Indicators or not….is it cheating?

The row goes on, should ‘fly anglers’ be allowed to fish with indicators? What are indicators first, well, in the UK indicators are used normally when fishing buzzers or nymphs, they are great at setting the depth of your buzzer so you know you can fish 1, 2 or 3 buzzers at the exact depth where the fish are. So, what are the problems fishing with indicators, well, many anglers consider it to be coarse fishing (without the maggots), which in essence it is. You have a line, float (bite indicator, which a coarse fishing float actually is) and a hook; this is the exact same set up as coarse fishing. The traditional indicators were either a tied on bunch of yarn or greased wool tightly packed, the indicators that are sold all over the world now, tend to be ones that either snap on to the leader, formed out of flourescent putty or flourescent braided leader loops attached to the fly line. The snap on indicators tend to be made out of polystyrene and painted in a fluorescent colour and vary from 1cm (1/2 inch) to 3 cm (1inch). Click here to see video and read more.

How did indicators come about? Indicators were introduced by boat fishing anglers who were drifting with the current and wanted to fish their buzzers or nymphs as natural as they could, which this method is perfect for doing. However, on small waters in the UK, indicators are pretty much frowned upon as the water is mostly still and anglers tend to use the indicator as a bite indicator for all flies except lures. The reason it is not welcomed in most places is because it is a very successful way of catching fish. If you do find a water that allows indicators, then the normally insist that it passes freely through the top eye of the rod (I have seen crazy floats used that I would use to catch pike!!).

In North America, indicator fishing is used as it was intended and is imperative on most fast moving waters to get your nymph or buzzer to the correct depths, in fact I know fly fishermen that even have to use swan shot to hold the bait in the current.

So, is it ok to use indicators or is it cheating? There is strong opposition from the traditional fly anglers in the UK that this is cheating and I can understand in a way what they are saying. In North America it is widely accepted and rarely frowned upon. Well, my opinion is that in the UK as long as they are used in moderation and it is sensible in terms of size and effect on the catch then fine and in North America in is pretty much a necessity, so carry on as you were.

Any comments/opinions welcomed www.flyfishingmyway.com