please school me on using an indicator

[polock]

never used one when fly fishing.. please inform me on this

[Randall]

place the indicator as far up your tippet as you want your fly to be down in the water column. when you fish it, make real sure there is no drag because the fly won't look right to the fish. from personal experience, do not use those indicators that have a toothpick in them, they create huge messes. biostrike is okay but kind of a pain. jeremy hunt turned me on to the stick on foam indicators because they are easy to use and and don't create huge messy knots when you cast.

hope this helped

[Terry Beeson]

Click here for an in depth forum thread on indicators and their uses...

[LostMyWife]

Terry

The fly shop turned me onto a hot pink bobber with a toothpickto hold it in place. I take it that is a problem.

I have done some major searches and think I am ready to rig with a dry up, a dropper down and a scud at the end. That is if the diagram that I downloaded was correct.

Any thoughts. Should I burn all of my toothpick and foot balls and move on?

WHAT, A BLUE CAT TO A LOWLY BLUE GILL. IF I DELETE MY POSTS CAN I BE A BLUE CATFISH AGAIN?

[Don]

One small piece of advice,

Don't use the indicator as a bobber as alot of people do. Some people wait for it to go under. If your choice of indicator either stops, jerks abruptly to the side, or twitches abrupt of the normal drift it was taking, recast, instead of setting the hook. You have nothing to lose and your yield will increase impeccably.

Good Luck.....Don

Don

[Ham]

Different folks like different styles of indicators. Indicators aren't all that expensive. Buy several styles and fish them for yourself BEFORE you rule out any design.

"Bigger" and "faster" water will require more lead to keep the fly(s) down so you'll need more of an indicator to keep the flies from hanging up. You'll have fun learnig to balance those two things.

I've used the putty floatant, the sticky back foam, and the styrofoam and toothpick. I've caught fish on all three and have found disadvantages with all three. I'll probably continue to try all three and may add another design or two to the vest.

Make repeated drifts through an area. If you never hit bottom, you need more lead. If you are hung up constantly, you need less lead or less line beneath the float.

If the float sinks every cast you need more float.

Watch the way the indicator moves normally. Lift on anything abnormal.

[Terry Beeson]

Good points Don and Ham...

LMW,

Dry flies are good indicators. I would try to learn how to tie parachute flies since they make the best indicator flies in my opinion.

[Thom]

The problem that is mentioned with toothpick incicators causing tangles and knots can be nearly eliminated if you trim the stict as short as possible and insert it from the bottom with the excess pointing toward the fly. I never get tangles that way.

Use the smallest indicator possible for the fly used. The ones that have a slit on the side and rubber tubing inside work well and come in different sizes. That allows you to change with the fly an conditions that you are encountering change without cutting off the fly. They are also very light and make very little disturbance when presented properly. Little pricier but last longer than most.

To repeat what has already been said "a dry indicator in clear water without any chop is the best way to go but takes a little practice to get used to.

I often catch fish on the dry when using it this way.

[Danoinark]

LMW

There is another problem with the round indicator and toothpick. Water will swell the wood toothpick and they are hard to get out of the bobber. There is another use for the round ones. Make a loop in your leader or tippet (wherever you intend to place the indicator) push the loop through the hole. Precut some small rubber bands in half, then small sections, and then cut those in half lengthwise. Place a piece of the rubber band in the loop and pull back through. The rubber secures the bobber to the line and its also easy to move.

Dano