Copper - Will Taylor

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COPPERQUODDIWADAMOGGIN, COPPERMGAUMIC SMELT
Submitted By Will Taylor

COPPERQUODDIWADAMOGGIN

COPPERMGAUMIC SMELT

HOOK	Mustad 3665A, size 4
THREAD	Black, 6/0
TAIL	a few golden pheasant tippet fibers
BODY	flat copper tinsel, #12, tied down & back
RIB	fine copper wire, Body coated with "hard-as-nails"
BELLY	sparse white bucktail, into bend of hook, next to hook; then
THROAT	short golden pheasant crest feather, ~1/2 wing length, curving upwards
WING	6-8 strands copper crystal flash next to hook; then sparse red bucktail; over which a mallard flank feather, tied flat

HOOK	Mustad 3665A, size 4
THREAD	Black, 6/0
TAIL	a few golden pheasant tippet fibers
BODY	flat copper tinsel, #12, tied down & back
RIB	fine copper wire, Body coated with "hard-as-nails"
BELLY	sparse white bucktail, into bend of hook, next to hook; then
THROAT	short red hackle barbules, 1/3 body length
WING	6-8 strands copper crystal flash next to hook; then a golden pheasant crest feather curved down, over which sparse purple bucktail; over which a teal flank feather, tied flat

Will's Comments On These Patterns:
I haven't tied many flatwing streamers, and have been disappointed with the results on my early attempts; so this has been an opportunity for me to work on this style. I'm pretty pleased with these flies - they look like ones I'd keep in the water, & my dad always told me that's the kind of fly you're gonna catch fish on. Chubs if nothing else. I'll let you know how they do next spring.

Copperquoddiwadamoggin:

The red/white/yellow color combination is pretty well-tried, and I thought it would marry nice with the copper body & flash. It seemed to need something at the tail, & the golden pheasant tippets were the closest I could find to extend the copper motif. I especially like the way the copper crystal flash reflects the red bucktail in the underwing.

About the name - I've carried my 19-1/2' canoe into some pretty unpronouncible lakes in the West Branch (Penobscot) & Allagash watersheds, & I think one of them might have been named something like this ;^).

Coppermgaumic Smelt:

This is kind of a severely re-arranged Magog Smelt, sort of. At least that's what I was thinking of when I sat down at the vice. The Magog is a sentimental pattern for me - I caught my first-ever Maine Landlocked Salmon on one, an aerial 17-incher from Long Lake on Mt. Desert Island. A small salmon, but huge compared to the brookies I was used to catching.

I like purple in a streamer, it seems to catch the color of a live smelt well; and like the red on the Copperquoddiwadamoggin, the purple bucktail uses the copper flash to good advantage. A little yellow feels essential; I like the glow of golden pheasant crest & thought it worked in better than bucktail would on this pattern. I left out the peacock herl, to let the copper flash dominate.

I was gonna call this the Copperple (cu-PER'-pul) Smelt, but thought it too pretty for a silly name. So instead, I've named this for one of the most beautiful streams (Caucumgaumic) I've ever dragged a canoe up.

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