Strike Indicators

Until we discovered strike indicators, Molly and I never had much luck fishing nymphs. One day we were trouting a small stillwater in the Liscombe Game Sanctuary where we could detect strikes, but not in time to set the hook. Strike indicators alerted us to the take just in time to set the hook. We now use them whenever we are nymphing and we now fish nymphs confidently and often preferentially, rather than as a last resort.

Master angler & writer Lefty Kreh, in his book Advanced Fly-Fishing Techniques, says this about indicators: “A strike indicator is essentially a tiny bobber. It floats either on or just below the surface and is highly visible to the angler – and is usually ignored by the trout. If the indicator changes drift direction, stops, or is pulled under, it means a trout has grabbed your nymph and it’s time to strike. Young and completely inexperienced anglers have been able to fish rather effectively on their first trip with the use of an indicator. Guides on rivers such as the Big Horn, where nymphing is often the most popular method, use the indicator to get many novice anglers their first trout. Some experts who spent years learning to fish without an indicator resent how easy it is for a first-timer to catch trout on nymphs.”

There are many different types of indicators, but all are buoyant and highly visible. The type Molly and I prefer is the commercial “stick-on” closed cell foam pad. Lefty Kreh says “You purchase a rectangular piece of foam, with contact glue backing. Small dumbbell-shaped pads are pre-punched in the rectangle, and you simply lift one of the dumbbells from the pad. It is pressed around the leader at the desired point. What you now have is a light, easy-to-cast bobber that is secured to the leader. It has the advantage of soft impact and is easy to see.” This type is disposable and costs about $2.50 for a pad of thirty fluorescent indicators.

Please stay on the line ...