Strike Indicators

[Andre]

Hi guys, I don't want to sound like a "know it all", but I think the question you should be asking is " are strike indicators actually helping you, or hindering you?" Firstly, I think that if you are fishing for yellows, if a strike indicator is helping you, you are probably fishing the wrong water. If you were to move into the faster flowing deeper water, get the flies down to the correct depth, and cath them by feeling rather than seeing, you will certainly get far more yellows, and be able to get the much larger ones as well.
Seconly, if you were fishing prime yellowfish water, the strike indicator is definatly going to cause the fly to misbehave. Remmember that yellowfish move through the rapids where they feed. They tend to hang in back eddys and dart out into the current to snatch food. If you are fishing with an indicator, you are probably in much slower water, and therfore missing out on the best fishing. I would also guess that the fish you are getting are generally smaller, while you may get a few larger ones, fishing the rapids will yield consistently large fish. I remmember fishing the Vaal once and wondering if there were any small fish in the river, until I watched a guy with an indicator.
Have a look at the guys that consistently catch many fish, in difficult conditions, in the most unlikely water, and count how many of them are using indicators, none. So do yourselves a favour, get yourself a good wading staff, find out how to rig a good sinking leader in the Chzeck or mono nymph fashion, and lose the indicator. Your fishing will never be the same again.

[henried]

For me it is like putting on a fly that I know works, which I trust will catch fish…

I have tried removing the strike indicator, but because I haven’t had much success with out an indicator, I go paranoid and but the indicator back…

I now got to a point where I remove the indicator after landing a few fish, and then forcing me to fish indicator less for at least a 30min…

Mind over matter…

[chris williams]

For me a short length of yellow (the brightest colour in the human eye spectrum) Cortland 30lb braided Hi Vis running line, greased with a floatant, marked strategically with black permanent marker stripes (the combo the most highly visible contrast of any) knocks spots off any line-bending awkward-casting water-splashing unnatural-fly-riding indicators. You can also see and control your short (say 4 or 5 foot depending on water depth/speed) leader a lot better. In Pommieland (they're a tad short of websites unlike our American brethren so they're not so well publicised world-wide - possibly a bonus if you look at it from any number of perspectives!) we were using this similar 'Czech' style technique back when the Russian tanks were running through Prague in 1968. I know 'cos I had Czech fishermen for neighbours and we developed a similar style for bottom-feeding grayling on the River Pang, chalkstream tributary of the Thames, in winter floods.

In my humble opinion leave rugby-shaped things to rugby players! Use anything like that as an at-times necessary accessory in extreme conditions, but not as a substitute for skill or natural technique or a panacea for laziness /lack of stream-reading capabilities

A suitable dry fly on top dropper or point is also a bit more sophisticated and effective in certain conditions, still or flowing, than a lump of floating refuse.

And, no I didn't score last night, and I will take my medication!

[Andre]

Brilliant Chris, that's the way, say it like it is and don't mince words.
Henried, i hear where you are comming from, but with a few pointers, and a bit of confidence, you can really step it up a few notches.
Read the thread "where did you fish this weekend" and look at Gary's post. Of those 74 fish he caught, ask him how many he got while fishing with an indicator.
If you send me a PM, I will tell you where I will be next weekend, and we can fish together if you promise to leave your indicator at home.
Also, give me an honest average of the number of fish you would normally be satisfied with on an average day with your indicator, and we will see if we can double up on this using the other way that Chris describes.

[chris williams]

Hi Andre

Thanks yours, didn't mean to come over as arrogant or anything, just that this other technique is really productive and less of a hassle than the usual indicators! They're really easy to make up as well, simply splicing both ends of approx 30/60cm total length, depending on water conditions and loop this onto end of floating line then your Czech leader or whatever other leader you're using, especially great if you're using a drab floating line which I prefer. You also get to see the movement and direction of your leader which is usually hidden if using an ordinary indicator

Good luck, hope it works for you!