Strike indicators???

[FarmerDave]

It looks like it is time for the old debate about bobbers ... err, I mean strike indicators. We've covered just about everything else.


p.s. I can't believe how mean all you guys can be. :-D

 

[MattBoyer]

p.s. I can't believe how mean all you guys can be. :-D

Stuff it, ya jerk!!! 😛 😛 😛 😛

Boyer :-D

 

[Daren]

personally i really like the foam pinch ons cause they dont screw up my casting all that much, they float really well, and they are easy to see. down side is the obvious lack of adjustability which i have recently learned is actually a huge factor in nymphing success. that said, i just bought a can of biostrike for nymphing in the small spring creeks cuz i thought it would be beneficial to have a tiny tiny pinch so as to not spook trout as easily. tried it this past weekend at my favorite limestoner and caught two. normally i catch none so id say early impressions are favorable :lol:

on a heavier note, as a grad of Va Tech, please keep the students, families and the Blacksburg community in your hearts, thoughts and prayers..... thanks

 

[Padraic]

All I can say is that anyone who uses a thermometer to cook a lasagna knows nothing about cooking. Further, they don't care about cooking and shouldn't be allowed to cook. You won't catch me with one of those things. I watch for the tell tale signs that can be learned, but not easily described. That's what makes cooking an art.

 

[Festus]

If'n ya's would listen to ol' Festus and use salmon egg juice on yer flies, ya wouldn't need to be worryin about no blasted bobber cause the strikes are so hard they rip the line right off the reel. :-D

 

[RLeeP]

>All I can say is that anyone who uses a thermometer to cook a lasagna knows nothing about cooking. >>

I find this interesting.. Is a lasagna an entity in its own right so that it deserves an "a" in front of it? I mean, is spaghetti "a spaghetti" or is it simply spaghetti? What is the qualification for the "a"?

I have a similar question about streams. I often hear or read people say things like: "I was on "The Kettle Creek" or "we caught 5 steelhead out of the Elk (Creek)". What's with the "the"? It isn't on any of the maps...🙂

I use strike indicators for the same reason that I generally do not stand on one foot while fishing. It's easier...🙂

I like the putty and the old Umpqua roll-ons, which aren't that easy to find any more.

If you think about it, everybody uses indicators regardless of whether it is a burned out 40 watt bulb they've lashed th their leader or if they simply watch the nail knot at the top of their leader. Both indicate...

 

[Daren]

thats a damned good idea fester.... where's kin i gits me summa dat der samon juce? ;-)

 

[live2fish]

Size 12 drake.

 

[Padraic]

RLeeP wrote:
>All I can say is that anyone who uses a thermometer to cook a lasagna knows nothing about cooking. >>

I find this interesting.. Is a lasagna an entity in its own right so that it deserves an "a" in front of it? I mean, is spaghetti "a spaghetti" or is it simply spaghetti? What is the qualification for the "a"?

You obviously haven't read Halford's "A Lasagna Man's Code" or Marinaro's "A Modern Lasagna Man's Code". So you just don't get it.

 

[thedude1534]

Why are a lot of people sore on strike indicators? Do they not tie a dropper to a nice big dry fly when a hatch is close, but the fish aren't yet to the surface? Is that not essentially the same thing? Granted a fish can actually take the dry too, but still, you are using a floating device to aid your visual perception of when you have a strike. If I tie on a Royal Wulff or a huge yellow Humpy and use it as an indicator when I nymph is that all of the sudden okay?

I'm just trying to see if its the concept, or the physical object itself that some people find offensive.

 

[JackM]

I have no problem with people using any type of strike indicator. I rarely use specific objects attached to my leader, although I will use the dry dropper combination when conditions demand it. I do think that often times they are really a bobber and people shouldn't be ashamed to admit that. Also, it bothers me when people who use them think that I am foolish, standing on one leg, or whatever because I don't use them. I find I have better control of my drift most times without them and also view it as a technique less pure for my tastes, just like some who refused to prospect with dries and will only put them on when fish are actually rising.

 

[Bamboozle]

I find it somewhat interesting how strike indicators have evolved since the stick-on jobs first appeared. I guess the "bobber" stigma is slowly evaporating because some of those indicators with their two colors, wooden pegs, rubber band contraptions, huge size etc.; sure look a lot like some of the specialized bait bobbers I have nestled in my tackle box.

That being said I use them infrequently because I prefer fishing dry flies. When I use them it's more for very shallow nymphing or midge pupa fishing when the indicator is between 6-12" above the fly and the water is too too rough to effectively use a dry/nymph combo. I don't have an issue with them except all of a sudden; I do see more than I should, casually discarded along the stream when they rip, break or slip off. It's sorta like cigarette butts; somehow it became acceptable to just flick 'em 'cause they're small.

While I have no problem disclosing secret fishing spots, pet fly patterns or lasagna recipes; I steadfastly refuse to "kiss and tell" when it comes to indicators so please forgive me for not telling you which type I prefer...

😎

I do know that indicators have really opened up the sport to new nymphers and new fly fishermen because I know LOTS of newbys that are into the sport because they CAN catch fish on a nymph at a place like the Little Lehigh or The Run. It is generally the #1 technique I teach someone when they first get into flyfishing since it's so much easier to EXPLAIN, than all of the nuances of dry fly fishing, hatches and insect stages.

