Balanced Leech Methods?

[iveofione]

Not a dumb question! Iracators: http://www.floatsunlimited.com/p087rw-25.html

I buy these indicators (last order was 100*), when I got them, I spent about 45 minutes with my cordless drill, fitted with a 5/64" (I think) bit and enlarged the diameter of the hole in the peg.

*I probably won't ever need to do this again

With so much snow on the tundra, I took some time this winter to make a little jig to drill out all of my pegs. Most of the holes were much too small to ever slide over a knot and to realize that while on the water is a real PIA. Now I have a season's supply of workable strike indicators.

And with much more time on my hands I painted all of the strike indicators black on the lower half leaving just enough color on the top so I could see them easily. Over the years I have had numerous fish attack the strike indicator so it was obviously too easy to see. Perhaps the bright indicator can tip the fish off to our presence and possibly put them down. Just a theory but something that looks like a small pine cone or a piece of bark would seemingly have less tendency to alarm fish.

 

[Buzzy]

With so much snow on the tundra, I took some time this winter to make a little jig to drill out all of my pegs. Most of the holes were much too small to ever slide over a knot and to realize that while on the water is a real PIA. Now I have a season's supply of workable strike indicators.

And with much more time on my hands I painted all of the strike indicators black on the lower half leaving just enough color on the top so I could see them easily. Over the years I have had numerous fish attack the strike indicator so it was obviously too easy to see. Perhaps the bright indicator can tip the fish off to our presence and possibly put them down. Just a theory but something that looks like a small pine cone or a piece of bark would seemingly have less tendency to alarm fish.

I do think indicators can tip fish off to the angler or maybe as something trout remember from being hooked....? Rocky Ford comes to mind. How many people fish ice cream cones, scuds, mini leeches, yarn eggs, etc., under indicators? I started fishing smaller and smaller indicators at RF because I believed the big bobbers put fish down at times.

I'm curious to see how your modifications work. For me, in shallow water where I don't need a quick release type indicator, I often use an Airlok bobber, translucent (sort of clear) or white.

 

[hiddentalus]

I think a larger bobber can result in more movement of the fly that may at times appear unnatural.

 

[Northern]

I dunno. I was at a small pond with some big, well educated trout once several years ago. Someone had lost a big orange Thingamabobber and it was free floating around the pond. Every 5 min or so for about a half hour, a BIG fish would come up and grab it, then 30 or so seconds later it would pop to the surface somewhere else.
I have to think this fish was actually playing with it! Of course I threw a big orange dry over that way, but it wasn't fooled.

 

[dpenrod]

View attachment 4589

Great looking flies. What is the body material on the two center leeches?

 

[troutpocket]

Great looking flies. What is the body material on the two center leeches?

I think it’s trilobal leech dubbing. Some stuff I picked up in Portland many years ago.

 

[prmike307]

I used olive with chartreuse bead on a local lake for stocked brood culls.