TYING CHARTREUSE RUBBER LEGS COPPER JOHN

John Barr invented the Copper John nymph in the 1990s and is supposed to imitate the mayfly nymph. The nymph is slim and quite heavy, making it a good fly for deep or fast-flowing water. Barr first tied the fly with a copper body, but you can tie it in any color, like the Chartreuse Rubber Legs Copper John.

• Materials
• Video Instructions
• Slideshow
• How to Fish the Chartreuse Rubber Legs Copper John

Materials for Chartreuse Rubber Legs Copper John

Part:	Materials:	Size/Color:
Hook:	Akita	AK533BL #12
Bead:	Brass Bead	Copper 2.8 mm
Weight:	Lead Wire	0.010”
Thread:	Veevus	14/0 Black
Tail:	Goose Biots	Brown
Body:	UNI Wire	Chartreuse SM
Legs:	FFGene	Real Silicone Legs Fire Tiger
Wingcase 1:	Mylar Tinsel	Pearl Medium
Wingcase 2:	Pheasant Tail	Green
Wingcase 3:	UV Resin	Medium
Thorax:	Ice Dub	UV Black

Video Instructions on How to Tie a Chartreuse Rubber Legs Copper John

Video coming soon.

Slideshow on How To Tie a Chartreuse Rubber Legs Copper John

Step 1 – Add Bead and Weight, and Tie In the Tail

Put the bead onto the hook. If you want an extra heavy fly, you can use a tungsten bead. Make a few wraps with lead wire to add additional weight and build up the underbody. Tie in your fly tying thread and secure the lead wire. Taper the step down from the lead wire to the bare hook and make even thread wraps until your tying thread is aligned with the hook’s barb. Tie in one goose biot on each side of the hook. The biot should curve away from the hook. The length should be approximately half of the body length.

Step 2 – Build Up the Body

Tie in the Chartreuse wire and build up a slim but tapered underbody. Make even wraps with the wire around the hook shank to create the body of the mayfly nymph. If you have a full rotary vise, it will make building up the wire body easier. The body’s length should be approximately half of the hook shank’s length.

Step 3 – Build up the Thorax and Wingcase

Start tying in the silicone legs, one on each side of the hook. Tie in the hind legs close to the body and the front pair of legs close to the bead. Now you can prepare to make the wingcase. Tie in one strain of Pearl Mylar Tinsel pointing toward the tail on top of the fly. Tie in a portion of Pheasant Tail fibers. Make a dubbing noodle and build up the thorax.

Fold the Pheasant Tail fibers over the thorax. Tie them off close to the bead and in front of the silicone legs and remove the excess. Now, fold the Pearl Mylar Tinsel over the thorax and tie it off in front of the legs. Secure with a whip finish or a few half-hitches and some varnish. Complete the wingcase with a drop of UV Resin.

How to Fish the Chartreuse Rubber Legs Copper John

The Copper John nymph is often used in fast-flowing water or deep pools because of its slim and heavy body. The fly is usually fished in smaller sizes during winter, spring, and autumn, while the bigger sizes are used during the summer. When the water is clear, you can fish the more dull colors, like copper, gold, or olive, and more vivid colors, like chartreuse or yellow, when the water is colored. Many fly fishers use the Copper John as a dropper in a hopper-dropper rig.