What's "indicated"?

[Padraic]

Do you use indicators?

Some folks will fish nymphs, but refuse to use indicators. Others refuse to use them, but do use things that "indicate (such as colored sections of mono in the leader or dry and dropper combo). Some folks use them in certain conditions. Others always use them. What do you think?

PS: to anyone who responded to the first poll, sorry... I had to replace the poll with this one because I messed up and made one of the questions too long.

 

[scotto]

I use an indicator when nymphing, but the type varies with conditions.

Dry/dropper rigs work great during a hatch as you can present a dun and an emerging nymph together or a terrestrial and generic nymph for summer weather. I also like the dry/dropper combo of a beetle and a "drowned" ant for summer.

I like strike putty for fishing wet flies.

I use faom indicators for fishing long, slow flats(see Clarks Creek) to keep nymphs from hanging up as often.

In general i use a 8" piece of red Amnesia between my fly line and leader as an indicator.

 

[Chaz]

Even guy that use indicators miss strikes, and if they think they aren't missing strikes they're kidding themselves.

 

[StudentofTheStream]

Most of the time I prefer not to use an indicator but certain sections of water can be incredibly difficult to get the right drift in without one. (Strictly fishing nymphs that is) Typically in a long slow pool I find it very difficult to get the right drift on my nymph without an indicator which could possibly be remedied by going to a dry dropper but I'm usually too lazy to change. I don't think there is one catchall that supersedes every other for every encountered situation.

~2 cents

 

[Padraic]

Chaz wrote:
Even guy that use indicators miss strikes, and if they think they aren't missing strikes they're kidding themselves.

I miss strikes when I am fishing dries! So I KNOW I miss them when I am fishing subsurface! I'd probably do a lot better if I weren't looking up at clouds and trying to decide if they look like dragons or puppy dogs. :-D

 

[Padraic]

I don't think there is one catchall that supersedes every other for every encountered situation.

I (and the maority of the respondants) couldn't agree more! :-D

I'm really very happy with the results so far. Neither the purists nor the gear heads are showing all that strongly. Most everyone uses them "as they see fit". Not always or never.

I wish I had a good way to poll folks on what conditions they use the indicators for.

 

[tabasco_joe]

Padraic wrote:

I don't think there is one catchall that supersedes every other for every encountered situation.

I (and the maority of the respondants) couldn't agree more! :-D

I'm really very happy with the results so far. Neither the purists nor the gear heads are showing all that strongly. Most everyone uses them "as they see fit". Not always or never.

I wish I had a good way to poll folks on what conditions they use the indicators for.

I think you hit the nail on the head. For me it may be 75% of the conditions and for others it may be 5%. Guess that's what the thread is for.

BTW those are bunny rabbits and lions (or bears depending on how you interpret the footprint). Can't figure out how your seeing puppy dogs?

 

[thedude1534]

An indicator (if pure dead drift nymphing, and not czech nymphing or nymphing the way Humphries does) requires the same amount of adjustment as weight. Not every indicator is ideal for all water conditions. As Chaz hinted to, certain indicators can cause you to miss a lot of strikes. Granted you are going to miss strikes anyway, buy you can really cut down on that by adjusting the placement and type of indicator you use for all water types.

I usually use a combination of tubes that slide over my leader and when the water is fast, yarn indicators.

 

[jaybo41]

I use them in certain conditions, but more often than not. I obviously don't use them for drys or when I'm running a tandem rig with a dry as my dropper. When the water is stained, deep and has a nice flow to it, I use them.

I don't use them often when I can see the fish in gin clear water. If I do use an indicator when it's this clear, I go as small as possible.

I also find that they are less helpful at showing a strike in the winter months or when it's cold enough that the take is very soft.

I've missed plenty of fish, with or without an indicator, but I've caught more than my share of fish as well. :-D

 

[albatross]

I answered that I use them as conditions warrant, but for me that's most of the time (90%+) when I'm nymphing.

 

[troutbert]

I think that there is no doubt that nymphing with a floating indicator is more effective than without, in most conditions. But it changes the experience. The float breaks things up into two sections. You have the line & leader running out to the float, and that's the section you pay attention to during the drift. Then you have the section of leader running from the float down to your nymph. That is carried and controlled by the drift of the float. So the final section is sort of separated from your control to some extent.