And let's face it; we ALL do/use/try something that we feel makes it easier for us to catch fish. For some, indicators are just, "one of those things".

 

[Bruno]

little balloons are the best.

 

[FarmerDave]

Daren wrote:
personally i really like the foam pinch ons cause they dont screw up my casting all that much, they float really well, and they are easy to see. down side is the obvious lack of adjustability which i have recently learned is actually a huge factor in nymphing success. that said, i just bought a can of biostrike for nymphing in the small spring creeks cuz i thought it would be beneficial to have a tiny tiny pinch so as to not spook trout as easily. tried it this past weekend at my favorite limestoner and caught two. normally i catch none so id say early impressions are favorable :lol:

on a heavier note, as a grad of Va Tech, please keep the students, families and the Blacksburg community in your hearts, thoughts and prayers..... thanks

What ticks me off about those stick on strike indicators is when those stupid early season stocked trout strike the strike indicator and ignore the fly. Well, it doesn't tick me off, but it has hapened more than once. :-D

I even had a steelhead take a swipe at a yarn indicator once. So, I tied on an unweighted wooly bugger, and got a couple hits just under the surface. Landed the second one (a 10 pounder). I've caught a few steelhead on or near the surface that way. Not many things in fishing are more exciting than seeing a large fish charge a fly on the surface. Even if you can't see the fish, you can see the wake coming.

The only time I ever used a dropper setup on a wild trout stream, I ended up foul hooking a brown trout. Now for me, it's one fly at a time on wild streams. On stocked fish, I'll resort to tandem rigs if the fishing is slow. I probably don't catch as many as I could because of this philosophy, but I don't care.

I have nothing against bobbers or strike indicators. I do view them as two different things, but I don't have a problem with either. Almost everybody uses something as a strike indicator (a knot, end of fly line, the leader itself, etc) they indicate a strike. If adding something to the line helps you detect a strike, go for it. A bobber on the other hand is a float. It does indicate a strike, but it also is a float which bait or a fly is suspended from. There are times when they are needed to fish certain spots effectively. I just don't use them all the time.

 

[FarmerDave]

Bruno wrote:
little balloons are the best.

Hey Bruno, how are those bass biting down in Florida. :-D

 

[Maurice]

JackM wrote:
I have no problem with people using any type of strike indicator. I rarely use specific objects attached to my leader, although I will use the dry dropper combination when conditions demand it. I do think that often times they are really a bobber and people shouldn't be ashamed to admit that. Also, it bothers me when people who use them think that I am foolish, standing on one leg, or whatever because I don't use them. I find I have better control of my drift most times without them and also view it as a technique less pure for my tastes, just like some who refused to prospect with dries and will only put them on when fish are actually rising.

Here's a theory Jack. maybe you don't use an indicator on your line because you already have an indicator in your mouth. :-D

Hear me out...We all use an indicator to detect strikes. whether it be a stick on, pegged, yarn, bobber, balloon, piece of red linebetween the Fly line and leader, tip of the rod. Feeling the line.

When that cigarette tips up, burns his nose and he jumps, is when he sets the hook. Eurecka!, I think I nailed it... :lol:

Maurice

 

[Padraic]

thedude1534 wrote:
Why are a lot of people sore on strike indicators? Do they not tie a dropper to a nice big dry fly when a hatch is close, but the fish aren't yet to the surface? Is that not essentially the same thing? Granted a fish can actually take the dry too, but still, you are using a floating device to aid your visual perception of when you have a strike. If I tie on a Royal Wulff or a huge yellow Humpy and use it as an indicator when I nymph is that all of the sudden okay?

I'm just trying to see if its the concept, or the physical object itself that some people find offensive.

I hope you realize that FarmerDave is being sarcastic here... 🙂

I have no problem at all with indicators and use them when conditions dictate. I also don't use them as conditions indicate.

I think pocket water is a terrible place for any type of floating indicator, such as a dry/dropper or a stickon indicator. Much better to watch the tippet. To make this easier, I will use tiny bits of the indicator paste that loon sells. I put dabs of that on knots in the leader (I tie my own). If the lower dot ticks upstream, I set the hook. Often it's nothing, but sometimes it's not.

Pools and quiet water are great for dry/droppers even if there is no hatch. I think a traditional indicator can scare fish in clear, slow water.

Riffles are the best place for a traditional indicator. I like to use them there when the water is swift but shallow. That way I can "stand off" a bit and not scare fish.

 

[CaptMatt]

I use indicators a lot of the time. I draw the line when it comes to the balloons though. : )

 

[cwwbell]

I use all kinds of strike indicators and I catch more fish for them. I use a piece of fluorescent mono when high-sticking to help me locate the leader more quickly, which some of you I'm sure know to be difficult when the sun is in your face and there's glare on the water. I use Palsa pinch on floats when I need to get the fly a little bit farther away from me. The farther the fly is from you, the more difficult it is to keep the line tight and feel a strike. And I use home-made yarn indicators sometimes on big water. I don't think it's at all like using a thermometer on your lasagna. I wonder if people who think indicators aren't pure, though, went out and got fluorocarbon tippet when they heard that it was less visible to the fish, or if they thought that would make things less pure or too easy?

 

[FarmerDave]

Sure, single me out again Padraic. What makes you think thedude was talking about me.

OK, maybe i was being a little sarcastic.

But I have to ask, why do so many people think the word "bobber" is a four letter word. If you ask me, it's snobbery. :-D