Barr’s Gold Bead Copper John

The late Bruce Olsen of Umpqua gave the fly its name, the Copper John. Over the years there have been material changes and different versions but the basic concept and design has remained unchanged. Wapsi’s Thin Skin replaced the turkey quill for the wing case. Synthetic peacock dubbing replaced the peacock herl for the abdomen and hen back fibers replaced the partridge for the legs. I tied the original Copper John with natural copper wire and in the following years Wapsi introduced a variety of colors in their Ultra Wire line and I added more colors, most notably red and other versions including rubber legged models."
- Umpqua Signature Tyer John Barr