Maybe I'm not explaining this well, but fishing this way feels different than fishing without a float, when you have a more direct connection from line to leader to fly.

Without the float you have to be very alert to detect the strikes. It's trickier trying to get a natural drift without the float. You have to be more aware of the complex currents. You have to try different mends and line management to try to get a good drift, and many times it's not successful.

You hear about nymph fisherman who seem to have an almost ESP sense about detecting strikes. They don't really, they just get very attuned to what's going on. They get real focused and with experience, they can detect subtle strikes, and often know, from long experience, in what part of the drift the fish are more likely to hit.

It's harder, to put it plainly. It's more of a challenge. I learned nymph fishing way back in the day when no one used floats. They just didn't exist, at least as far as I knew, so it wasn't a concious choice not to use them. Now many people learn nymph fishing with a float and that's all they're familar with. If you always use a float, just try it without. It's different. I fhink you'll enjoy the experience and the challenge of fishing that way.

 

[flyfishermanj]

Pad,

Good Poll! I answered with "under certain condition", but my true answer lies in between that and the "dropper" answers. I usually fish a dropper, but never with a dropper longer than 36". When I have to fish deep I'll use a foam style indicator. I've tried several types of foam, but always seem to end up with the pinch on kind.

JH

 

[mediclimber]

I've never fished a "dropper" rig so there's something for me to try. I carry three different kinds if indicators and pick depending on the conditions. My question is how many use more than one kind of indicator and what kinds so you use. I have the tiny oblong bobbers, stick on foam dots and twist on yarn.

 

[tomgamber]

troutbert wrote:
I think that there is no doubt that nymphing with a floating indicator is more effective than without, in most conditions.

Unless the person using the indicator is a good fisherman and the person not using one is very inexperienced.

The biggest reason I don;t use them as often is I'm too lazy to change up my rig, even if it only takes an extra 30 seconds...I've caught rout both ways and they are just different. One is NOT better then the other.

 

[bigjohn58]

I fish nymphs with an indicator 99% of the time but wets? never. I feel an indicator gives me the proper drift and I always use indicators that I can adjust on my line and I'm always constaintly adjusting the depth depending on where I'm fishing. Indicators rarely if ever spook fish and improve my fish catching abilities a lot. I have no shame in using an indicator especailly when I'm catching fish and I'm almost always catching fish.

 

[fishingspider]

It depends upon the conditions, but most of the time, I use a Harvey Nymph leader (FFP) and flyline tubes.

I've tried tying them with other lines (red, pearl white), but nothing beats that Yellow Stren.

 

[shipnfish2006]

I like using an indicator when fishing big stocked trout streams when there are no significant hatches yet. I'll use a dropper rig the rest of the year. However if the water is either low, clear, or a narrow stream I won't use one at all.

When I first started fly fishing I went 3 years without using an indicator, because I thought it was better to learn through feel. Then when I finally tried an indicator for the first time it was hard to go back.

 

[sandfly]

I use all kinds when conditions warrent.I also use this setup on my small rods..

 

[FarmerDave]

I don't need no stinkin bobbers!!!

OK, I had to say that. I use indicators in certain conditions for nymphing, but i don't recall ever using them with wet flies.

I don't need them when fishing smaller steams either, but unfortunately I haven't done much of that the last few years.

I find they help most when fishing bigger water and longer casts with weighted nymphs. Anytime when i have to have a lot of line on the water while nymphing. Easier mending and controlling the drift. Other than that, i don't have much use for them and i watch the line.

I rarely use a dryfly as in indicator because it increases the numbers of foul hookups. I won't say never, but i don't use them often.

Most of the tendem rigs i use are for steelhead and would be a wet and a nymph or two nymphs, or an egg pattern and a nymph. and i may or may not use an indicator with that depending on conditions. Once in awhile I'll even use a weighted woolly bugger with a nymph or egg trailer. Mostly because i don't know any better. :-D

 

[Woolybugger]

I checked "never" I've tried them, even tried a hopper with a dropper.
All the floats and two flies are no fun for me!......... and all the "mending" with a float, it takes the fun out of fishing...... why not use a push button with a big red float and corn on a treble hook?

I'll take a nice 3wt with a 7X and 1(one) nympth, no stinkin' floats anyday!!!

Like said above "we don't need no stinkin' indicators"