Strike Indicators

Hello,
There seems to be a great assortment of STRIKE INDICATORS on the market. I am somewhat new to nymph fishing and am wondering what advice on the indicators from the forum. Tie my own, purchase? material used etc.
Thanks in advance,
Michael

I have only a year or two under my belt, but a couple of things I have found to be useful. These have been told to me by veteran anglers. 1. I echo what J Castwell states, in slow water you may not even need an indicator. Just watch where your line and leader connect for a stop or jerk.
2. I have use biostrike because it is biodegradeable and easy to see and reusable and cheap - all benefits. But it may make one more complacent.
3. Bright colors can scare fish even if it is a strike indicator - Dave Whitlock picked up a tip when in NZ. His guides used sheeps wool that they found on a fence - tie it on to their leader and were done. It was light colored and still visible.

Good luck!

Thill indicators, I use large for steelhead and medium or small any other time.

I have always used SI's! But last weekend I went for BG's on a friends pond and forgot them!! Guess what??!! Watching the end of the fly line worked just fine. The wind was in all direction and one less thing to get in the way!!
Alway listen to the Grand Poo Bah!!

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Cactus


[This message has been edited by Jack Hise (edited 22 April 2005).]

I would recommend that you take JC's advise and learn to be a line watcher. I have always been a line watcher and have tried strike indicators and do not like them. That is not to say that you will not like them. Fish either way that you are comfortable with and can catch fish. For me, no strike indicators.

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Warren

I also tried strike indicators & quickly went back to line watching. I agree that (at least in my case), I concentrate better on watching the line.
Mike

Sometimes a strike indicator is useful. I make my own, the recipe is at [url=http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/indicators/index.php:9a196]GlobalFlyFisher[/url:9a196]. They work well for me.


[This message has been edited by luke (edited 28 April 2005).]

paflyfisher,

"3. Bright colors can scare fish even if it is a strike indicator".

Not that I disagree with that comment but I have to ask you and others, How can you say or agree with that and yet, when I asked about bright color furled leaders, people said the color makes no difference?

Allan

Allen I have to agree with you. But on another board I took a lot of heat on this same subject. I say bright lines will do the same thing. Spook fish that is in the right situations. Same with the indacitors. I have had them do so. They do work at times but my feeling is that if you learn to watch your line you will become a better nymph fisherman. It seems a person almost gets a sixth sense about what is going on at the end of there leader. I agree with JC and the others on this. Just give leader watching a try sometime and I think you will learn a lot more. One other point is that if you do use indicators use the smallest you can get to float your rig. The bigger they are the more the current will play on them and the more effect that will have on the drift of your flies underwater (Drag). Ron

Tyeflies--when I asked about bright color furled leaders, people said the color makes no difference?

Allan

Because--your not supposed to line your fish (Put leader over top of fish.)
IN fishing for educated fish we sometimes use white floats, to match foam.

John