N14. The Copper John Gold Beaded Nymph

THE COPPER JOHN NYMPH
The Copper John is a cross between a Pheasant Tail and a Brassie. It has proven it's self to be one of the all-time heavyweights in terms of producing numbers of quality fish. Try fishing it as a dropper below a dry. Some say beads add flash that represents the shiny exoskeleton of an aquatic insect, some believe they resemble the air bubble released by many emerging insects in their final rise to the surface and others argue the off-center weighting of the fly creates a lifelike wiggle throughout the drift. Any way you look at it, beadhead nymphs catch fish, and the added weight up front gets them down quicker than conventional unweighted nymphs.

The Copper John nymph carries a classic mayfly and stonefly profile. A good chironimid imitation ideal for trout fishing. A sleek abdomen reflects light creating the illusion of movement as well as adds weight to the nymph, helping it sink for deeper water. This pattern is great in any river where there are large populations of mayflies and stoneflies. It is one of the younger fly patterns, only recently developed and tied by John Barr

NYMPH FLIES
Nymphs represent insects in their under water aquatic life stage. This stage comes before the adult stage where the insects emerge out of the water and fly away, normally to mate and lay eggs (dry fly). Technically the term 'Nymph' means the juvenile stage of a Mayfly but it is commonly used to refer to any insect in it's aquatic life stage. Nymphs are, perhaps one of the most deadliest ways of taking most species of freshwater fish. In a river or stream, they can be fished anywhere from just beneath the surface to imitate emerging or drowned flies to right to the bottom to imitate the unhatched larvae. These flies weigh a little more than a dry fly, and weight is often added to them in order for them to achieve the proper depth. This additional weight makes them a little harder to cast but the good news is that there is almost no wind resistance. Generally fish nymph flies along the bottom, move them slowly and smoothly. Every now and then dart the fly forward as if it is attacking its prey or trying to escape from the advances of a predatory large fish. Such movements hopefully may induce a following trout to take your fly.

All fly fishing men and women dream of being on the water during a hatch or a spinner fall and watching our fly being gently sipped under the surface of the water by a large trout. This is one of the most exciting times in our sport but what about the other 90% of the time when there is not and action on the surface? The fish are still feeding. Yes you can keep casting away at likely spots with dry flies but you would have more success if you placed your fly where the fish were feeding and that is under water. 

If the water is not clear and you cannot see your target fish you will have to read the water to try and find out the best place to cast your fly. Large areas of the river will hold no trout at all. Trout are usually solitary feeders and can normally be found next to something solid like a big boulder, patch of weeds, or the river bank. They lie up in stretches of the river where there is a high concentration of food. Look for creases on the water surface. These are lines that normally run downstream. They are caused by bodies of water, flowing at different rates, colliding. Trout food is concentrated in and around these creases. Food is carried by the current and concentrated where the current is funneled in the fast water of runs, riffles, creases plus the heads and tails of pools. 

There is often slack water by the river bank and fast flowing water a few inches away. This is why a lot of trout can be found near the bank. Boulders and weedbeds cause the water to speed up to as they get past them. A crease is formed between the fast and slow water that traps floating aquatic insects in the eddies.  Fish the crease and providing the trout are feeding you will catch fish. Fish like to conserve energy and hold in slower moving slack water on the edge of faster water. This enables the food to come to them and they are close enough to nip out into the faster water to intercept their target food as it drifts past. Look for seams of foaming turbulent water as it pass over submerged boulders. Even though there is a current of fast moving water on the surface there is a pocket of slower water beneath it and some of these pockets will hold fish.

If the nymph does not drift naturally the trout will refuse it. Try to keep as much of the line off the water as possible and follow the end of the line as it travels down stream with my rod tip. Set the hook at any tightening or unnatural movement or flutter of the strike indicator. Some of these will be the snagging of the nymph on the bottom but a number will be fish. If you find you are not getting any takes change the nymph to a smaller size. If it is clear water choose natural colored patterns and longer leaders with lighter tippets. If the water is dirty or colored use a more brighter colored and large pattern to help the trout see what is being offered to them.

