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By Jim Kukorlo
Among fly fishermen the debate rages on about using or not using strike indicators. Most beginners, if introduced to indicators, will relish using them. Simply put, it’s easier to see strikes, to control the depth of your fly, and its fun. Old-timers or fly fishermen who learned to nymph fish without indicators are very stubborn to use indicators. Some think indicators are for beginners or that they don’t need to use indicators because they are more experienced.
Strike indicators are used when fishing with nymphs, egg patterns, and sometimes wooly buggers. This type of fly fishing has always been considered the most difficult form of fly fishing. It can also be the most productive, considering that ninety percent of the trout’s diet consists of aquatic insects that live on the stream bed.
Dry fly fishing on the other hand is considered to be the most exciting form of fly fishing, because the fly floats on top of the water and you see the trout take your fly.
Here are a few reasons to use strike indicators… Simply put, you will see more strikes, and catch more fish. You can control the depth of your fly by adjusting you indicator up or down your leader. By doing this you can put the fly where the trout are feeding, thus not hanging up on the bottom of the stream as much.
There is a misconception among fly fishermen that when a trout takes your fly you will always feel the tug or feel the strike. When the water is flowing fast you will very often feel the tug or strike in your hand. But, in lower water conditions or deeper, calmer pools that’s not always the case. If you’re waiting for a tug on the end of your fly line, you’re setting the hook too late.
A trout, especially a larger one, will feed using as little energy as possible. They will take an insect or your fly into their mouth with no indication to the fishermen other than that the fly line stops a little. If you fish in catch and release or private water areas, the trout can become very selective and will take your fly and release it quickly.
A few years ago I was teaching my wife how to nymph fish with a strike indicator. Now that is a major strain on a marriage. After a while drifting the fly through the same hole several times, she caught a nice rainbow. After she landed and released the trout, I told her I didn’t see the strike. She replied, “I didn’t either, the indicator looked funny.” I replied, “Now your learning how to nymph fish.” Not using indicators you will miss strikes like that.
Many years ago, around the time strike indicators became popular a friend of mine asked me what I thought of strike indicators. I told him “I don’t put bobbers on a $600.00 fly rod.” But I was wrong. I use some form of a strike indicator almost all the time. What sold me on using indicators was I guided fishermen who were totally inexperienced to nymph fishing, and fly fishing in general. Using strike indicators they were able to have an enjoyable day fly fishing and some became hooked on fly fishing.
That got me thinking, if someone who never fly fished before could catch trout with the help of strike indicators, what an experience fly fishermen could do using indicators. So I decided to use indicators for a whole season, in all situations. It didn’t take me a whole season to decide if I thought indicators increase my ability to detect more strikes and catch trout. In fact it took only a few weeks to convince me of that.
There are many different types of indicators on the market, varying in size, shape, color and the type of material their made of. Keep in mind that one indicator will not work in all water conditions.
The most important thing in selecting an indicator is its ability to float, and ease of adjustment up and down your leader.
I have tried many types of indicators over the years, and narrowed it down to three or four. I really like the “Thing-a-bobber” in ¼ inch and ½ inch sizes. They are a round plastic ball with a loop on top that you loop your leader through and around the indicator. They are easy to use and easy to move up and down your leader. The smaller size I use in normal water levels, while the larger one I use in higher, faster water with larger flies.
In clearer, lower water I use floss yarn, which you attach to your leader with a slip knot, or strike putty. Strike putty is a soft paste that you can roll on your leader with your fingers. I sometimes put strike putty on two or three different spots on my leader so I can see it as it descends into the water. You must treat floss yarn with dry floatant in order for it to float well.
If you attach your leader to your fly line using the nail knot like I prefer, you can paint the nail knot with a bright orange finger nail polish. I taper the finger nail polish in the form of a football so it can easily slide thru the guides on the fly rod. It’s hard for the fish to see in clear water and it’s an added aid in detecting strikes.
The best indicator to use in summertime trout fishing is what is referred too as the “Dry Fly Drop” method. You can use your favorite large dry fly that floats well, or as I prefer, a good foam hopper pattern. Attach a piece of tippet to the bend in the hook of the dry fly, making it about the length of the depth of the water that you are fishing, and attach your nymph. This is a very effective technique in summertime water conditions. If I still haven’t convinced you that you should be giving strike indicators an honest try and you really enjoy dry fly fishing, be sure to give this method a try. You have the best of both worlds. Fish your favorite dry fly and attach an assortment of nymphs as the dropper fly.
Helpful hints in using strike indicators: Remember to adjust the strike indicator to the depth of the water. As you move to deeper or lower water you must adjust the position of the indicator. The rule of thumb is that it is better to keep the indicator further from your fly than shorter. I will adjust the depth of the strike indicator and how much weight I have on the leader before I change my fly selection.
Nymph fishing with a strike indicator doesn’t change the way you present the fly. You still must use a drag-free presentation. Using a strike indicator is just an aid in helping you detect supple strikes that you would otherwise miss.
If you’re like me, I’m always looking for a new fly pattern, or fishing technique to enhance my fly fishing. Fishing with strike indicators is such a technique for beginners and veteran fishermen alike. Get on the water and give it an honest try.
Jim Kukorlo has fly fished Fishing Creek near Bloomsburg, PA and surrounding waters for over 40 years. He is a fly tier and a fly fishing guide, and enjoys taking photos of fly fishing and fish.
