indicator vs. no indicator?

[anacrime]

what are the advantages of fishing without an indicator? thanks guys

[Benny]

Fly fishing with a Strike indicator
PROS
1. Easy to see a take when you have a drag free drift

CONS
1. Indicators cause the nymph to move unnaturally when there's drag
2. Indicators can spook trout
3. Yarn indicators are difficult to cast in windy conditions

Fly fishing without a strke indicator helps you to develop your ability to see into the water, not only does this help your nymph fishing, but it makes you aware of what is going on in the water by keeping you zoned in on your line and watching every movment of your line and nymphs. This skill with practice can be very effective. I have tried useing both methods with varying results, but have found that they both have there advantages.

Old school traditional fly fishermen will often say that using a strike indicator is unethical and not considered fly fishing. I find that fly fishing is always evolving and if there are new tecniques I am willing to learn as much as I can...

[midger]

PROS:

1. Indicators allow getting a longer drift at greater distances and enable you to keep the fly at a given depth during that drift. An example of this would be fishing on the lower Sacramento where you may have 60-80 feet drifts. This is imossible to do high sticking, which is best for short line, close in fishing.

2. Indicators allow you to suspend a midge pattern in a lake at a given depth where the fish are holding and to consistantly put the fly back at that depth after each fish or cast.

3. Indicators make it easy to detect hits for newer flyfishers who might have a tough time keeping a tight line to their flies during a drift.

CONS:
1. Indicators can be hard to cast and you have to adjust your casting stroke accordingly.

2. Indicators are more prone to inducing drag unless you mend, mend, mend.

3. Indicators aren't as effective when high stick, short lining as a fish can take and spit out the fly more quickly than most can react, and oftentimes the hit won't even move the indicator when you are fishing turbulent water or when you don't have the indicator set at the proper depth for the run you are fishing.
Indicators require a lot of moving up and down the line whereas with high sticking, you can control the depth by how much line you have on the water.


BOTTOMLINE: Using one or not depends on where you are fishing and what types of drifts you want to achieve. I haven't really found that indicators spook fish all that much, as a matter of fact, oftentimes the fish will hit your indicator, hence the need to fish a Hopper/dropper combo--nothing more than an indicator with a hook and a nymph.

We all need to get to where we can fish many different ways if we always want to increase our success odds. There is no "correct" way, just some that are more successful on any given day.

[briansII]

what are the advantages of fishing without an indicator? thanks guys

It will get you closer to your God?

I will sometimes tease about using bobbers.....I mean indicators. In reality, I could care less. I have used them on ocassion, and often use a dry dropper setup. No biggie either way.

One reason I like fishing without an indicator, is the level of concentration you have, when drifting a nymph. I've often read, and experience the term, "getting into the zone". This may sound like a bunch of hooey, but sometimes you can just sense a take. Not to say you don't/can't get into the zone with an indicator, but I think fishing without one demands you pay attention....if you want to catch some fish.

I'm sure I miss strikes fishing without an indicator. There are certain situations I don't fish, just because I don't want to put an indicator on. Very slow water, where getting any decent drift requires you to suspend a wet under a indicator. Some very big fish cruise this type of water, and i'm missing out on them, if I don't carry a cator.

briansII

[gabe]

i use both methods to look like a cool fly fisherman that knows what he's doing.

like stated above, I use them when the area requires it.

[fflutterffly]

'getting into the zone' is great, but when I finally arrived I think the bus had already left. I was so excited to finally see the fish swimming after the flies that I missed the whole 'catching' thing. I became inthralled each time a shadow followed that little thing at the end of my line.

[anacrime]

thanks benny/mike. very good info.

[Sheriff Joe]

Nymphing without an indicator is much more intuitive. I am most successful when I just play it by feel, as in when I feel like there should be a strike, where I think the fish is, I just kinda hold my breath and yank...and most times there is a fish there. And sometimes the biggest baddest fish. It's much sneakier not to use an indicator. The best way to get good at it is to go up in the high country where there are a million hungry forgiving fish, where the water is really clear, and go catch fifty or so sans indicator.
Now, I also think that indicators rock. And a dry/dropper combo is deadliest.

