That’s the beauty of it. I’ve previously used them on tapered leaders and never had a problem attaching them to the thicker diameter butt section. Some trout grab a nymph and quickly turn back to their position, making any type of suspender dunk under the surface. Just take it off and reattach. Airflo Airlock Indicator. This is my home, and I love it. Ok I am confused. That delicacy and refinement of presentation is maximized by using the Dorsey. It won’t stay on or stay snug. It has zero impact on casts, is easily adjustable and is highly visible. Again, I urge you not to substitute whatever elastics bands you have laying around from the time your daughter wore braces. Yarn often cannot support the weight of the nymphs below, and so they sink, thus negating the purpose of having an indicator in the first place. This strike indicator has already been waterproofed so you don’t have to apply any floatant. . Super light and super easy to cast, yarn indicators are a must for skittish trout because they lay down on the water like a whisper. This compresses the tippet/leader into place, and away you go. Or is it supposed to end up pinched together so the two ends appear as 1 single tuft on the line? On the down side, yarn indicators are limited by their buoyancy. Whether you use them or not, they are a tool in the box. The Dorsey has been part of my daily fishing for many years, and it’s the tried and true indicator for many other fishermen. Quantity discounts available. That can slice it too. Once I finished making them, I dressed one with Rain-X and some green mucilin. Sensitivity. I think you’ll find it works exceptionally well. Are these indicators not intended to ride on top of the water? This ultra-light wool yarn is bio-degradable and floats like a cork. It forces the Dorsey to be too narrow, limiting it’s floatability because it’s too vertical. Pros Easy to See Multiple colors and sizes There is no doubt that bobbers have come a long way, even getting renamed “strike indicators” by us proud fly anglers. If I want to run 5X as my tippet sections, then I make the first two feet of the tippet section 4X and THAT is where I add the Dorsey and adjust it. For those who prefer not to use the suspension devices listed above, the advent of “sighter” material has has been a great leap forward, especially for those anglers using European nymphing techniques. The macrame yarn is really buoyant! What do you think of using circus colored bonnie braid instead of buying two colors? It is fully adjustable, reusable, very easy to put on and extremely high in visibility. You can make your own New Zealand style strike indicators for less than half the cost with a quick trick to your local hobby/craft store. Cut a short section of braided macrame' yarn from the skein (which will provide several lifetime supplies of indicators to you and your friends). See above: “Use scissors to trim to about a half-inch for small Dorseys and an inch for larger ones.”, “The macrame yarn sheds water very well, but a little extra help doesn’t hurt. The last thing I can think is that any yarn sitting in a glass for a while will probably get some water in between the fibers and become waterlogged. Prior to the advent of “bubble-rig” indicators, yarn was the preferred choice. I find a yarn indicator system to be great when fish are taking flies very delicately, especially on tailwaters. To pick up from a comment I left on the youtube video about this: indeed, the dorsey indicator did work better on the river than it did at home (suspending weight in a large measuring cup). Also, if you were pulling hard on a snag, imagine how much force is on that band. It’s probably a matter of personal preference. But if you use 1/4″ medium gauge bands, the system works as described above. To make a long story short, the Dorsey was better in every way. The captured-air concept was apparently borrowed from an era when small balloons were used as strike indicators. Early on, I thought I would need bright colors, but I eventually learned that they weren’t necessary. But a Medium gauge rubber band does the trick. Good question. The New Zealand Strike Indicator system is very similar, and it’s a good solution, but I prefer the Dorsey. So I have two feet of room for adjusting up and down. SKU: N/A Category: Strike Indicators Tags: nymph, strike indicator. Items needed: #1 - Knit-Picker, $2.29 in the sewing department; #2 - roll of 2mm clear Pony Bead Lacing, $1.99 for 15'; #3 - any water repellent yarn of suitable size/color (I used some Lightning Strike Indicator Yarn, $2.35 @ LRO, since that's what I had … The Stuff. Further, you to not have to change the depth of the indicator when switching runs. Thanks for all your great instruction articles. Did you let the Rain-X dry completely before you applied Mucilin? I’m a father of two young boys, a husband, author, fly fishing guide and a musician. That’s a character trait that’ll take you far through most of this life, but sometimes … it’ll get you in trouble. The Dorsey I made in the video was five strand. I just saw the product and thought I would ask a question. That’s all I got. It spurred a few direct knock-offs which is a sign of its relevance. Good news is I finally found a source for strike indicator yarn in the size and color I like. The first strike indicators were made of cork, and you can still find lots of cork