[rottal]

ok, heres a question just to see what guys are using these days--- and also if theres something out there i havnt heard about yet....

Strike Indicators...whats your favorite? ive used quite a few...from a large dry fly above a dropper to the the stick on Palsa type to attachable corks (you know....the one with the toothpick deal that slips out all the wrong times) My favorite though so far is Quiver Yarn...seems to be the only one i can fish all day (even with heavy rigs) without it sinking...i have to order it though, no one seems to carry it as regular stock. some guys in a shop i used to work at use the new Fish Pimp indicators, which look pretty slick...i might try them just to see. do any of you people use anything different?

 

[epic]

I have been using the new 3M Scientific Anglers Line to Leader system as a strike indicator lately and it works good for me. Plus its a slick way to attach new leaders in seconds instead of all the tying I use to have to do. Check them out: http://www.3m.com/us/home_leisure/scianglers/L2L.jhtml
The little orange connector floats and as far as I can tell hasnt spooked any fish I've casted at, I cant say the same about me though. I spook fish and sink like a rock. =P
I think you should give it a try the next time you buy a leader, I bought some fly line at that last fly fishing show in Denver and the lady at the 3M booth gave me a free leader and a connector set. Now I think I'll stay with it.

 

[rottal]

Well thats a new one for me...never seen those before. how well does the connector float? and on another note, can you get it to sink if you fish streamers? will it pull apart easily after being used for awhile? ive been impressed with SA products in the past, i think thier lines are some of the best on the market...but man, its gonna be hard to get away from knots...im a nail know sort of guy when it comes to line/leader connections. oh yeah, also...since im asking 1,000 questions...how big is it? will it reel up through the first eye on your rod?

either way thanks for the new info, ill have to check one of those out.....

 

[epic]

I fish streamers with it up in Canon City it doesnt seem to bother the streamer at all, I also have added split shot to hit some deep pools and it sinks just the fly and not the "strike indicator" (the leader I was using was 9tf leader) if you want to go deeper then 9 ft and the streamer doesnt sink the "strike indicator" add tippet or more weight, when the fish takes the line I can still see the bright orange under water, so it floats very good. I dont think I've fished anywhere yet where I needed the "strike indicator" to sink cause of the streamer, the Ark in Canon City isnt deep enough for that.
Coming apart... I tried and tried to pull it apart because I was worried about the same thing, I didnt want to hook into a trout of a life time and have the leader pop off and not only lose the fish but my fly and leader. To put the Leader on you have to buy a connector thingie (marketing at its finest) but the connector kit connects 5 leaders, and I havent seen them at a store but maybe you can just buy the connectors and not a kit every 5 since once you have the tool you can use them on all of them. WHo knows. Here is the kit http://www.yagersflies.com/scansyl2llic.html
The way it works is you slide your fishing line into one of those connectors on the kit tie an overhand knot (get it wet, spit, whatever) pull the knot tight and into the connector. Then the connector goes into that tool on the leader comes with one already attached and they pop together, with a little bit of force.
Is it to big to go threw the eye? not at all matter of fact it slides threw the eye better then my knots did more arrow dynamic.
Its not something I think I would have bought without knowing someone who tried it or something like that, mostly for all the reasons you mentioned. But since they gave them to me at the show and I've used it first hand, and the leaders are the same price as the other leaders on the market I think I'll keep using them.
Im one of those lets get out there and do it type fisherman, the sooner I can get my 5 peice Cabela fly rod together and scout an area and start fishing the better. These save time putting them on when I need a new one, plus I dont have to tie in a strike indicator since I have one built in. (I know I'm shaving mins but hey, hehe those are mins I can spend fishin) I am also color blind so I find it hard alot of times using a dry fly as an indicator cause its hard for me to spot the fly. But with this its alot easier to see where my dry fly landed when I am dry fly fishing, helped out tons when I was fishing the Ark below Pueblo about 3 weeks ago.
I'm not the greatest fly fisherman matter of fact this is the first full year I will be fly fishing, I started around August last year and only went about 8 times that year. This year I've hit the Arkansas in Canon City twice fishing streamers and caught 3 browns between 12 and 15 inches both trips (father n law lives in Canon City, so when we visit the inlaws I head to the river =P) and me and my friend went down to the Ark below Pueblo and caught 2 rainbows each, dry flying a hatch that was going on. (dont know the flies good enough to tell you what it was but, the one that hatches and floats to the top and looks like little popcorn all over the water) The rainbows were just slurping them up right along the edges of the current.

 

[epic]

I change my mind about this being a great strike indicator, for the waters I usually fish the Arkansas in Canon City and Pueblo it works great and floats very well.
However I hit 11mile Canyon today and the water is a little more turbulent there and the eddies sink the connector, you can still see it under the water but only because 11mile canyon is super clear water any where else and it would lose its effectiveness I think. I probably missed alot today because of it too.
My father in law was using the smallest version of this type of strike indicator in yellow and it was doing great, its what I'm going to start using I think.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...nt=0&cmCat=srchdx&cm_ven=srchdx&cm_ite=srchdx
I also came across this kit which I think might help you decide what one works best for you:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...nt=0&cmCat=srchdx&cm_ven=srchdx&cm_ite=srchdx

 

[rottal]

ill find some of the new ones some guys i know like and send a picture...i cant remember the name of them, but they looked pretty good, although a bit pricey..Frog Hair made some (yeah, its a weird name), but I cant remember who made the others---they were small and actually slipped onto your leader and were very airo dynamic... ill try them all out when i go up to the North Platte again soon.

