Well, Tony, you of all people have earned the right to be a purist. Besides that, a strike indicator (especially a fluorescent orange Thingamabobber) would NEVER look right on one of your beautiful bamboo rods!
Here is another downside to strike indicators... I can't reel past them, and if I am fishing long deep holes (which is the only situation where I use them) I have to land a fish with 12 feet of line between the fish and me. If I am fishing in shallow water, I would rather use a big fly with a dropper, and use the fly as the strike indicator. One of my favorites is a stimulator. I haven't had much success with fish taking them on top, but if I strip it in at the end of a drift it makes a passable streamer and often gets hard strikes. Yes, I am disappointed about Sowbug to, and I especially hope you will get on the mend and feel yourself again. I still hope the stars will align, and I can make it out this summer. Tom On Feb 20, 2009, at 6:22 AM, Anthony Spezio wrote: > BOO HOO HOO Tom, TYou hurt my feelings. I thought were my friend. LOL > All kidding aside, It is personal with me as I did not grow up on an > indicator (bobber). I have no problems with anyone using them and as > I said, I have had friends fishing with me out fish me using them. > It is just not my style, > Glad you are doing better I am still not up to par. Hate to hear you > will be not making the Sowbug this year, hope next year will be a > better year for all of us. > Stay in touch. > Arkansas Tony > > --- On Fri, 2/20/09, Tom Davenport <t...@comcast.net> wrote: > From: Tom Davenport <t...@comcast.net> > Subject: [VFB] Re: The lift - was Active Nymphing > To: vfb-mail@googlegroups.com > Date: Friday, February 20, 2009, 12:20 AM > > Unlike Tony, I have no problems at all with a strike indicator, > especially when making long casts into deep holes that would be > impossible to fish with the high stick method. Heck, I don't even > care if you call it a bobber instead of a strike indicator. In fact my > favorite strike indicator LOOKS like a bobber, it is called the > "Thingamabobber" (here is a link if you want to see one: > http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0054523320531a.shtml > ) It is lightweight, unsinkable, can be easily adjusted at > any point on the leader. I use the smallest one they make. But I > don't let the fact I have a strike indicator on stop me from high > sticking, I will do it anyway when the line gets into high sticking > territory. The strike indicator helps you see the slight "pause" in > > drift of the line when a fish is taking your nymph. > > Tom > On Feb 16, 2009, at 4:07 PM, Michael Bliss > wrote: > > > > > This discussion has been very helpful for me both in understanding > > Osthoff's book and the process. Now I want to talk about the > "lift". > > Can you make me feel this? We are at the end of the swing. I > assume > > the flyrod is pointing straight down the river at the fly. Simply > > raise the fly rod? Slowly? Thanks again, > > > > By the way, I think I am a very good nymphing fisherman. However, I > > do my best to dead drift with no unnatural action or drag. But this > > is a new concept and I am trying to conceptualize it. Also I use a > > strike indicator. I have fished without it and I feel it gives me > > more information not just on the strike but also on the way the > > current is affecting my line and hence my fly. I would like some > > feedback on this as well. I know many good fisherman don't as those > > on the list have indicated but many very > good ones do based on my > > observation and reading. It would be interesting to get the > viewpoint > > of those that don't how they deal with determining drag > > > > Mike > > > > On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 10:33 AM, Anthony Spezio > > <bambot...@yahoo.com> wrote: > >> Tom and you are men after me own heart. I did not have anyone to > >> teach me > >> but I found out that doing it this way had been real effective for > >> me. That > >> drift with some twitching has taken a lot of fish when others had a > >> hard > >> time catching fish. That "lift" at the end of the swing is > deadly. > >> I would > >> say I catch about 90% of my fish there when nymping or using > buggers. > >> I am self taught and have never had the desire to use > "bobbers". I > >> know I am > >> stepping on some toes but to me worms and bobbers go together.. > LOL > >> Tom, any time you can come by, you are welcome, we will miss you at > >> the > >> Sowbug. > >> Tony > >> > >> --- On Mon, 2/16/09, George <k...@msn.com> wrote: > >> > >> From: George <k...@msn.com> > >> Subject: [VFB] Re: Active Nymphing was QUOTE FOR THE DAY > >> To: vfb-mail@googlegroups.com > >> Date: Monday, February 16, 2009, 10:55 AM > >> > >> Absolutely Tom, I couldn't agree more with your observations. When > > >> I started > >> nymphing without a strike indicator, my catch rate increased. I > >> have used > >> the same technique and have also caught fish at all stages of the > >> presentation. > >> > >> The fly is only part of the technique, the rest is presentation, > >> presentation, presentation. > >> > >> Keeping the fly in the water is very important, > even fishing out a > >> bad cast > >> can produce a catch. I can usually spot a novice by watching the > >> number of > >> false casts. The fly in the water is what catches the fish, the fly > >> in the > >> air doesn't. > >> > >> George Vincent > >> ________________________________ > >> From: vfb-mail@googlegroups.com [mailto:vfb-m...