I’m looking to experiment with some different strike indicators this winter. I’ve been a thingamabobber guy for awhile but I’m ready to move on and try and some new stuff. I’ve used some yarn ones in the past but the ones I used always seemed to sink. The obvious criteria is Floatability, easy to cast, sensitive, and maybe most important easy to adjust.
This New Zealand system has got me interested but I’m open to all suggestions. What’s your go to indicator?
If I’m fishing in a river or stream, I very seldom fish the bottom (and that’s my loss). So I would use a sub-surface fly and use a bright colored furled leader as an indicator. If I’m fishing in a lake I’m probably trolling so and indicator isn’t needed because I will feel the take.
a big dry fly. After fishing indicators and watching fish come up and hit the indicator itself, i switched to a big dry with a dropper and now catch on both. figure i double my chances of a hook up with the dry :D. I have a homemade version of the new zealand style indicator and if you are set on using an indicator, give it a try. easily adjustable, which is the main thing for me.
1hook,
I have tried many different strike indicators over the years because I do a lot of nymphing.
Frog Hair makes an indicator that won’t kink your line because the indicator is threaded onto the leader before you tie on the flies. They have little rubber snubbers that are supposed to hold the indicator in place but I had problems with that and the indicator moved down the leader as you cast.
I use thingamabobbers but they kink the leader a lot. If you don’t have to adjust the depth very much they work ok but if you do adjust the depth a lot you will get many kinks which can act like coils an hide some of the strikes you may get. These also will slip down the leader every so often.
I used to use the foam glue on systems but they muck up the leader and don’t adjust at all, you end up ripping them off and placing new ones on leaving these white places on the leaders where the glue was, plus they would come off fairly often and float on down the river.
Yarn type indicators that use the ‘O’ Ring system never seemed to float well for me, absorbing water and going sub-surface and they also kink up the leader a lot and will also move down the leader every so often.
Tipper type strike indicators where you pull your leader thru a slot and twist the leader around a rubber type object in the center of the indicator were decent, kinking the leader a little, but they seemed to come off a lot, way to much.
I must admit I never tried a soft putty type substance, seemed to me it would be messy and I don’t want that kind of a mess on my fingers.
There are the ball type indicators that use a stick or tooth pick shoved into them to hold the indicators. These have to be applied before you rig up like the Frog Hair ones. I have used them but I really don’t like the stick where it sticks out of the indicator, my tippet seems to wrap around it every so often fouling the line.
Thingamabobber came out with an attached plastic spike where you threaded the leader through the hole like the Frog Hair the shoved the plastic spike into the hole like the toothpick styles. I tried these, the spike would slip off and I ended up cutting off the spike an just using it like a regular Thingamabobber.
I have tried the balloon system but it also kinks the leader and will often leak air especially in very cold and icy conditions.
Most of the guides I float with use a Thingamabobber style system and I just have to deal with the kinked leader.
In other words, no system is perfect, all have some negatives attached to them but they are so effective that I will continue to use strike indicators.
Hope this helps answer your question.
Larry —sagefisher—
I’m going to try the little balls more this year, I use a rubber band looped thru the loop of the leader that I push through the hole - sounds funny, but simple and floats pretty well. I’ve also made up quite a few of the yarn indicators that don’t use an o-ring, rather just a loop of yarn with thread passed around the middle about 15 times and tied off. I had a lot of these last year that I didn’t get around to using till I lost them. Love Thingamabobbers, but am not convinced they don’t scare the fish, especially the way I cast.
For many years I used corky’s for indicators. They are cheap and easy to use. Just remember to anchor the corky at the desired depth with a round tooth pick. This place has them. :http://www.fishusa.com
Tim
There is a new indicator I want to try. It’s called Airlock and solves the kinked leader problem with Thingamabobber type indicators. http://www.fishairlock.com/
herefishy,
In most situations I don’t believe the Thingers scare fish. Every year I get a number of ‘hits’ as the fish come up and strike at the indicator. I think if they ever do scare fish, any strike indicator would do so. But then, you never know.
Larry sagefisher—
But Larry, you haven’t seen me cast -
I don’t use indicators but I have heard great reviews from folks that have used the NZ system.
