Why Strike Indicators?

[afishinado]

troutbert wrote:

afishinado wrote:

I also tight-lined nymphed with a sighter (yellow Stren at the time) way back-in-the-day.

Did you come up with that on your own?

If not, who did you learn it from?

I'm curious about the origins of this.

Yeah I was a kid (teens) and didn't really know any other FFers or read books.

I watched my leader when nymphing and tied in a section in my knotted leader of more visible yellow line for better visibility of my leader.

Not really a big deal at the time.

Also Trilene made a UV visible line that I also used as a section of my knotted leader.

 

[Paulson]

I just picked up some NZ wool. I have watched a few videos of tying in yarn which id reckon is similar. I'm curious if those tie ins lead to a permanent kink in the leader however. Any issues with that?

 

[MathFish]

Paulson, I fish with NZ wool indicators exclusively. I have never had any problems with kinks in my leaders.

Here are a couple tips that I have learned for using this indicator. First, after you secure the wool onto your leader, dress it with floatant paste. Gink does not work nearly as well as the paste, plus you can dress the rest of your leader and the top of your fly line with the paste too. I rub the paste in my fingers to melt it and then rub it into the wool. It will float for hours if you do this. I have had it work for the entirety of 10 hours of fishing. You may have to dry it out from time to time in your sleeve though... I have used it to suspend two weighted nymphs with up to 4 BB split shot with no issues at all.

Second, when you slide the indicator down towards the thin end of the leader, to keep the indicator in place you sometimes have to slide the tube “sleeve“ lower on the wool to make a tighter fit.

Most of the wool is white, but you can mix two colors of the wool to make subtle movements in the indicator more noticeable. I like to mix white and green. Also, a white indicator in foamy water like at a jack dam can be tough to see.

You can reuse the same wool for a few outings before it stops floating from getting dirty. I even keep the indicator on the line when I wind in my line at the end of a fishing trip. If you’re careful, it will pass through all of the guides both ways, when you’re rigging up and tearing down.

The only indicator that hits the water lighter than the NZ wool is a dry fly indicator. And it’s more easily adjustable than an Air-Lock indicator because you just slide it.

I hope this info helps you out.

 

[Paulson]

Mathfish - yes it does help, thank you!

I never have used indicators in the past but I wan't to start to get a better feel for takes, assisted by the indicator. I know I have missed fished before that an earlier set would have grabbed, or at least that's what I tell myself. I do need to work on my hook sets as well.

I'll go ahead and order the tube kit vs. tying it in to the line. I just worry about kinks in the (expensive) leaders and don't feel like swapping to fish on top or stripping a streamer.

 

[PennKev]

troutbert wrote:

afishinado wrote:

I also tight-lined nymphed with a sighter (yellow Stren at the time) way back-in-the-day.

Did you come up with that on your own?

If not, who did you learn it from?

I'm curious about the origins of this.

All-mono nymph rigs utilizing Hi-Vis Stren and tightline techniques were common knowledge when I began fishing as a kid over 25 years ago. If I recall this seemed to be an extension of fishing natural bait on a similar rig. Granted, guys who fished flies that way were mostly a curiosity, but I recall seeing it mentioned in various sources. I also recall seeing mentions of tightlining with extra weight on the leader in even older books. I think some of Joe Brook's books explained it.

For what it's worth, I still can't agree that current tightline/Euro fishing is directly related to or descended from that method of fishing. I think it's a matter co-evolution resulting in to similar techniques and assuming they are the same leads some to dismiss one technique or the other, missing out on critical nuance.

 

[jifigz]

I like indicators. It all comes down to types of water and the stream. Sometimes a dry dropper works, sometimes an indicator is the best, sometimes it's a tight line technique. It all comes with experience. I know of some spots where I indicator nymph where highsticking/tightlining is very difficult and a dry/dropper rig would be worthless.

 

[Baron]

Define worthless as it applies. Do you mean just plain unnecessary?

 

[Tigereye]

Absolutely. Adapt the technique to the situation. I know places where Euronymphing is difficult if not impossible. Like wise situations where dry droppers are devastatingly effective. Being pigeonholed into one technique limits consistent success.

 

[maxima12]

Don Bastian, he knows how to fish nymphs. Check out his site, i believe, Bastian Flies. See what you have been missing.

Don, is good, real good and the other nympher, blockbuster, oh, whats his name. Old, by now, Dave Rothrock! I am 64, Dave has got to have a couple years on that!

Hope both are good! Thank you, fellows! Flash from the past!

Good guys, Rick K. you got an eye on this? Keep it on the skyline! Dave R. can throw the whole spool. Then some! Fantastic!

 

[jifigz]

Indicators have their uses on certain waters or styles of fishing, no doubt about it. There are situations I prefer using them over any other type of nymphing tactic.