Stillwater indicator watchers: What's your approach?

[Flybox1]

This is an effective rig, but the thing I dislike about this setup is if I want to run the bugs shallow, say 3-5

I'll run this with my swivel maybe 2' above the bottom fly. That'll get your bobber closer for shallow waters. I'll even run the 2nd fly off the swivel (@ lower ring) sometimes.

 

[SurfnFish]

This is an effective rig, but the thing I dislike about this setup is if I want to run the bugs shallow, say 3-5 feet, the swivel or tippet ring prevents me from setting the indi close to the flies.

my shallow water set-up has no indicator, want the line to land as softly as possible...use a short piece of thin red shrink tubing just behind the the end loop...twitch or dip...strike

 

[Matt B]

I'll run this with my swivel maybe 2' above the bottom fly. That'll get your bobber closer for shallow waters. I'll even run the 2nd fly off the swivel (@ lower ring) sometimes.

If only fish didn’t bite the darn swivel!

my shallow water set-up has no indicator, want the line to land as softly as possible...use a short piece of thin red shrink tubing just behind the the end loop...twitch or dip...strike

I like it. Up close to shore I’ll do dry/dropper sometimes. But sometimes fish may suspend at say 3-5 feet deep over 20-foot water. Like right before they take emergers at dusk and other unexplainable situations. That’s where I might plop out an indicator rig, set to suspend flies not too deep but over deeper water. All the fish aren’t always right on the bottom.

 

[Irafly]

my shallow water set-up has no indicator, want the line to land as softly as possible...use a short piece of thin red shrink tubing just behind the the end loop...twitch or dip...strike

I’ve set my flies an inch or two under the indicator in super shallow water, without issue, but I like your set up idea.

 

[wanderingrichard]

my go to rig, works great..get a lot more hookups tying the first chrom to a blood knot tag instaad of tying 'inline' with the second chrom tied to it's hook...much more natural floating and bobbing freely. Instead of the swivel I use a micro ring..can go all season changing nothing but tippet.
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That's a scaled down version of the rig I use for surf fishing. This proves its versatility.

 

[Shawn Seeger]

Hey, I have that indicator! Works great for Tuna.

I was thinking maybe these could be modified as "seasonal" indicators... Hahahah

 

[Irafly]

I was thinking maybe these could be modified as "seasonal" indicators... Hahahah

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I might just need to try this out.

 

[_WW_]

I was thinking maybe these could be modified as "seasonal" indicators... Hahahah

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Fill those with lead and they might bust through the ice!

 

[Old406Kid]

Fill those with lead and they might bust through the ice!

I'm planning on scouting a few of our far east, eastern Washington lakes this weekend.
Unfortunately, I'm expecting to see alot of rocks tossed onto the icecap.

 

[Kilchis]

My technique is to cast the setup out, then watch the indicator until my eyeballs start to quiver. Then I turn and take a refreshing drink out of a bottle of Coke. While my head is turned and tilted back to drain the last drop from the bottle I'll hear MelinOre say, “Your bobber dipped.”

 

[MELinOre]

While my head is turned and tilted back to drain the last drop from the bottle I'll hear MelinOre say, “Your bobber dipped.”

That was on September 10th, 2015. We were fishing the Quinn River channel on Crane Prairie.

Pretty sure what I remarked was "watch your bobber dipshit"

 

[Irafly]

My technique is to cast the setup out, then watch the indicator until my eyeballs start to quiver. Then I turn and take a refreshing drink out of a bottle of Coke. While my head is turned and tilted back to drain the last drop from the bottle I'll hear MelinOre say, “Your bobber dipped.”

I use a similar technique, but mine involves a tiny bladder. One or two drops of urine may have made it into my waders this way.

 

[Kilchis]

I gotta get hearing aids. And Depends.

 

[Flymph]

Weighted, pregnant (gold bead), scud, size 14, allowed to slide above blood knot that attaches leader to tippet.

 

[Matt B]

Weighted, pregnant (gold bead), scud, size 14, allowed to slide above blood knot that attaches leader to tippet.

Interesting approach. Why let it slide? Is it just for ease of putting it in that location?

 

[Flymph]

Ease of putting it on the leader, the bug moves more naturally, I get more hookups, and less tangles when unhooking a fish.

 

[Triploidjunkie]

Last summer I saw something I've never seen before. Many different fly fishermen trolling indicators around. The whole time, not just spot to spot. These guys would troll like that all day. And it wasn't just one group. It was multiple times over the summer. I never did see one person doing hook up, but it was a headscratcher.

 

[Buzzy]

Last summer I saw something I've never seen before. Many different fly fishermen trolling indicators around. The whole time, not just spot to spot. These guys would troll like that all day. And it wasn't just one group. It was multiple times over the summer. I never did see one person doing hook up, but it was a headscratcher.

TR -
I often fish a jig under an indicator. When I'm in my float tube, I generally slowly kick around, twitch the fly rod tip - not trolling per se, but the bobber isn't ever static very long.

 

[Ceviche]

I've fished with Ceviche when I lived in Washington. I don't think that he wants to come to Montana to tow me around.

If I were to go there, I’d be more than happy to tow you around any lake you chose. Of course, it would mean you’d end up showing me the good spots. Fair trade, right?

 

[Tom Butler]

Today the magic was cast, let sit for a minute, throw a mend and let sit a bit, then slow 3" strips, increasing in speed and length as it neared the shore. Took about 20 minutes to get onto it, then that was it, at any point.