Fly Tying The Copper John

February 10, 2012 By Fly Fisherman

Step 1

Place the bead on the hook and slide it up to the eye. Make about a dozen turns of lead wire around the shank, break off the ends and push the lead wraps up into the back of the bead. Start the thread at the back of the lead wraps and build a small thread dam tapering from the bare shank up to the lead wraps. Continue wrapping a smooth thread base back to the bend.

Step 2

Tie in two opposed brown goose biots about a half shank length long for the tail. Wrap forward over the butt ends up to the lead wraps, building smoothly tapered thread underbody as you go. Clip off the butt ends of the biots.

Step 3

Tie in a piece of wire at the front of the underbody along the near side of the shank and wrap the thread back over it to the bend. Return the thread to the front of the underbody.

Step 4

Wrap the wire forward over the underbody to the front, tie off and clip the wire.

Step 5

Tie in a strip of Mirage tinsel slightly overlapping the front end of the abdomen.

Step 6

Tie in a gap piece of black Thinskin that is just slightly narrower than the gap of the hook.

Step 7

Tie in three or four peacock herls at the base of the wingcase.

Step 8

Wrap the peacock up to the back of the bead forming the thorax. Tie off and clip the excess.

Step 9

Tie in a small clump of hen saddle fibers along the near side of the hook just behind the bead. The tips should extend back to just short of the hook point.

Step 10

Tie in another clump of hen saddle fibers on the far side in the same manner.

Step 11

Clip the butt ends of both hen fiber clumps.

Step 12

Pull the Thinskin strip forward over the thorax and tie it down tightly behind the bead.

Step 13

Pull the Mirage strip forward over the top of the Thinskin and tie it down behind the bead as well. Clip the excess tinsel and Thinskin flush against the bead.

Step 14

Build a smooth thread head to cover the butts of the wingcase and whip finish. Clip the thread.

Step 15

Place a drop of epoxy on the top of the wingcase and smooth it from front to back and side to side. Let the fly dry upright until the epoxy cures.

Copper John

Recipe: Hook: TMC 5262 #10-18 Bead: Copper Tungsten, sized to hook Weight: Lead Wire, sized to hook Thread: UTC 70 denier or UNI 8/0, Black Tail: Brown Goose biots Abdomen: Copper Brown Ultra Wire, sized to hook #12= Medium #14 and #16= Brassie #18 1nd #20= Small Flash: Pearl Mirage Flash, Medium Wingcase: Black Thinskin Thorax: Peacock herl Legs: Mottled Brown Hen Saddle Coating: 5 or 30 Minute Epoxy

Fly Tying the Copper John Video:

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Fly Tying The Copper John

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Step 15

Copper John

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