Using bite indicators for Trout

C

cougar

New member
Hey Gents.. havent used a bite indicator before but have seen the guys using them on floating line.. Please lemme know when you fish with it and where about on the leadre does it go??

 

 

 

 
 
B

Babyson

New member
Hi Cougar.

Well firstly it depends on where you using it ie. river/stream or dams & lakes etc. Fishing a strike indicator in a river is mainly to detect subtle takes that you cannot feel otherwise and less so to keep your flies floating at a specific depth (although there is a time and place for this) Here the rule of thumb is to position the indicator around double the waters depth from your fly ie. 50cm water then indicator goes around 1m from the fly.

In dams indicators are generally used to suspend nymphs in the water column at specific depths. Usually you would use a team of nymphs and suspend them at varying depths to imitate different emerging stages of insects and to cover more water columns. In this situation your indicator simply is positioned at a depth that will suspend your flies where you want them. A nice thing to consider here is to use a large dry fly as the indicator and then you have an indicator that can actually catch fish:fswim
I recently used an indicator to suspend an egg pattern just off the bottom and it worked a treat (Thanks to a thread I read on this forum;)

Hope that clears it up a bit

Rob
 
R

RoryB

Sealiner
Super post Rob, well summed up. Some fish will actually try and eat your indicator, so yes you can even buy an indicator tied on a hook! Crazy stuff!
 
R

Ryan

Sealiner
And sometimes the bloody fish will even take the indicator.......hehehe guess that is fishing - hence the addition of the hook to the indicator
 
C

cougar

New member
Thanks Babyson.. thanks guys very usefull information!! so you basically its only used with a floating line?? how do you know where to put it if you dont know the depth of the water, when trying to get your egg just off the ground??? Suppose you just guess?? which are the most effective indicators guys besides using a dry fly???
 
F

Fin-S

Sealiner
Generally it is only used with a floater, yes. Guess the depth and keep on adjusting until you start to get hung up. Depends on your eyesight and water conditions. I only use a dry (humpy, G&H sedge, grasshopper etc) but many guys like lime green or orange yarn. There are also some pinch on circles but personally that is more like float fishing.
 
C

cougar

New member
awesome thanks fin -s! Also new at this fishing with two or three flies instead of one! is there any rule of thumb with it for example the biggest flies always at the back, or a nymph always in the front? or should they all be nymphs?
 
F

Fin-S

Sealiner
Many schools of thought and much of it differs by area. Alot of guys use three nymphs, some heaviest at the tail (point fly), others heaviest at the front to drag the others through the water column (difficult to cast though). Some use a dry, then a nymph on a dropper, some use a nymph then a buzzer. Some tie the dropper from the bend of the hook shank, others through the eye. As I said, there are many options. I personally like to fish a team consisting of a large dry fly on top (size 10 moth), a very small buzzer in the middle (size 18 horsehair) and a PTN on point (size14). All are tied through the eyes and the PTN is heavy whilst the dry is treated to float.
 
F

Fin-S

Sealiner
PTN = Pheasant tail nymph, dropper is the hook length of line that comes off the main leader. i.e main leader to one fly, then dropper to point fly.
 
C

cougar

New member
Babyson.. thanks a million man .. this site is awesome or should i say the members on it!! Everyone just wants to share their knowledge or atleast where they get it from! Thanks again!
 
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