I use those Palsa (or similar) stick-on ones shaped like an 8. Stick two together sticky to sticky. Insert in the loop to loop connector at the top of the leader, or in a granny loop if I need it somewhere else. Reusable, cheap, effective. Been doing it that way for 20 years and see no reason to change. Have tried other types, always go back.
I’ve gone through the same progression as you apparently. I’ve used the Thingamabobbers for years and really wanted those to be the long sought “perfect indicator”, but I’ve always had problems with them slipping on finer tippet. I’ve never cared for any of the homemade solutions to that problem and the built in peg they came out with is inelegant at best. About a year or so ago I heard about and ordered some Floatmaster indicators and have found those to be just about ideal. Easy to take on and off, easy to adjust (which is of critical importance to me as well), light and buoyant. I use the white ones in the smallest size I can get away with. Their web site is a bit confusing now that they’ve apparently introduced an inline indicator as well. The kind I’m talking about is the original design where you draw a small piece of surgical tubing down through the hole in the indicator, leading to more of a right angle presentation instead of the straight line. http://www.floatmasterco.net/instructions.html http://www.bestgear.com/floatmasterstrikeindicators
I just recently ordered one the NZ kits as well, as those sound intriguing too, but haven’t had the opportunity to try one on the water yet.
Fish Pimp strike indicators are my favorites for the variety of flyfishing (mostly warmwater species) I do.
http://www.fishpimpco.com/product/fish-pimp-original/
Have tried them all, but Thingamabobbers are still the best on the market. Not sure why there are so many complaints about kinked leaders. You folks aren’t using expensive tapered leaders for nymphing, are you? I use them almost exclusively and a leader might have to be changed after a couple of days of fishing, but they are mostly just straight leader material so not really much of an issue. For light presentations, shallow drops, and very small leaders, Palsas work best for me.
Those Airlock variants look interesting but will be heavier than a Thingamabobber, and those wrap around screw-type of indicators still kink the leader if that is your worry. There is newish indicator on the market that has a similar set-up called the “Screw Ball Indicator” which is nice on small tippets, and easily adjustable. They are a bit heavy, though, and I’m still not sure I like them any better than a Thingamabobber.
Take a look at these from “Float Master”. They are the only indicator I’ve used for the last 7 years. They come in a variety of sizes and colors to fit any and all conditions, don’t kink your line and are easily adjustable for depth, even with a knotted leader. The best news for me is they are impossible to throw off your line. The only ones I’ve lost have been because I’ve hopelessly tangles a leader in a tree or I’ve given it away to someone to try.
Check them out and I think you’ll be pleased with the results.
I have used a variety of indicators. Lately, Thingamabobbers have worked well for me. The Airlock indicators look promising to me but I have not used them yet.http://www.fishairlock.com/
I just purchased the new Zealand kit and so far have been pleased with the results.
I have used Thingamabobbers for years and leader kink has never been an issue as it does no damage to the leader and a good tug for 30 seconds or so takes care of the kink. I discovered the glow-in-the-dark Thingamabobber years ago and use them exclusively - not for their glow-in-the-dark properties but because they usually look about the same color as foam or other ‘stuff’ in the surface film, and I can see them well in most situations. When there is glare on the water I switch to a black model. I also don’t use the larger sizes I usually stick with the x-small for smaller creeks and the small size for anything else.
I’ll give my report about the NZ indicator after putting it through the paces during my winter fishing.
Have you tried the new Thingamabobber with the little spike that keeps the tippit from sliding.
Not all the fly shops have ordered them but they have been around for some time now.
So far, I use 3 different types of strike Indicators
I’ve used the NZ Strike Indicator system and it has worked very well. It is easy to adjust, but getting the right amount of wool takes some time to experiment. Once you get it right, it works very good. Also, the NZ system is very good when you are dealing with water sheds that continuously change substrate depth within feet/yards. It definitely is part of my arsenal.
I also still use the dry and dropper method, as well as the slip knot method. The dry and dropper method is the most sensitive, but takes longer to adjust for depth (i.e. put on a new tippet between the dry and dropper). Still, this is my favorite since you can catch fish on the indicator.
The slip knot method is an old stand by and has worked for years. It takes a little longer to adjust for depth, but does well with adding a lot of split shot to get your flies deeper. It does leave kinks in the leader.
Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, and I use them to fish different types of water (i.e. still, riffles, deep runs, etc.).
Vinny