New Zealand Strike Indicator

[BowhunterNJ]

I've been seeing these on Facebook, while I'm not one for strike indicators, I generally fish without them (ala high sticking method), I thought I'd pass it along for those that use them!

 

 

 

 

Website: http://www.strikeindicator.com/

[Bucksnbows]

High stick nymphing is fine for short drifts, but strike indicators are crucial for long line drifting nymphs and upstream casts.  I guide most newbies using Thingamabobbers instead of yarn-like indicators.  To each his/her own, I guess.  

[BowhunterNJ]

Yeah I mostly nymph and dry fly fish here in NJ and PA.

 

I'll admit the long cast nymphing is difficult. I'd imagine a strike indicator would help keep a more vertical presentation?

Is that what is crucial in your opinion, more so than actually detecting the hit?

[Bucksnbows]

Yeah I mostly nymph and dry fly fish here in NJ and PA.

 

I'll admit the long cast nymphing is difficult. I'd imagine a strike indicator would help keep a more vertical presentation?

Is that what is crucial in your opinion, more so than actually detecting the hit?

It's both, actually.  Let's say you're nymphing a pool and want to nymph the far side seam.  Only a strike indicator will give you both the correct drift and best detection of the take.  I prefer no "bobber" when I can get away without one, but indicators are great for longer line nymphing.  And for newbies just starting out, I think they are critical to both getting proper drifts and strike detection.  

 

Ah, screw it all - we should just be dry fly purists!    I'd rather dry fly fish than anything anyway...and I'll pass up nymph fishing on rivers like the upper Delaware when fish aren't rising even though I could likely catch a bunch sub-surface.  I just so much prefer to see the take on top, lol.

[BowhunterNJ]

Yeah good points. Maybe I'll try an indicator on those longer cast, far seam fishing scenarios and see how the hookup ratio is. High sticking is definitely difficult to impossible at those longer ranges, and I notice a difference in the hookups.

 

I agree, for newbies, it's definitely a must have...I know I started with one, but once I got into more vertical, non-indicator style drifting, I seemed to do much better.

 

I'm OK with dry flying too! Nothing like that surface take!