position the biots back-to-back so they curve away from each other and align their tips. Measure the biots against the hook shank, aiming for a length equal to one-half of the shank.
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Attach Biot Tails: Position the opposed biots at the hook bend, one on each side of the hook shank. Orient them slightly off-center towards the near side of the hook.
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Secure Tails: Wrap two turns of thread over the biots to anchor them on the near side of the hook. Tying them at a slight angle allows thread torque to pull them into the correct position. Tighten the thread loops to draw the biots on top of the hook shank.
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Wrap Over Tail Butts: Wrap the thread forward over the butt ends of the biots to just in front of the hook point.
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Properly Tied Tails: (Image showcasing correctly tied biot tails).
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Continue Thread Base: Continue wrapping the thread forward over the biot butt ends, extending onto the lead wraps. The butt ends will contribute to building the taper up to the lead wraps.
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Trim and Smooth Underbody: Clip the butt ends of the biots and create a smooth thread base from the base of the tail to approximately the three-quarter point on the shank. The thread base should be as smooth as possible with an even taper from front to back.
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Attach Copper Wire: Cut a length of copper wire about 6 to 8 inches long and tie it in at the front of the thread underbody, on top of the hook.
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Secure Wire: Wrap the tying thread back over the copper wire to the base of the tails. Make several tight turns of thread moving forward from the bend to firmly secure the wire. Maintain a smooth thread base throughout this step.
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Continue Thread Forward: Advance the thread forward to the front end of the abdomen.
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Wrap Copper Abdomen: Begin wrapping the copper wire forward from the hook bend in tight, concentric turns. Tilting the wire back slightly as you wrap will allow each subsequent wrap to nestle against the edge of the previous one, creating butted turns. Continue wrapping the copper wire forward to the end of the thread underbody. Tie off the wire at the front edge of the underbody with two tight turns of thread. Clip the excess wire with nail clippers, or repeatedly twist the remaining end until it breaks off. Cover the stub end with a few turns of tying thread.
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Prepare for Wing Case: Cover the lead wraps between the copper wire abdomen and the back of the bead with a thin layer of thread, using just enough to fill any gaps between the lead wire segments. Tie in a single strand of pearl Flashabou directly on top of the hook, ensuring it is centered. Wrap the thread back over the Flashabou and the front end of the copper abdomen, securing it back to the indicated point.
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Attach Thin Skin: Cut a strip of Thin Skin slightly narrower than the width of the hook gap. Keep the Thin Skin on its paper backing while cutting to prevent it from curling. After cutting the strip to the correct width, peel it from the backing. Tie the Thin Skin strip in on top of the hook shank at the front of the abdomen and wrap back over it to the 70 percent point on the hook shank. Tie the Thin Skin in with the shiny side (the side that was adhered to the paper backing) facing upwards.
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Thread to Thorax Point: Wrap the thread forward to a point just behind the bead, preparing for the thorax.
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Prepare Peacock Herl Thorax: Select five or six bushy peacock herls and trim their tips evenly. Tie the peacock herl in by its tips just behind the bead and wrap back over them to the base of the Thin Skin wing case. Return the thread to the back edge of the bead.
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Wrap Peacock Thorax: Wrap the peacock herls forward in tight, concentric, non-overlapping turns to the back of the bead and tie them off with a couple of tight thread turns.
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Trim Peacock Herl: Clip the excess peacock herl flush with the hook eye.
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Prepare Hen-Back Legs: Pull a small clump of fibers from the side of a hen-back feather and align the tips. Peel the clump from the feather stem.
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Attach First Set of Legs: Lay the clump of hen fibers along the far side of the hook shank with the tips extending back to the hook point. Press the fibers against the hook with your index finger.
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Secure First Legs: Make two turns of thread over the hen fibers right behind the bead to secure them.
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Attach Second Set of Legs: Prepare and strip another clump of fibers of similar size from the hen feather. Tie this clump in along the near side of the hook.
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Trim Leg Butts: Trim the butt ends from both clumps of hen-back fibers.
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Pull Wing Case Forward: Pull the Thin Skin forward over the top of the peacock thorax and tie it down right behind the bead.
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Pull Flashabou Forward: Pull the Flashabou over the top of the Thin Skin, ensuring it runs down the center of the wing case. Tie the Flashabou down right behind the bead.
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Close-up: (Image showing a close-up of the wing case and Flashabou tied in).
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Finish Head and Whip Finish: Clip the butt ends of the Flashabou and Thin Skin as close to the bead as possible. Build a smooth thread head and whip-finish the thread to secure the tie.
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Epoxy Wing Case: Mix a small batch of 5-minute epoxy and coat the wing case from front to back and side to side. It’s beneficial to run the epoxy slightly up onto the back edge of the bead and down onto the wire at the back of the wing case for a seamless and durable finish.
The Copper John’s enduring popularity stems from its remarkable effectiveness in imitating a wide range of aquatic insects and its ability to entice fish in various water conditions. Whether you are a seasoned fly tier or a beginner, mastering the Copper John is a valuable addition to your fly fishing skills. Tie up a few in different colors and sizes, and experience firsthand why this fly remains a must-have in every angler’s fly box.