@googlegroups.com] > >> On Behalf > >> Of Tom Davenport > >> Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 18:34 > >> To: vfb-mail@googlegroups.com > >> Subject: [VFB] Re: Active Nymphing was QUOTE FOR THE DAY > >> > >> I learned to fly fish about 15 years ago when a friend helped me > >> get rigged > >> up and taught me how to cast and fish. He was a nymph fisherman > >> (anyone who > >> fishes the Weber River where I fish most often is) and he taught me > >> to > dead > >> drift the fly behind a strike indicator. Later I talked to > >> another friend > >> who had been a fly tyer and fly fisher for years, and asked him if > >> he used a > >> strike indicator and the dead drift. He said no, he always used a > >> shorter > >> line and followed it as it drifted through the deep holes. So I > >> tried his > >> technique and started catching more fish. Several years later I > >> realized > >> what I was doing is called "High Sticking" and it is still > my > >> preferred > >> method to dig a bunch of fish out of a deep hole. It always > >> includes a lift > >> at the end, and often I strip it back, and have caught fish both > >> ways. Also > >> with a nymph and a swing, especially when there are caddis > hatching. > >> While the basic idea of the "dead drift" is sound, but > I > don't > >> think it is > >> as important as some people think. Sometimes adding a little > >> motion to the > >> fly is exactly what the fish need to strike. If I am fishing a > >> long, deep > >> run, I will often combine them all... Maybe cast into a back eddy, > >> let the > >> fly sink then strip it into the main current, let it dead drift > >> until it > >> comes close to me, then lift the line and high stick through the > >> water next > >> to me, with a swing on the end, followed by stripping the line > >> back. I > >> have caught fish at all stages of the presentation of the fly. > >> I think we spend too much time wondering what a fly > "represents" . > >> Most > >> often, it is just something that looks like food to the fish, and > >> movement > >> can be a trigger. > >> > Perhaps the most important thing is just keeping the fly in the > >> water, and > >> close to the bottom. > >> Tom > >> P.S. By the way, I am officially "back". My strength, > energy, > >> appetite, > >> are all normal. I am also making progress with the other two side > >> effects > >> of the surgery. Life is good. The only downside is that my > >> intention to > >> attend Sowbug this year has been derailed by $3000.00 in medical > >> expenses > >> (since I was in the hospital in December and January, it get to pay > >> for two > >> years worth of deductibles). > >> I was really looking forward to seeing Tony again, but my son is a > >> trucker, > >> and if he has a run this summer that comes within 200 miles of > >> Flippin, I'll > >> be there to visit (I'll call first). > >> > >> On > Feb 14, 2009, at 6:21 AM, Anthony Spezio wrote: > >> > >> This called the "Miracle Inch". I use it a lot and get some > violent > >> strikes. > >> At first I would get a lot of break offs till I learned to keep the > >> line > >> loose in my line hand. I would "twitch" the nymph on the > drift let > >> it swing > >> and hold it there for a short. Then work it back up stream like a > >> wounded > >> minnow. > >> Tony > >> > >> --- On Fri, 2/13/09, KP <kpt...@btinternet.com> wrote: > >> > >> From: KP <kpt...@btinternet.com> > >> Subject: [VFB] Re: Active Nymphing was QUOTE FOR THE DAY > >> To: "VFB Mail" <vfb-mail@googlegroups.com> > >> Date: Friday, February 13, 2009, 5:01 PM > >> > >> I love upstream dry fly fishng and in the winter I fish my nymphs > >> this > >> way too. > A friend of mine just came back from a course here in the > >> UK > >> and they were shown how the masters of short line nymphing do the > >> job. > >> Your books ref to the stripping the nymph on the lift is how he > >> described the Czech and Polish method of what we call the induced > >> take > >> as originated here by Mr Skues. There is a new (?) method used by > >> these guys that uses long leaders up to 18 or 20 feet long ! At the > >> end of the drift they lift the nymph at a rediculous (to me > anyway) > >> speed but it works really well. I have used the same method but > with > >> sensible leaders of 10 to 12 feet long. It resulted in a 40cm > >> grayling > >> (thats 16" in proper money) which is big for the UK, on my last > trip > >> to the river. SO yes stripping the nymph induces takes from fish > so I > >> guess you should try it for a > while and > >> compare to your normal slower > >> retrieve. > >> Just my 2pennorth. > >> Cheers > >> Keith > >> > >> PS DonO I am doing the 24hour thing again this year!!! I now work > >> for > >> Orvis UK !!! > >> > >> On Feb 12, > >> 8:46 pm, Michael Bliss <flyfish...@gmail.com> wrote: > >>> I am reading a book called "Active Nymphing: Aggressive > Strategies > >> for > >>> Casting, Rigging, And Moving the Nymphs" By Rich Osthoff. > In the > >>> book he talks of moving the nymph, not just like streamer fishing > > >>> but > >>> casting upstream and stripping the nymph (not streamer). I am a > >>> dead > >>> drifter almost all of the time and this is new to me. Anyone do > >>> this > >>> and can you shed some perspective on > this? > >>> > >>> Mike > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >>> > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VFB Mail" group. To post to this group, send email to vfb-mail@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to vfb-mail-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/vfb-mail?hl=en VFB Mail is sponsored by Line's End Inc at http://www.linesend.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
