NymphbeginnerAlaska
Copper John (Alaska)
Flybox sourcing profile
No TWG price or checkout is active. Use this page to validate the fly, then source it through the mapped tier or trusted fly shops.
Pattern Ledger
Source Copper John (Alaska)
Want help finding this exact pattern or a tied-to-order equivalent? Join the sourcing ledger and we will prioritize demand by water, species, and pattern.
Trusted Sourcing Ledger
Find this fly from an independent source
Exact links are published only after the product name and live page are checked. TWG does not sell the fly, set the price, or control stock, shipping, or returns.
Exact source still under review
We have not published an exact product link for this pattern yet. The directory below can help locate a regional specialist, but it is not proof that the exact fly is currently listed.
Regional source directory
Alaska Fly Fishing Goods
Matched on Alaska, nymph flies, rainbow trout. Alaska-specific fly shop with fly categories for trout, char, grayling, salmon, and steelhead.
Fulling Mill Flies
Matched on nymph flies, trout, nymph. Large pattern house with broad freshwater and saltwater fly categories.
Big Y Fly Co.
Matched on nymph flies, trout, nymph. Broad by-type catalog useful for common benchmark patterns and inexpensive backups.
Driftless Angler
Matched on nymph flies, trout, nymph. Driftless-specific trout source for spring creek nymphs, dries, and local bug windows.
These are independent businesses. A listing does not imply endorsement or partnership. TWG currently receives no purchase commission from these links. Any future paid or affiliate relationship will be labeled beside the relevant link.
The Copper John works in Colorado. It works in Montana. It works in Alaska, where the rivers are bigger, the current is faster, and the fish are proportionally less impressed by anything small. Sized up to #8 and weighted with tungsten, this version punches through Alaskan current to reach the gravel where Dolly Varden and grayling hold, unbothered by the salmon circus happening above them. It is a reminder that not every fish in Alaska is a salmon.
Quick Facts
Where to Fish It
Copper River
AK · Salmon River
Kenai River
AK · Salmon River
Bristol Bay rivers
AK · Remote Stream
Loading map...
You Might Also Like
NymphbeginnerPrince Nymph
FlyboxFind a tier or trusted source
Alaska
#8 - #14
The same universally effective nymph that works everywhere in North America. Peacock herl body, white biot wings, brown hackle. In Alaska, it fills the gap when fish are not keyed on eggs or flesh.
Arctic Grayling · Dolly Varden · Rainbow Trout
NymphintermediateAlaska Stonefly Nymph
FlyboxFind a tier or trusted source
Alaska
#4 - #8
Large, heavily weighted stonefly nymph for tumbling through fast Alaskan freestone rivers. Rubber legs and a dark body imitate the giant stonefly nymphs that inhabit clean gravel substrates.
Rainbow Trout · Dolly Varden · Arctic Grayling
Egg PatternbeginnerAlaska Glo Bug
FlyboxFind a tier or trusted source
Alaska
#6 - #12
Tier reference: Brad Elfers
Yarn egg pattern in fluorescent colors. Dead-drifted through salmon spawning runs. The universal currency of Alaskan rivers from June through October.
Rainbow Trout · Dolly Varden · Arctic Grayling · Silver Salmon
Egg PatternbeginnerBlood Dot Egg
FlyboxFind a tier or trusted source
Alaska
#6 - #10
Realistic egg pattern with a contrasting dot of red or orange yarn in the center, imitating a fertilized or developing salmon egg. The blood dot trigger dramatically increases strike rates compared to plain eggs.
Rainbow Trout · Dolly Varden · Arctic Grayling · Arctic Char
Egg PatternbeginnerTrout Bead (Pegged)
FlyboxFind a tier or trusted source
Alaska
6mm - 10mm bead, #6 - #8 hook
Hard acrylic or glass bead pegged two inches above a bare hook. The most realistic egg imitation available. Controversial in some circles, devastatingly effective in all of them.
Rainbow Trout · Dolly Varden · Arctic Grayling · Arctic Char
Dry FlybeginnerElk Hair Caddis
FlyboxFind a tier or trusted source
Alaska
#10 - #16
Al Troth's iconic caddis imitation. Elk hair wing, palmered hackle. Floats high in fast water. The go-to dry fly for Alaskan grayling and trout when caddis are hatching on clear-water streams.
Arctic Grayling · Rainbow Trout · Dolly Varden