Over 100 years ago past masters like G.E.M Skues fished his nymph imitations close to the bank. " I am always amazed at how many fly fishermen overlook the large trout lurking close to the bank. I call them 'Bankers'." Just choose a small weighted nymph like this one. It will cut through the surface film and sink to the bottom. Approach your selected spot from down stream without spooking the fish. Caste upstream and drift your fly to a trout feeding in one of these near to the bank spots. Watch the trout strike the fly.

GOLD BEAD HEAD FLIES
The gold colored beads add weight to a fly. After a few hours with a fly rod you understand the necessity for adding weight to small flies. Trout tend to feed on midge larva and nymphs near the streambed. We all know that fish also look for emerging pupae as they float to the surface but consistent angling results rests in getting your flies to where the hungry fish look for their next meal, most of the time and that is near the bottom. To do this you need flies that sink. Because the bead is at the front of the fly it is this section that dives to the river floor first when the line is paused on the retrieve. After casting the fly try retrieve, pause, retrieve, pause. This helps animate the fly and makes them more attractive to the trout. If a sunbeam shines through the water it will reflect off the shinny gold bead head surface and hopefully help in catching the eye of a predatory trout. I prefer gold colored beads as I believe your chances of a fish taking your fly are improved. Some fishermen also suggested that the bead imitates an air bubble. This is a bonus when trying to imitate Caddis ( Sedge) Pupa. Many classic patterns have gold bead head variations.

A TROUT'S DIET - THE MAYFLY
Some artificial fishing flies try to imitate the fish's food at the different stages of an insect's life. A good example is the Mayfly. They all have upright wings and two or three long tails. There are five stages in the metamorphosis and life of the mayfly: egg, nymph, dun, spinner, and spent. Mayflies are commonly called 'up-winged' flies. They are recognized as being the staple diet of the trout. They are delicate insects with cylindrical bodies and two pairs of erect veined wings. Some mayfly species can be found at almost anytime of the year but others emerge only during certain times between the four month period from May to August. The term 'Mayfly' applies to all these species and not just the flies that hatch in May.

This group of fly fishing flies is tied to imitate the natural insects of the order Ephemeroptera. If you are saying that big word sounds Greek to me you would be 100% correct. 'Ephemeros' is Greek for 'lasting a day' and 'pteron' means 'a wing'. Most adults live less than a day and in some species they survive for only a matter of minutes. There are 2,500 species in the world: 46 in the UK, 85 in Australia and 611 in North America.

In a typical stream there may be a few hundred or a few thousand mayfly nymphs per square yard/metre. Mayflies do not have any defenses against those that prey on them. What they lack in defense they make up for in numbers. They are an extremely important element of all freshwater fish's diets.

There are thousands of fly patterns tied to imitate these insects at the different stages of their development. There is a lot of folklore and fishing jargon surrounding these flies that confuses the beginner. The best advice when you first start fly fishing is to ignore it all. Stop trying to match the natural insect with an exact named representation. Unlike other insect groups mayflies all look very similar and do much the same as other mayflies. Keep a range of imitations in your fly box to cover the life cycle of these insects from aquatic nymph to the spent dead mayfly floating on the water surface. Use the one that looks most like your local flies.

THE MAYFLY 'NYMPH' STAGE
After hatching from the egg the nymph lives and feeds on the bottom. Some are eaten at this stage by foraging trout. Nymphs are also taken as they swim towards the surface. These can be found in ponds, streams, lakes and rivers. They vary in appearance depending on the habitat they have adapted to live in. Most have three tails. Some have long legs for swimming whilst those in faster moving water have short strong legs for crawling.

THE MAYFLY 'DUN' STAGE
At the surface the 'dun' emerges from the nymph stage as it sheds it's old skin. Although winged it is not yet sexually mature, and it must cast its skin one more time to become a spinner. Mayflies are unique in having a pre-adult winged stage. They are the only insects that molt again after they have developed functional wings. This stage is called 'subimago' but more commonly known to fly fishermen as the 'Dun' stage. The nymphs can molt between 12 to 50 times and take over 2 years before they reach the adult stage. Fully grown nymphs rise to the surface and molt into the 'subimago' or 'Dun' stage. This is the most dangerous time for any mayfly as they are easy prey for fish from below and dragon flies from above. To reduce the chances of any single animal being seen or eaten mass emergences take place at dawn and dusk. The dull colored and slightly hairy Dun subimago can be found fluttering to nearby vegetation.