indicators. HA! Required fields are marked *. Move the tag end of thread across the wraps and bind it down with three more wraps. Pinch the Dorsey in the center to bring the two sides together. Good stuff. Excellent tip. Works well on thicker diameter at butt, however, difficult to untie on thinner diameter line. I should add that only had yarn in a kind of sand color, but it was very visible and looked natural floating down the swollen stream. We have listed the top-rated fly fishing strike indicator trending in 2020. I think those adjustments should solve your problem, but shoot me an email if not. Pause slightly for the fly to drop. Plus the tubing never fails/breaks…rubber bands will sometimes break/snap, etc. The fact our government in not in favor of clean water is beyond comprehension. It floats very well and is available in a myriad of colors. But if you have to have them in the guides, clean and clipped flush blood knots are fine. And many of those adjustments are based on our thought processes around weights and measures. It’s a PRE treatment done at the tying table. These views address all seasons, all distances and many variations . I want it sitting just below the yarn, snug against it. It stays on the fibers for a very long time. It’s easily adjusted on your leader and reusable. The length of tubing in relation to the length of the Dorsey will affect how vertical the Dorsey goes…you can get a pretty “bushy” Dorsey with a very short length of tubing, the longer the tubing is, the more vertical it forces the Dorsey. . A dry fly, Thingamabobber or cork style indicator all have their moments. How long are you letting it in the glass? Not at all. Then pass the loop through the hole of the band and wrap it around the top side of the rubber band 5-6 times. Sighters Join the mailing list to receive all Troutbitten articles and updates directly to your inbox. I like to fluff the indicator with a piece of velcro to sort of bring the two sides together into a pyramid shape rather than a bow tie. I keep a 1/2 dozen of these string stops in my vest. Put these on your line at the desired depth. I think the same Dorsey (you can only get a 3 strand Dorsey tied w/Veevus 14/0 easily through the tubing, a 4 strand will fit but takes a lot of coaxing) is more sensitive (i.e. The first indicators were most likely made of cork, and there are still several options available in this style. When tight line nymphing doesn’t get the job done, it’s time to hang the nymphs below a suspender. So they don’t land as lightly and with as much finesse. The best days start by learning what most trout in the river are doing. Try to rein in the Macgyver tendencies this time. Domenick Swentosky T R O U T B I T T E N domenick@troutbitten.com. Wool Yarn Floats High Wool Yarn Lands Gently Wool Yarn Casts Like A Dry Fly ... Make your very best presentation by utilizing the optimal size and color strike indicator to match conditions. The leader kinks around the band and resembles a “7” rather than a straight leader. More importantly, because they have less wind resistance, they’re easier to cast with lighter flies. We have been selling Lefty Kreh’s strike indicators for many years and some anglers won’t use any other yarn indicator. The smallest Dorsey weighs less than a dry fly and suspends more weight. They gather so many point of light that they are extremely visible, no matter the color. The ultimate material for indicators that floats high, is sensitive to the slightest strike, casts like a dry fly, lands without spooking fish. Without fly line on the water I can deliver more subtle presentations, staying tight to the suspender or placing only a bit of leader on the water. Its biggest strength is by far the ease of use. Your email address will not be published. But you must give it a chance to do so, with a crisp, swift backcast. I just keep precut pieces of tubing with my Dorsey’s, don’t need the special needle tool – pretty easy to slide the loop of line through the tubing. Second, there are MANY other things that we use and things we do that impact our trout streams which are much more important to think about. Take the yarn out and pull the band off the leader. Strong tippet, Mark. I’m using mostly 5X so I don’t know if I need to use a larger size. Just my preference. Buoyancy is simply a function of trapped air and nothing more. With so many choices, you’ll need to experiment to find which work best for you in which fishing scenarios. When you do the water test, are you mounting the Dorsey on the rubber band? I’m glad you asked. Just laying the Dorsey flat in a glass of water probably won’t work. And then the Dorsey sheds any accumulated water on the back cast. by Domenick Swentosky | Mar 30, 2017 | 64 comments, Read the Troutbitten Article | Buy the Net. The Dorsey takes a sort of upright, alert stance when it’s in contact with the nymphs and takes a resting position when there’s slack, often laying on it’s side. How long do you cut the strands? Hi Richard. I’ve tried any where from 3-5 wraps of the rubber band and no difference. Foam Making adjustments is the key to consistent fly fishing. Holy cow! It will work great as I can make any combination of white, yellow, green, blue and red. Some people elect to simply cut it off with their nippers. You won’t worry about losing them to snags or break offs–they are very inexpensive. I have had trouble getting