I love dropping nymphs off a dry or terrestrial but never use an indicator. When fishing nymphs exclusively, just watch your line on the drift. If the line stops you've either hit an obstruction or a fish. Even better, sometimes you'll see the line head upstream-I love that!
mwebb,
I never use an indicator and my buddy does. We both catch our share of fish. I prefer to not use one and am more comfortable that way. You need to develope your style that you are comfortable with and are successful with and continue to improve on it. I am constantly watching my fly line for strikes and, in my opinion, I am very successful. You can try both ways and you decide which way you have more confidence in and stick with it. Establish which way you enjoy fishing and the catching will come. The worst thing you can do is to keep watching others and constantly changing your style. You will just get confused and not enjoy flyfishing. So, I guess my advise to you is to find your style you enjoy and improve on it and forget everyone else. If you do this and when your success rate starts improving, others will start watching your style and coping you.
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Warren
Warren
Fly fishing and fly tying are two things that I do, and when I am doing them, they are the only 2 things I think about. They clear my mind.
I think the proper answer to your question is "Yes, you probably are," but only you know for sure. The benefit of the indicator vs. watching your line tip is distance. Imagine that your fly (the one being eaten) is the center of a circle. The smaller the circle, the smaller the diameter. What this means is that an indicator will go under water more quickly the closer it is to the fly. If a fly is 2' below the surface and the indicator is 2' from the fly, it will get pulled under immediately. If the indicator is 3' from the surface it will float for 1' before it gets pulled under. You get the idea. If you are fishing a 9' leader and the line is floating over the fly, it will float for 7' before it gets pulled under. While there are subtle changes that some fishermen can see without an indicator, the obvious dive of an indicator can increase the "set time" of most anglers. Of course this is a simplified version of the system, but if you want to dead drift a nymph without an indicator, you probably are. I personally do not use indicators, I know that I miss a lot of fish. I know that when I drop a nymph off a dry I catch a lot of fish that I would have missed without the top fly (indicator). I still fish without them cause I like it more. As I am apt to say, my opinion is free, and you probably got what you paid for.
One other thing. I think indicators could also improve a drift if it were fished like a dry where the visual of the drift can get rid of more of the drag on your nymph.
And expanding on Darths' post, "strike indicator" sounds so much more "refined".
Mark
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I'd rather be in Wyoming!
JC, I do not think that anyone is disparaging the indicator as a bobber. It is a bobber The difference is (for some), and this is not my opinion, but the bobber is used for the sole purpose of keeping a lure, bait, whatever a set depth from the surface of the water. an indicator is not so closely tied to that definition so much as it is used to "indicate" a fish eating the fly, bait, etc. Personally, I say call a spade a spade, but that is one argument I have heard against my indicator is a bobber statement. If the question were to ask about bobbers I would gladly use their verbage, but since I do not know many of the posters personally, I do not want to offend them so I stick with their wording.
Secondly, I would defer to Darth here and say that a top fly is not an indicator. Here in MT many of the dries are large enough to float a nymph and still be representative of a simultaneous hatch, so in that regard, the fly (bobber, indicator) is another fly that happens to be attached to the nymph.
I may be answering a rhetorical question of yours, or a question aimed at someone else, but I remember a time I was at my favorite fly shop and the owner and I were talking about indicators, and the shop owner said that to save his clientele money he should bring in the red/white style (small). Another customer said that he would not shop in a store that carried bobbers... oh well.
Say you took the fly line off the reel and attached some light mono to the backing. You then tied on a nymph and put a LARGE "indicator" several feet above the fly. You then lobbed your setup upstream, watched the bobber's drift, and caught some trout. Are you fly fishing?
Bob
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"Just pick it up and lay it down!!"...frustrated Florida Keys guide
I don't know how to fish with a strike indicator or bobber. But have things to say about it. Last year my friend saw I was catching nothing. He told me to take his rod, cast it where he tells me and do exactly what he says. He had on one of those pink round sticky backed foam pinch on indicatiors. I cast twice and caught two fish. He said now give me my rod back! A trout actually hit his indicator. One day I tried it and a trout hit MY indicator as well. But I still haven't done it much. BUT
......every time I have been upstream at the favorite holes......severaly people fishing.....the one guy using a bobber is the one catching the fish. "I have seen this multiple times"! Yesterday there were three guys there from Alaska...and the dude with a bobber was catching fish. My group of three....caught ONE total and I got NO hits at all. For as I can tell with on stream expereience....the bobber rules. I just have to learn how to do it.
Gem
[This message has been edited by Plain Old Jim (edited 25 February 2006).]
Yes, considering how many fish hit my strike indicator, I think I'm gonna call it a hookless dry fly.
And that's also the problem with non-floating indicators, swivels, split shot, knots on leaders, etc. I'm rather insulted that the fish strike them instead of my fly which I have laboured long and hard to tie.
As far as bobber vs strike indicator, the difference is the same as "pole" vs. "rod". And the same difference as "cup" vs. "crystal champaign flute".
I dont fish too many nymphs in rivers and streams, but when I do I use an indicator. I feel it helps me in two ways...one it helps me control my depth and secondly yes I can see strikes a bit better. Most of my fish are caught beyond where I can visually see the fly so it really helps me there. I have tried nymphing without an indicator and done poorly but then thats probably just my lack of fishing skills LOL.
I also use indicators when fishing lakes and using midge pupa patterns. I cast the line out and then let it settle to the desired depth. I give the line a little twitch every few seconds and can keep the fly at a relatively constant depth this way. And yes it helps me see a strikewhen I cant see the actual fly.
Just my 2 cents for what its worth
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Take care everyone and cya around. Mark
Take care and cya around,
Mark
If you are deep nymphing and not using a indicator then you are missing hits.
Guarenteed!, regardless even if for someone who might think that they are the best nymph fisherman in the world, and does not feel the need for a indicator.
Besides helping detect strikes the indicator also helps greatly in determining if yourflies are drifting at the current speed or just dragging.
For those of you who do not agree, come out here fishing with me. I will use a indicator and you don't. We will see who is most successful. Then we can post the results on this forum. Any takers?
One other thing if you are fishing a hopper/dropper set-up and you are setting your hook when the dry goes under then yes this does fall under the definition of indicator fishing.
Rob
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