THE MAYFLY ADULT 'SPINNER' STAGE
The final molt to the hairless, shiny-winged adult form takes place a couple of minutes after emerging or a couple of days after. The adults are known as 'spinners' and their main task is to mate in the little time they have left. Males die shortly after mating and the females die after laying her eggs. After mating the female drops egg masses into the water. Some species land on the water surface to perform this function where they are sucked up by hungry waiting trout. Other females enter the water and swim down to attach their eggs to submerged objects.

THE MAYFLY ADULT 'SPENT' STAGE
The dead and dying mayflies are called 'spent' spinners. They are easy prey for the trout.

TAILING TROUT
There is a trout feeding pattern that you should always be on the look out for. The tell tale sign is when you see a fish tail popping out of the water. The fish is head down in the weed, sometimes ripping out the weed with its mouth, trying to disturb all the shrimp, nymphs, pupa and scuds that have sort refuge in the weed. This is where they live and feed. This is the only way trout and grayling can get at weed imbedded insects and crustaceans. The fish dive aggressively head long into the weed mass with the object of panicking the residents to make a dash to an alternative place of safety. This is what the fish are after. They start to feed on all the fleeing food forms. Do not cast when you see tailing trout. Wait until the tails have disappeared and the fish are hunting. The harvesting of panicked insect phase is when the fly fisher can make the most impact. Place your fly in the feeding zone and let it let it drift at the mercy of the current and to tumble about just like the naturals. Give a short sharp strip to imitate them fleeing to escape.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF NYMPH FISHING
Many of the very early flies fished below the surface were being used in the North of England and Scotland. Many of these wet fly techniques were being developed into a fine art. Down in the South of England , during the Victorian era, on the clear chalk streams of Hampshire and Wiltshire it was the floating or Dry Fly technique that became popular in fly fishing  circles. It was considered the most sporting method of tempting trout. By the end of the nineteenth century the rule of 'dry fly only' had become entrenched on most rivers. this was despite knowing fact that large river fish rarely feed on the surface. These values were transported around the British Empire.

However this dogma was challenged by one G.E.M. Skues, who fished on the famous River Itchen. Skues made himself very unpopular with the Victorian dry fly traditionalists, by singing the praises of a nymph pattern fished just beneath the surface to represent a hatching fly. Eventually Skues' arguments won the day and on most chalk streams the rules were changed so Gentlemen could fish either a floating fly or a nymph. 

With the 'rot' having set in, Frank Sawyer, a South England, Hampshire Avon river keeper, publicized his new 'induced take' method of fishing a heavily weighted nymph from near the river bottom. A method still widely used on both chalk and rough water streams.

With the building of  reservoirs for public water supplies the opportunity for trout fishing increased in areas that previously had poor fishing resources. Many of the reservoirs are extremely deep and new nymph fishing techniques and lures have been developed to tempt the huge trout that live at the bottom. The growing popularity of stillwater trout fishing has led to many farmers and landowners digging trout pools as an extra source of revenue. These small stillwater lakes and ponds make fly fishing accessible to more people.

WINTER FLY FISHING
There is normally no need to hurry to be on the water before noon in winter and you will be finished by dusk. The best winter fishing is during the warmest part of the day. Trout food is not as scarce as you think at this time of the year. You might not see any insect activity on the water surface but there is lots of activity on the bottom as they prepare for the coming season of hatches. A trout’s metabolism slows in the cold water but it still needs to eat to survive. They may not eat as much as in the summer but they still search out food.

Nymph fishing is the best method for this time of the year. Lightning Bug, Copper John, Beaded Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear Nymphs Princes Nymph, Zugbugs and and Pheasant Tail Nymphs fished dead drift in the current can be very productive. Make sure you work the water thoroughly as cold winter trout will not move a great distance to take a fly. I concentrate on deeper runs, pools and shallow water. I fish slow and deep on a floating line with a strike detector. Takes can be subtle so you have to concentrate hard.