If I had one shot on deep fast unfamiliar water, I'd probably use an indicator.

[Papasequoia]

I use an indicator much more often than not, probably because of the water I fish most frequently. If I'm on a smaller, mountain stream I never fish just nymphs, I always use a dry fly or a dry with a dropper. On something like the Kern or the Owens I usually use an indicator, but that is more habit than preference. I really need to force myself to try fishing without the indicator more often.

On the subject of indicators; I really have come to love those bobbinators. I know that they are even closer to being a bobber, but let's face it, whether it's yarn, a balloon, a piece of floating putty or a bobbinator, it's serving the same purpose. The reasons I have come to prefer the bobbinator are 1) you don't get little bits of stray yarn getting wrapped up in your leader when adding/removing, 2) they are much more aerodynamic and make casting easier, 3) they are easier to put on and take off because of the little ring of metal in the eye instead of just rubber like the yarn ones, 4) they float better, don't get submerged as easily in white water, and don't get waterlogged, 5) I had a fifth reason when I wrote this yesterday, but the site crashed and I lost the message and now I don't remember Anyway, if you use an indicator, give them a try.

On that note, does anyone know where I can buy some more (besides the shop in Kernville)? I looked in Sports Chalet last week when I was in Palmdale and didn't see any. Jon

[darrin terry]

You mean these:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... hasJS=true
??

[Papasequoia]

Yes, that's them, thanks Darrin. No wonder I couldn't find them, I was calling them bobbinators instead of thingamabobbers. Of course, to make the shipping worthwhile, now I'm gonna have to find some other Cabelas's stuff to buy

[rayfound]

On the subject of indicators; I really have come to love those bobbinators. I know that they are even closer to being a bobber, but let's face it, whether it's yarn, a balloon, a piece of floating putty or a bobbinator, it's serving the same purpose. The reasons I have come to prefer the bobbinator are 1) you don't get little bits of stray yarn getting wrapped up in your leader when adding/removing, 2) they are much more aerodynamic and make casting easier, 3) they are easier to put on and take off because of the little ring of metal in the eye instead of just rubber like the yarn ones, 4) they float better, don't get submerged as easily in white water, and don't get waterlogged, 5) I had a fifth reason when I wrote this yesterday, but the site crashed and I lost the message and now I don't remember

As a side note, I have a foam indicator that is shaped and made like the yarn ones, but is little strips of foam. For what its worth - I find this to have all of the same qualities as the thingamabobber that you mention.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20431-cat600030-cat600030&id=0011255317517a&navCount=2&podId=0011255&parentId=cat600030&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat600030&hasJS=true


I think the one I have was cheaper than Cabela's though. Got it at Riverside Ski and Sport.

[Sasha]

The best indicator (price vs. performance) by far is the standard water balloon. It fishes just fine if you blow it up to about the size and shape of a marble (knot in the balloon up high so it keeps the shape of the blown up part round) and has a much better buoyancy than anything else out there. You can buy them biodegradable, but I don't ever really have a problem with losing them. They stay on very well. You can buy them at Target, Walmart, Kmart (if in Bishop), etc for usually under 3 bucks for 100 or so. It isn't as "pretty" as other indicators out there, but it gets the job done perfectly. Special thanks to David for introducing me to them... I have a bunch of Orvis yarn indicators that are collecting dust now (anyone want them?)

Holy crap why didn't I think of doing something like that.......


The only problem is when you take a pic of the indicator it tends to look odd

[JGray]

I fish mainly with an indicator when not useing a dry dropper set up, mainly because it is how I am most confident and most familure. I think confidence in what method you are using is what is most important and relates directly to catching fish. You spend less time changing set ups and more time with your fly in the water. Recently I got hooked on Thingamabobbers. I first ran into them during our Wyoming trip. They come in sizes as small as a pea to about the size of a quarter and unlike yarn, they, at leat for me, make it easier to cast into the wind.