Umpqua Indicator Coils

[Wildbrowntrout]

Does anybody have any experience using these? I got some today and the only way I could rig them onto my leader was a perfection loop to loop connection from leader to indicator, then another loop to loop to my tippet. Is there a better way of doing this or is that basically it. The holes are really small at the ends of the indicator so I had trouble tying knots to them for the loop to loop.

 

[ryansheehan]

Couldn't you just use a clinch knot or whatever terminal knot you use? I've been reading about these coils or slinkies for a while now but haven't tried one yet. From my research they require slow flat water and weightless or very light nymphs. Curious what your experience with them was.

 

[Bruno]

12 bucks ?????? No way !

 

[PennKev]

Yeah, when a spool of the sighted material only costs $15.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

PennKev wrote:
Yeah, when a spool of the sighted material only costs $15.

Yeah, but why add another connection (two actually) to your leader if you can incorporate the coil into your sighter?

 

[NewSal]

As mentioned, dont buy the premade ones, unless you have money to burn. Just wrap whatever material you want to use around a dowel and boil, then freeze.
They are good for direct upstream presentations...grease and float it directly upstream with a good horizontal cast in low water situations, thats really there only use, hence why most guys just use a straight sighter and grease it and fish it the same way instead of swapping out beacsue the straight sighter is better in most situations, doesnt hold up as well on floated upstream presentations but it gets the job done with a good cast.

Go make a couple an try em out

 

[PennKev]

Nymph-wristed wrote:

PennKev wrote:
Yeah, when a spool of the sighted material only costs $15.

Yeah, but why add another connection (two actually) to your leader if you can incorporate the coil into your sighter?

No. The coil indicators are MADE from sighter material. Buying the spool will yield many coils for only slightly more cost.

Also, you use one or the other. Regular sighter or coil indicators. Two different indicators for very different applications.

 

[Fredrick]

NewSal wrote:
As mentioned, dont buy the premade ones, unless you have money to burn. Just wrap whatever material you want to use around a dowel and boil, then freeze.
They are good for direct upstream presentations...grease and float it directly upstream with a good horizontal cast in low water situations, thats really there only use, hence why most guys just use a straight sighter and grease it and fish it the same way instead of swapping out beacsue the straight sighter is better in most situations, doesnt hold up as well on floated upstream presentations but it gets the job done with a good cast.

Go make a couple an try em out

Use smaller sized dowels the coils will last longer .

They make premade ones that have tippet rings on each end but the brand escapes me at the moment .

 

[Nymph-wristed]

PennKev wrote:

Nymph-wristed wrote:

PennKev wrote:
Yeah, when a spool of the sighted material only costs $15.

Yeah, but why add another connection (two actually) to your leader if you can incorporate the coil into your sighter?

No. The coil indicators are MADE from sighter material. Buying the spool will yield many coils for only slightly more cost.

Also, you use one or the other. Regular sighter or coil indicators. Two different indicators for very different applications.

I am talking about making a longer sighter with the coil in it instead of adding just the short prefab coil. That way you can customize the length of your own leader not use the premade lengths between coils to connect in, that's all. And I can buy 330 yards of suffix for 7.99?

 

[SteveG]

+1 to NewSal's comment. I just grease the sighter section I have built into my leader, as it floats light nymphs and soft hackles fine (which is what I use in that fishing scenario).

 

[ryguyfi]

I see that these are made with 6lb test. Have any worries of actually breaking that? I would think something in the 10-15lb range would be better. Someone school me on this?

 

[midgeman]

Short leaders and Zen...

 

[PennKev]

ryguyfi wrote:
I see that these are made with 6lb test. Have any worries of actually breaking that? I would think something in the 10-15lb range would be better. Someone school me on this?

Sensitivity. You want the coils to stretch and move at the slightest disturbance.

Given the size of flies and water conditions this setup is usually used in, tippets lighter than 6lb test is often used anyway.

 

[PennKev]

Nymph-wristed wrote:
I am talking about making a longer sighter with the coil in it instead of adding just the short prefab coil. That way you can customize the length of your own leader not use the premade lengths between coils to connect in, that's all. And I can buy 330 yards of suffix for 7.99?

Suffix and other mono materials can certainly be used but the characteristics of the Umpqua stuff are better suited to making the coils.

While you can rig a leader the way you describe, using lengths of sighter material apart from the actual coil sextion is sort of redundant as the coil already provides multiple methods of strike detection. The modular nature of adding and removing the coil is also important IMO. It will be a rare day that you want to use nothing but a coil. Being able to quickly remove the coil indicator and go back to a tight-line or other leader set up is necessary as far as I'm concerned.

My experience with coils has been that they are a specialized tool and using them when not needed is another case of forcing square pegs into round holes. There is more nuance to Euro techniques than some people realize, and coil indicators are a good example. You can't just lash one to your leader and expect magic stuff to happen. This is not directed at you nymph-wristed, but at the fly fishing community in general. There is a lot of interest in the so called Euro nymphing techniques and a lot of guys are jumping into it without consideration for the how and why. Many anglers are going to use coil indicators and wonder what the heck the fuss was all about and get frustrated by an indicator that bounces around like a slinky when you cast and stretches like crazy when you set the hook.

 

[Wildbrowntrout]

Thanks guys, I have to try some stuff if I can get out this weekend sometime. Btw, the only reason I got them was because they were in the cabelas bargain cave. You wouldn’t catch me spending 12 bucks on a piece of fishing line haha.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Wildbrowntrout wrote:
Thanks guys, I have to try some stuff if I can get out this weekend sometime. Btw, the only reason I got them was because they were in the cabelas bargain cave. You wouldn’t catch me spending 12 bucks on a piece of fishing line haha.

Man after my own heart! Like Penn Kev said, they have their purpose in limited situations. I personally like to grease a sighter where I have left the pigtails hanging, but it could be fun to try a new toy, especially from the bargain cave.

 

[jkilroy]

You can tie tippet rings on both sides of the coil. That’s easiest. You can make you on coiled indi but the sighter material is best. It holds coils the best, and the thickest material is best.

 

[PennKev]

jkilroy wrote:
You can tie tippet rings on both sides of the coil. That’s easiest. You can make you on coiled indi but the sighter material is best. It holds coils the best, and the thickest material is best.

I agree except for the last part. You don't want to get too crazy with how thick of sighter material you use. The coils should spread apart at the slightest disturbance to your fly. I probably wouldn't use anything rated higher than 12lb test.

 

[jkilroy]

I’ve made coiled sighters with smaller diameter mono. Problem is it loses its memory very quickly. That system was designed to present small nymphs at distance to spooky fish.