 

[BuckarooBanzai]

I use either a dry fly or a Palsa stick-on float. Had to change from orange Palsas to white because small fish sometimes strike the orange floats. :

 

[epic]

I really dont like the palsa stick-on indicators for these reasons, they dont float the greatest threw rougher water, they fall off, if they get hot in your vest pocket the backing is almost impossible to peel off, and when your fingers get cold from the water or weather its even alot harder to peel the backing off.
These are just the experiences I have had with them, alot of people must like them cause they sell just fine, or is it because they are a cheap alternative.

 

[GoreGreenDrake]

I enjoy using a putty style indicator.  They can be molded into any shape or size, and easily moved or removed from my leader.  If I'm fishing beadheads or split shot, a little bit will still float, I just move the putty up the leader to the desired depth.  Orvis makes it in orange or flo-green.  It is completely re-useable as well.  It won't spook the fish any more than any other style indicator either.  If I'm getting reaction strikes on the putty indicator, I'll switch to a parachute style dry and drop a nymph of the end.

 

[Guest]

new to this board - so pardon me shaking the dust off this post.

i use a homemade indicator - sort of. it is poly yarn/rope and an orthodontists rubber band (for braces).
cut about two inches of the yarn. take the rubber band, it is about the size of a dime, wrap it around my forcepts 4-5 times. bow my lead, slide the rubber band on it. slide the rubber band down about an inch or so. take the poly, slip it into the bow, now a look, then slide the rubber band up to the poly. i comb out the poly with a velcrow thing i made, put floatant on it and there it is. sounds like a complicated deal but it could not be more simple. it adjusts so easy, no loop to slide around etc. and it holds a ton of weight when nymphing. i like a tan poly which looks natural.
for about $3 i can make 50 of these things, so they last forever.
sometimes for every light weight and shallow water i use a lightning strike football shaped float. it has a small slit witha rubber tube to hold the leader. works great and it is white.
i like these setups cause i am constantly changing depths/weight and it is all to easy to get lazy if this stuff is not simple.
thanks,
tomcat

 

[epic]

All the yarn ones I make sink! =( I must use the wrong kind of yarn or something.

 

[arkfisher]

i tried the "Fish Pimp" ones last weekend and i thought they performed well . Good bouyancy and easy to to put on or move up or down the line. Only problem was i had 4 come off in 2 days.At $4.95 for 6 that gets pricy. My other favorite that i have used for a few years is a yarn one that i can only find in Salida that has a spring loaded end on it that grabs your line. Chance of losing one of these is almost zero.It does not crimp up your leader and will float all day if you put a little dry fly dressing on it when you first head out. Its harder to cast in a wind than the fish Pimp type but its very good overall.

 

[StillwaterFreak]

It depends on where I'm fishing.

When I am fishing tailwaters, I like to use yarn indicators. I always use black or white ones. These are the best IMO for detecting strikes.
When I am fishing tailwaters with low flows, I don't fish an indicator and just watch my line, it takes practice, but if you can learn to do it, it is even better than using yarn indicators for detecting.

In bigger rivers, I like to use the white styrofoam balls. They float like a cork, and are easy to see in the bigger waters. I also like using these on the Dream Stream, as they are easier to cast in the wind.

When I am fishing lakes, I use flourescent colored teardrop styrofoam indicators. It seems these are the easiest for fish to pull under without feeling any resistance. 

 

[bitafurnfeather]

I'll throw this in since I never see anyone else using it. I use it for longer line, "blind" nymphing situations.

About 10 years ago a guy was selling these through some West Coast shops. He'd countersunk a polystyrene "corkie". The countersunk ID was about 1/4" wide and tapered down like a cone. The other side of the corkie was the same, line-size hole. You push a loop of leader through the small hole and out the countersunk end. You pull some 2" strands of combed out poly macrame yarn through that loop. Then pull the leader back tight to pinch the yarn back into the countersink. Treat with floatant.

This indicator can be moved up or down the leader easily, doesn't slip (I also tie up my leaders, so the knots do help there) and stays bouyant much longer than plain yarn.

I've made my own for several years by twisting my pocket knife blade in one end of the corkie until I get the size I like. I make them with small, med. and lg. corkies. I always use the hard foam balls -- polystyrene, I think.

This system is easy and cheap and I like the option of carrying different colors of yarn for lighting conditions, or browns, tans, etc. for streams where it's conceivable that the trout might shy away from another "bright" indicator.

 

[epic]

bitafurnfeather, do you have a picture of that strike indicator? I want to know if I'm picturing it right.

 

[bitafurnfeather]

No, sorry, I don't have any pictures. Still in the 35mm SLR universe, too, so I don't suppose I'll have one soon. But I'll try to clarify. The corkie is the spherical type with a small hole that runs through the center. Usually, you run your leader through this hole and then stuff a toothpick in one end as a friction stop. In this setup you bore out a cone depression from one end of the hole. With a 1/2" diameter corkie I like to make this new hole about 1/4" wide or so and perhaps a little more than 1/4" deep. I don't find that having the countersink perfectly smooth, or even close to smooth, really matters, but if you want to do all this with a countersink bit, I'm sure that would work, too.

Then, with the prepared corkie, pass a loop of leader through the small, original hole and out through the widened, countersunk hole. Put a small bundle of combed out fibers of poly yarn through the loop, then pull the loop tight to cinch the fibers against the countersink.

My corkies usually last for a couple of dozen days fishing, at least. The yarn needs to be treated with floatant, but stays bouyant a long time in this set up with occasional false casting.

Hope that helps visualize it.

 

[davidmcnicholas]

that is soo funny....I am on the never ending search for the "holy grail"...I mean strike indicator that really works well....seems like each new strike indicator solves one problem and then creates a new one. I will try the ones you reccommend.