thought i’d give it a try.
I know there prety simple paterns.
I’ve also used a phelps floating jig head for a body before.
I like the idea of flies purposely done as indicators. The ant though, I think, might be a tad tough to see, even though it’s big. The other one looks great though.
Eric
That aint no ant its more like a spider.
The indacator use to be white I colord it black.
Thought it make a good bass bait.
the other fly could be easly turnd into a prop bait,
but i didn’t have eny blades 
.
Although I’ve never tried an indicator fly I think you might have something there. Fish have wacked my indicator often enough that I can see it’s advantage.
I have used the Phelps floating jig. They seemed like a no-brainer. Add a tail, maybe some hackle or rubber legs and you’re good to go.
Only one problem, I don’t think I ever caught a fish on one.
Hi Rod tosser,
I’ve fished indicator flies with nymphs, scuds and
midges for several years now with excellent results
on my warm waters. Here is my favorite Jelly Bean,
a recent FAOL fly of the week.
It’s been a good indicator fly as well as what I like
to refer to as an “attractor” pattern. Seems as if
many fish can’t resist taking a closer look and find
a dropper with a small wet on it hard to resist.
I highly recommend it.G Warm regards, Jim
Nice fly Jim. Just super.
Eric
A guide friend and fly shop owner of mine uses the football shaped indicators. He said he got tired of fish striking the indicator so he put a hook in it and has never had a fish hit it since! Go figure! :lol:
Fishing rivers, I find dry flies as indicators to be of limited use. I constantly adjust my indicators, which is impossible with a tied in dry. So back to various foam and yarn for me.
I like it
I just use a simple foam hopper for my strike indicator. Since I started using it last summer I have caught five or six fish on it.
I use one that looks like a cigarette. After a long day with no takers and seeing several smaller fish hit a cigarette butt that had been thrown down somewhere upstream I went home and got some foam out and made a couple. Next trip I used one and got a bite. My theory is that the smaller fish are just curious and hit it just to find out what it is. Other theories have been thrown at me such as some of the fish are addicted to the nicotine. I dont use it too often because I think that the extra hook has a tendency to tangle more often (and its hard to be proud of your addict trout), but it is a good conversation piece.
I add a dot of fabric paint in bright colors like chartreuse, yellow or flourescent orange to the shell back of foam beetles, ants and crickets. A strip of pearl mylar on the back also helps.
For use on the Elk in BC at dusk, I tied a variation on the Grizzly Wulff using a bit of pearl krystal flash in the hair wings and made the body out of some hot orange plastic strands (could be flashabou, but not metallic).
Mayfly bodies made of bright colored razor foam are an option I’ll try this summer. You can easily color the underside to be more drab if the fish are wary of it.
Oh, and we find Adams Irresistable to be a good indicator fly along with the biggest EHC in the box. I suppose you could tie your Irresistables in brighter colors of deer hair.
But for speed and simplicity, your foam bugs rule.
I call it a Pusher because it has a round head to distinguish it from a popper that has a flat/cupped face or a slider that is more of a bullet-head or pointed-head type. The little foam fly works good enough by itself for bream and LMB but sometimes I put a scud or nymph dropper on it. The foam head is turned on my Dremel lathe so it is a Dremel Bug. The four circular foam segments are cut from a 2mm foam sheet. The eyes are 4mm black plastic half rounds. I use Loctite CA Superglue in the Easy Brush bottle. The short tail is marabou and it has a hackle collar. Jim Hatch says the pattern name Nymphomie belongs to Deanna :). Whether its Jim’s or Deanna’s, a big thanks because this little fly is a bream killer.
#8 Aberdeen Yellow Nymphomie Pusher
#8 Aberdeen Green Chartreuse Nymphomie Pusher