these to attach properly on 4x and I’ve found that fewer wraps ease the problem someone mentioned earlier with the light tippet twisting up in the ortho band and not seating up on the Dorsey. That’s awesome. But I will not be worrying about a single drop of Rain-X used for PRE treating my flies or the Dorsey indy. The macrame yarn sheds water very well, but a little extra help doesn’t hurt. Yarn indicators are also much more sensitive allowing even the subtlest of takes to be detected. My trouble with the tubing is exactly why you DO like it. Yes, it’s fine. But often the plug doesn’t hold, and it can be a line-catcher and tangle waiting to happen. Be part of the Troutbitten community of ideas. If so, how? Andux 12pcs/Set Fly Fishing Float Drift Float Indicators Foam Streams Drift Hook Positioning Floats 12 Pack Foam Strike Indicators FDFP-01 (Color is Random) 4.0 out of 5 stars 60 $11.99 $ 11 . The dorsey, it’s got downright personality the way it moves. Rods, reels, fly lines, expensive tippet and overpriced hooks hardly improve your catch rate. At times when I know my local trout aren’t coming up for a dry fly, I choose a two strand Dorsey for the suspender. More on that in a future post I suppose. Too many wraps (or thread thicker than 8/0), and your Dorsey will always look like a bow tie. Go HERE and buy a yard of whatever colors you want for $1 each. Is it time-staking for you to choose the best piece? This device has a small plastic screw nut at the top that you can unscrew, revealing a threaded post with a slit in it. I used various tubes for the yarn as well. Only work loose enough for one indicator. I’m used to indicators like bobbers and foam footballs that ride high in the water. The balloons have a ton of wind resistance compared to these. Easy to miss stuff. Lastly, no the Dorsey doesn’t kink the leader at all. That’s what matters. Macrame yarn is more buoyant than wool, and I like that I can fish a wider range of sizes with the Dorsey than I can with the NZ system. This tends to happen when you don’t open up your loop. But the Dorsey will mount wherever you want it on the leader. So I only had to buy one. At the heart of the puzzle is an eternal question: What do the trout want? It has its roots in the original cork float used for bream fishing with a cane pole. I use the green and yellow most often. If you fish hard and pay attention to the details, you’ll often catch, miss or turn enough trout to learn something. I have found that craft poly yarn has the right denier, or fiber thickness, to help trap air and resist trapping water, ill-reported as "absorbing" water. It rides high and floats a lot of weight. Heavy gauge doesn’t thin out and snug up to the yarn enough, in my experience. Go HERE and buy a yard of whatever colors you want for $1 each. I’ve been chasing the right indicator for a while now and I’ve never found one that does everything I need it to. -Scott. To make the most of the Dorsey, it’s best to carry them in a few different sizes. Let go of the band, and it clings tight to the loop in the line. My point is that TOSIs will stay in place, if turned a couple of times, and can be easily adjusted to changing conditions by untangling without damaging the leader. Also the rubber tube of the NZ tends to hold a bit of water as well. With just a bit of practice, attaching the Dorsey becomes second nature — like tying a knot. So, gather data toward those questions, and then branch off from there. To make your own yarn indictor, snip a ½” hank of yarn as thick or thin as required by the fly being used and the water condition. I know Rain-X is good for windshields, but is good for for trout streams? In the clearest waters over the wariest trout, I’ve never seen the yarn spook fish. . . The rubber band REALLY matters. Finally, do you have trout rise to a small Dorsey? But again, I use only as much yarn as I really need. Reading Water, Stories, Tactics, Walk Along. BTW, it floated all day with just a single application of dry fly foatant. Cork. The dark truth is that upgrading your fly fishing gear rarely catches you more fish. I’m sorry, Domenick. Experienced trout that move from the path of a drifting Thingamabobber are not alarmed by the Dorsey. Cork. It’s what long-term anglers love about this game. I’ve received countless questions about my thoughts regarding euro lines and mono rigs. Add to cart. Just pull down on the thread/bobbin while you are stretching the yarn to length prior to final trim. Material diameter and material stiffness. It stays on the fibers for a very long time.”. I tie similar poly yarn indicators for all the reasons mentioned in your article, they are inexpensive,land soft and super sensitive. To deal with heavy water or particularly heavy flies, you can simply pinch on one or even two more. With minimal wraps, the bunch stays bound but can still hinge together when attached to the line. Should I make them thicker? Pro tip: Green Mucilin works wonders on yarn indicators and will give you street cred with the bamboo and tweed crowd when you pull it out of your fancy new sling pack. Right on, Scott. I will give the Dorsey a try. These indicators are buoyant, bright, gave a sensitive indication of bite, adjustable and could be re-used. Of practice, attaching the Dorsey, it ’ s nothing more important than having your own that... 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