Sighter Material

[atticus]

I am currently using RIO two tone sighter indicator on my mono rig, but having difficulty seeing it when glare comes off the water. Was wondering what other anglers use for good visability.

 

[dc410]

I also have used Rio two tone sighted material for a number of years. I have made it a habit to use a black sharpie to put tick marks on the sighter section. For me this definitely makes it easier for me to visually pick up the sighter section (especially the black tick marks on the yellow sections). I’m not exactly sure how much this would work to actually cut through glare off of the waters surface. The black tick marks do need to be freshened up occasionally as they do tend to wear off after a certain period of use.

 

[gfoledc]

I tie a short piece of orange backing to the sighter or a small piece of strike putty

 

[drakeking412]

I despise the two tone or three tone stuff. Maybe it's just because i learned without it but I like amnesia in chart. and orange and then leave your blood tags a little longer and you can watch those or tippet ring to gain focus point. i haven't found a ton of ways around glare other than good glasses though

 

[nomad_archer]

I use Cortland two tone and then add an additional length of Cortland white indicator material. Between the two tone and the white I can usually see one of them. I found the cortland to be much brighter than than the rio even into the smaller diameters.

 

[maxima12]

I use what works, Amnesia.

Maxima12

 

[PennKev]

What color are you using? I find yellow, chartreuse, and white to be much easier to see against the water in most conditions when compared to reds and oranges. Also, opaque colors shows up better. Some slighter materials are too translucent IMO.

I also leave 1" tags on all my slighter knots. They add a degree of visibility of and make it easier to see subtle movement in your slighter.

Right now, I'm using the Cortland stuff but I've had good luck with Umpqua also.

Amnesia is probably my least favorite for the translucency issues I mentioned.

 

[kbobb]

I use 2 tone red and green fluorescent sighter but leave the tag ends of the blood knots stick out - also i tie a blood knot in the middle of the sighter and leave the tags stick out. George Daniel calls them "bunny ears" - this makes it easier to see for me.

 

[blitzinstripes]

Guess I'm the odd guy out. I started using Berkeley solar collector in bright green. Stuff glows like a fiber optic in the sun. Not so much on cloudy days but I find it easier to see it on cloudy days anyhow even without the glowing effect.

 

[birdog]

I've added black sharpie marks to my tri or bi-color sighter as well. I also add the bunny ears as several people mentioned. Rio makes a white & black sighter line that I would like to try. Anyone with experience using it?

 

[turkey]

gfoledc wrote:
I tie a short piece of orange backing to the sighter or a small piece of strike putty

csoult gave me a length of fluoro orange mono about a decade ago now. I've stubbornly never employed it but I have kept it all these years in the anticipation that I may use it.

Hope you are well R.H. Maybe I'll see you this Spring. Cheers!

 

[gfoledc]

Jeff see you in March

 

[Dave_W]

I started using the blue and yellow Stren casting monofilament back in the early 1980s.

These days I just use cheapo brand X bright green fishing line, typically 20lb test. You can get a spool of hundreds of yards of this stuff for 4 or 5 bucks.

 

[PennKev]

Dave_W wrote:
I started using the blue and yellow Stren casting monofilament back in the early 1980s.

These days I just use cheapo brand X bright green fishing line, typically 20lb test. You can get a spool of hundreds of yards of this stuff for 4 or 5 bucks.

20lb test is not typically what most guys are thinking of these days when talking sighters. Even for all-mono rigs, a lighter line will be used.

I know it's popular to dismiss more expensive, specialty products as unnecessary, but sometimes they do offer an advantage. I believe the fly fishing specific sighter materials are one of those things and are truly superior to conventional hi-vis lines. Additionally, a spool of sighter material will last an angler quite a long time as it is not used up like tippet. Spending a couple dollars more is well worth it for a more visible, lower memory line. I don't see any advantage of using the conventional lines anymore with the exception of the fluorescent blue lines, and expect we'll see sighter material in that color eventually given the popularity of tight-line and mono rig techniques.

 

[mute]

While I do use SA tri color sighter I wouldn't say you get alot for the money. Compared to buying colored amnesia in bulk. The main difference in using amnesia vs tri sighter is the stiffness. SA sighter is limp. Which works well for nymphing. But it also hinders the ability to turn over certain flies in other situations where amnesia wins.

 

[PennKev]

mute wrote:
While I do use SA tri color sighter I wouldn't say you get alot for the money. Compared to buying colored amnesia in bulk. The main difference in using amnesia vs tri sighter is the stiffness. SA sighter is limp. Which works well for nymphing. But it also hinders the ability to turn over certain flies in other situations where amnesia wins.

Sighters aren't a single use item. You should get several outings out of one sighter, if not much more. Utilizing tippet rings is a great way to create a modular slighter system that has a longlifespan.

Having the right material for the job trumps sheer quantity. Years ago, prior to the newer slighter materials, I purchased several spools of Amnesia. I'd be lucky if I have used 5% of the line on those spools. So did I save money? Finally, the turnover thing is inconsequential, I'm not worried about turnover when fishing any nymph method. The flies, even when lightly weighted, have enough mass to get where they are going.

 

[caddis75]

Hey all, new here. I highly recommend adding neon wax to your sighter. I found it helps the colors pop a bit.