Jumbo Johns

[SteveW]

I need your thoughts,
I am trying to simplify my blugill addiction. I have been playing with the jumbo copper johns and I am certain that dead drifted will produce strikes but what about slowly strippping the fly along the bottom.

[Normand]

it may not even get to the bottom with bluegills. these are bluegills, they attack anything that moves.

i tie large zebra midges and strip them in slowly.

[FishnDave]

Adding a bit of hackle to your pattern might add to your success.
http://www.flyfishohio.com/Heavy_Metal_Hairy_Spyder.htm

[quivira kid]

Try it! It can't hurt. Sometimes they like them on a dead drift, sometimes stripping a fly in slowly works better.

[mnklagoon]

Thats the way I do them! Works like a charm!

[Eight Thumbs]

Steve,

Just a quick thought on your question. I believe that Copper Johns are a great pattern though somewhat complex to tie for brim if you go the epoxy-on-the-back route. My only concern with this fly is the hard, dead metal body on the Copper John. This is not a problem if the brim are feeding heavily and hitting hard but I find that many times brim and their sunfish cousins nip at the fly for a taste and the take is very gentle and hard to feel. If the first bite hits solid metal you will lose fish because the fly will be reject and ejected quickly. It seems like it would be a worse problem as you fish deeper and deeper and the time needed to feel the fish gets longer. I'm a firm believer in soft, dubbed bodies and hackle for those times that brim are taking flies lightly or just nipping. I don't know if that means a Copper John without the copper or a weighted mini-bugger but either choice would give you a bit more time to react to a strike. Just my 2% of a dollar. I'm sure others will disagree. 8T