I know some fly fishers who nymph prefer a High Stick method when nymphing and I suppose most Tenkara style do that as well (Question: Do Tenkara fly fishers ever use strike indicators?). I prefer to use a strike indicator when fishing most of the larger rivers out west. There are times when I am simply high sticking my nymphs. I use an 11 foot fly rod and it allows for a decent drift, but only when it is close to the drift boat or close to the shore or gravel bar where I am standing. I often think that I may as well be fishing with a Tenkara rod or simply high sticking my nymph through the water. But then there are the many times I end up casting a relatively long way with my nymphing rig, long by my nymphing standards, like 40 or 50+ feet. I do that to reach a certain seam in the water, or drift my nymphs along a ridge line under the water or to get next to a soft pocket of water or do a very long drift, like 100 feet or more, along a really great looking seam. That is when I know that I really need my strike indicator. I believe that by using a strike indicator I open up many more areas for fishing. Why limit myself to just the area around my feet?
I think high sticking, as least as I have tried it, takes too much shoulder muscle for my old joints - just can’t do it. I have a Tenkara but have only tried dries with it, so can’t say about that, but years ago when I discovered indicators for my long distance nymphing, my strikes went up at least 100%, so I’m squarely in the can’t live without 'em camp.
I always use an indicator that I can easily remove.
There are times when I want the indicator, and times when I don’t want the indicator. It depends completely on the situation on the river.
And, for those who ‘diss’ others about using an indicator…I just don’t get it. There is nothing ignoble, wrong, or even suspect in the use of an indicator. Some presentations require it. Fishing without one does not make anyone a better fisherman than someone who uses one. Quite the reverse, actually. Using an indicator well is an exceptional skill, far above something simple like drifting a dry fly, and certainly far more skill is needed to use an indicator properly than it takes to tight line drift a nymph. You’d think that anyone claiming skill at this endeavor would aspire to being decent at ALL of these techniques…
I agree with your conclusion that it really doesn’t matter and that a person that does not use an indicator is a better angler than someone that does. Normally I do not use one but I don’t spent much time fishing nymphs down deep in the water column. Most of my nymph and emerger fishing is ‘sight nymphing’ with close casts in clear water. Each discipline has its own requirement and skills. Let’s all learn to live together and enjoy what we enjoy without putting others down.
When you’re floating on the river, probably the vast majority use an indicator: a hopper/dropper of some form. It affords two chances of getting a strike - the stonefly/hopper/big Caddis above or the nymph below. Seems like the best way to go in that situation. To me, at least.
I have to agree that indicators become more valuable as you age. I did not find them useful to me for longer distance casts and drifts, though. The more nymphing I did, the more I became analytical about it. The more I observed, the more I noticed that I became far more effective and efficient as my drifts moved closer to my feet on big streams. It may be that my mending skill was insufficient, but the fish apparently found my drifts far more natural if I had relatively little line on the water. I also noticed that I started my day better if I began buy standing on the bank and drifting close to it, instead of wading in a few steps and starting there.
Those real little red/white round thingies with a tiny spring that allows you to push out a tiny ‘u’ hook are easy to attach or take off and place anywhere along the tippet or leader. Oh yes, in some parlance they’re also known as ‘BOBBERS’. But real fly fishermen will never admit to the use of those, lol. Personally, I prefer 1 or 2 - a 2" pieces of Aunt Lydia’s rug yarn placed at a desired point along the leader/tippet. When activated this indicator causes very little surface tension so it does not interfere with the ‘take’ of the fish.
I always use an indicator. A thingamabobber to be specific. Only time I don’t is when I am dredging with heavy weight and want to feel the weight “ticking” the bottom on a tight line.
I use an indicator because I can follow it and mend the line for a good float, knowing the nymph is probably directly beneath. I don’t use the bobber to ensure the nymph is the perfect depth, but to keep me interested. If I fish without the bobber then I just get bored as there is not much to watch or change (IMO).
Didn’t Issac Walton Tenkara fish with his long rod and line - since he did not use a reel?
The fly fishers from old Europe all used very long ‘rods’ which were often thin green saplings that were tied together to form a very long pole and had a horse hair line tied to the end. If they got a fish they simply walked backwards until the fish was flopping around on the shore. Reels wouldn’t be invented for hundreds of years after people first fished this way, or maybe I should say thousands of years if you want to follow fly fishing back to the area of the birth of civilization.
For river nymphing, you betcha! I use pre-treated floating yarn or indicators made with ram’s wool and a piece of 16g wire insulation to snug it down. I use as little as possible needed to suspend the nymph and adjust for depth.
Let me first say that an indicator makes me a better fisherman…I shudder to think of the trout that I have missed not using one. I’m sure I’ll catch some flack from the “homemade” is better crowd but I use the New Zealand Indicator system and absolutely love it. It is simple and seemingly floats forever. I have tried ALL of the available indicators at one time or another and have found nothing to compare to what I presently use.
My 2 cents.
Bernie
