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

[FishnDave]

8T... Funny you should mention how picky Bluegills can be at times. I've been having this issue frequently lately...I get LOTS of hits on nearly every fly I toss, but they seem to be hitting to kill or taste, but not eat? I've been having a very tough time getting them to take a fly good enough so that I can actually hook them. I've tried small, I've tried big. I've tried short-tailed flies, hoping to hook the "nippers". I've even tried flies tied with tough-but-soft rubber bodies. Almost everything gets HIT, but few fish get hooked. These are fish up to 8.5"+, so they aren't all tiny bluegills. Its a bit frustrating, but its fun to keep trying new flies too.
The thing that seems most odd is that these fish SHOULD be feeding ravenously right now, and shouldn't be picky?

[Uncle Jesse]

The little experiment I had Saturday got me thinking. It was the worse day bream fishing I have had in a Loooooooong time. But after I got out of the wind, I tied on a white popper, no legs, white hackle and feathers and a mini-bugger as a dropper. Quick strips did produce some strikes and one nice gill. I am going to make a couple of sliders, solid white and I have several black mini-buggers, lightly weighted with wraps of copper wire. I am going to try a trick from some bass plugs and try a "hole in the head" slider head. I have a pieces of a biospy needle that will cut a hole about 1/16" along the axis of the head. I hope that will produce some enticing bubbles upon retrieval. I will let you know how this works, it is supposed to be warm Saturday.

[quivira kid]

I got the idea from someone on here, but I tie a "copper john" type fly for gills that goes like this...

Standard nymph hook, sz 8
1/8" bead, gold or copper
Body: copper diamond braid
Thorax: a turn or two of peacock chenille
Collar: partridge

It doesn't sink like a rock, and the partridge gives it a little movement and maybe that "something soft" you guys are talking about.

[Eight Thumbs]

8T... Funny you should mention how picky Bluegills can be at times. I've been having this issue frequently lately...I get LOTS of hits on nearly every fly I toss, but they seem to be hitting to kill or taste, but not eat? I've been having a very tough time getting them to take a fly good enough so that I can actually hook them. I've tried small, I've tried big. I've tried short-tailed flies, hoping to hook the "nippers". I've even tried flies tied with tough-but-soft rubber bodies. Almost everything gets HIT, but few fish get hooked. These are fish up to 8.5"+, so they aren't all tiny bluegills. Its a bit frustrating, but its fun to keep trying new flies too.
The thing that seems most odd is that these fish SHOULD be feeding ravenously right now, and shouldn't be picky?

Dave, I feel your pain. I've had many days like that myself, often in front of an audience who is enjoying my lack of fishing success in spite of many apparent hits. I don't have the answer but I generally find that smaller flies works better in this situation. I also try to avoid flies with long tails, legs and other body appendages that might be easily grabbed. These measures don't solve the problem of light bites but it seems to help a bit. Good luck with those reluctant fish! 8T