Nymph with or without Indicator

[willdeb]

Which one do you like better. I'm Neutral but one thing I do know Joe Humphreys likes fishing with out a indicator.

 

[BrookieChaser]

I don't nymph with an indicator.

 

[LeTortAngler2]

Since the majority of streams I fish are small limestoners, I prefer to fish without indicators due to the fact they spook fish, plus make my casting somewhat clumsy . In the rare case I use a form of indicator, it's a terrestrial/Dry Fly.

 

[sandfly]

depends on the water and species I am fishing for. also the watersheds

 

[JackM]

I don't nymph, ever. Liar!

 

[evw659]

I prefer to nymph without an indicator, but there are times when fishing with an indicator is simply much more effective, especially on larger rivers. For me, it's simply another tool in the toolbox.

 

[geebee]

deep - indicator

shallow - no indicator.

 

[dudemanspecial]

I cut my teeth trout fishing using wax worms with an ultralight spinning setup almost exclusively. Fished them just like nymphing.....just got used to the feel and watching my line behavior. Now when nymphing I use the same tactics. I don't even own any indicators. I could see their advantage in deep waters though but I don't fish big water too much.

 

[SteveG]

Water that I can wade to within 15' of the fish without spooking them- no indicator, but I do use a hi-vis mono sighter built into my leader.
If I can't wade close enough and its deep water, I throw an indicator on. It helps to make an initial lift of only the sighter, since the surface current is inducing drag on your nymph at the bottom.
If its low and flat water, I go dry-dropper and cast directly upstream.
Experiment with different rigs, on water you know has fish to see what is most comfortable.

 

[raftman]

Probably because I'm still learning the ropes, I nymph with biostrike as my indicator....I've found that I can control the depth of my line a lot better with something that doesn't float.

 

[pro4mance]

I do both, indicator and not so I couldn't vote

 

[PennKev]

Match the technique to the situation. If that means fishing an indicator, fish with one. If it mean fishing without one, leave it off.

If you are some kinda of purist who lacks self confidence or needs to be different than everyone else, do whatever makes you feel warm and fuzzy, but don't try to say one is better than the other just because.

Kev

 

[jkilroy]

It's all dependent on the water type. Close and personal inline sighter. Distance and long drifts required, SI is a must. There is no way around it.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

I highstick without an indicator when I am fishing up close. I tie a piece of hi-viz mono into my knotted leader. For flyfishing at a distance I use an indicator,IMO no way around not using one at the longer distances. So it depends on the situation but I use both and catch trout with both techniques.

 

[BrookieChaser]

I've never found a nymphing situation, deep water, long line, etc where I've said to myself "I need a bobber". But you don't miss what you never had. I wasn't taught to nymph that way when taught, similar to those mentioning a background in bait. In fact I never knew of it until early last year when a buddy told me about it, and then later read it in "Dynamic Nymphing".

I can see where it could suspend a nymph at a specific depth. If a person needs it, fine, use it.

 

[PatrickC]

Depends....

 

[geebee]

Steve & Tiger - what mono do you use ?

an article in a UK trout magazine got me thinking about an in line sighter - they used 2.5 Tenkara pink or orange level flouro but its not cheap $20 for 30m.

do you use flotant on the hi-viz mono ?

 

[krayfish2]

I'm the opposite of Geebee. I'll use a heavy nymph and an indi in shallow water. The indi is adjusted to keep me near the bottom but nut hanging up constantly. In faster / deeper water, probably no indi. If the water is deep and entering the head of a pool, I'll use heavily weighted flies with indi 10'-12' above bottom fly. On a spring creek or when I can see the target, unweighted fly and lead 18" or so above the nymph. No indi needed.

 

[SteveG]

Geebee, I have used Stren yellow and blue. Having two colors creates contrast to aid in detection, and in deeper water acts as a depth gauge. I recently got some Cortland indicator mono, which is a single piece dyed in contrasting colors. Both work well.

You can grease the sighter to make it float, but I usually go dry-dropper instead.

Fwiw, floating indicators serve two purposes: strike indication, and keeping your rig from dragging across currents. I don't think of it as suspending my rig at a determined depth, but to act as a hinge to negate cross current drag. There's more to it than just throwing on a ton of shot and using a floating indicator to hold it off the bottom. Too much weight and your offering will drift too slowly.

As others have said, if you adapt to the water conditions, you'll catch fish. Being stuck only fishing one way will limit where you can fish effectively. I highly recommend picking up the Dynamic Nymphing book.

 

[geebee]

Thanks Steve - the cortland looks just the job.