copper wire

[Punchshot]

Can copper wire be used to add weight to a fly, instea ;) d of lead - not sure if copper rusts ;)

[sage fly guy]

Sure it could, but copper wire is much more expensive than lead.

When exposed to saltwater the copper gets that green patina very quickly, which would ruin the fly.

Stick with the lead.

[bluefishercat]

Copper wire is used for color and a little weight in some freshwater flies, brassie and copper john for example.
For weight for saltwater flies I use Plumber's solder. about a half inch piece tied to a hook and hit it with a little epoxy. or from Radio Shack some solder and wrap it around the shank.
If the point is to be enviormentally correct you could use Silvabrite solder.
Pete

[scruffy_fish]

Depends on what you are looking to achive.
If it's for weight only, stick with the lead subsittue. When lead oxides it forms a white coating usually will not affect fly colors. Solder is a good replacement, but use the kind without the flux built into it. Copper is much lighter in weight. Uncoated Copper produces a green color when it oxides and will have and impact on fly color. If you use copper, get the coated wire. I always coat my weighted flies with a protective covering such as Hard-as-nails before I start to put on the other materials. :)

[tyguy]

I have been playing around with using short pieces of sinking fly line to weight some of my larger flies. I acquired a 60 yard length of something around 600 grain from a fly shop up in PA - they had a LARGE spool of this stuff and it was pretty cheap, so I figured I'd use some of it for a shooting head, and the rest I'd play with.

It can be wound around the hook shank if it is anchored at both ends, or it can be cut into short lengths and tied parallel to the hook shank. Either way, it works well, sinks like a rock and it is environmentally friendly :) .