9. Sizes and colors of indicators (9 of 21)
Video Transcript:
♪ [music] ♪ - [Tom] It's always great when things come together. When you get the fly, the rigging, and the drift right, you'll do well, of course, if you're fishing over trout. That's a Hollywood. Is there a cutthroat? On the big nymph again.
That's a pretty fish. ♪ [music] ♪ Wow, that's a hybrid?
- [Man] [inaudible 00:00:35.12] ♪ [music] ♪ - Okay, you always want to try to use as small an indicator as you can get away with. This big indicator I have here is just way too heavy for this water. And you'll notice I can't really false cast with it.
It's bouncing all over the place. And when it hits the water, it makes a big splat. It's probably going to spook the fish, and it just makes casting tough. So go in with an indicator that's big enough to float the flies, but not so big it's going to make a big splat on the water. The size of the indicator is based on two things, the weight of the flies and/or weights on the leader you're using, and also how visible it is.
Smaller indicators are sometimes hard to see in heavy water. And if your flies and weight are too heavy, a small one can get pulled under quickly. If you can't see your indicator, or if it sinks right away, switch to a bigger one. I always carry a variety of sizes and styles so that I can match water conditions.
The color of your indicator is a personal decision based on how well you see and water conditions. In heavy water, you might choose the one you think is most visible. But in heavily-fished areas, sometimes fish are frightened or suspicious of brightly-colored indicators. So a clear or a white one to match the natural bubbles in a river might be a smart move.
♪ [music] ♪ I wanted to try a squirmy worm in here. It's a fly that a lot of people look down on, but it's kind of interesting. It's not a typical fly. I've got a Copper John on there, which is a very, very typical, you know, Catskill fly or typical nymph.
But I wanted to try a squirmy worm just to see what would happen and this fish obviously like the squirmy. ♪ [music] ♪ Pretty hefty, barbless hook, and away he goes.