Arghh!

[brownbass]

OK, I am fishing one of my favorite streams. The water is murky, starting to clear from recent rains, I am seeing no top-water action so I am nymphing under an indicator and getting hits occasionally and I am not unhappy. But, as I am working a small bend I have a nice rainbow come up and grab my bright orange indicator, I mean to grab it and take it under so it takes a second for it to rise back up. To top off that insult about three cast later the biggest brown I have seen in a long while comes up and takes the indicator and I actually feel him on the line. What the hell should I be offering these trout to get them to bite a fly. My heart was thumping after that brown and now that I know where he lives I plan on knocking on his door real soon. Suggestions, please.

Bill

 

[flytie09]

Here are some ideas....

 

[Joey Bagels]

Something that floats and looks like the bright orange indicator is a good start. I’d throw a Chernobyl like this.


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[el jefe]

That happened to me yesterday. I took off the indicator and nymphs, tied on a big ol' orange stimi, and promptly pulled 4 fish out of that eddy.

 

[brownbass]

That happened to me yesterday. I took off the indicator and nymphs, tied on a big ol' orange stimi, and promptly pulled 4 fish out of that eddy.

You are killing me. First thing I did was check my tying supplies for orange anything and found rabbit dubbing and the wool for New Zealand Indicators. I thought I bought every color of foam available but guess what? No orange, back to Michaels.

 

[dennyk]

I like the orange beetle Flytie09 posted. Ants are also among my favorites, when nothing else works I at least get some action on them.

Denny

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi brownbass,

You have some good suggestions and should solve your problem. I would like to suggest some flies besides foam flies of some type.

When fishing for Trout I almost always went with a big (size 10/8) dry fly for an indicator. I did fish an indicator on the San Juan but just about every other place I use a big indicator fly. In your case I would try a Royal Coachman or Royal Trude or Orange Stimulator or Royal Humpy or Royal Wulff. My most used was a Stimulator or Royal Wulff. If there are grasshoppers in your stream then the Green or Yellow Stimulator was a killer. My favorite dropper tied off the bend of the hook was a size 14 Prince Nymph.

I preferred these combinations because the attractor/indicator fly has all the strike triggers like tail, wing, head and body shape that Trout key on. I never liked foam flies because most lacked the triggers I wanted in a fly. I did use foam flies for Bass and Pan fish but just didn't have success with them for Big Trout.

Frank​

 

[brownbass]

I was going out to buy the orange foam for the Chernoble and maybe a foam Stimulator though I have that orange wool I could use instead of the foam. My wife suggested using a foam flip-flop and it sounded good but they are so thick I would have to cut it and split it and it is very dense but I may give it a whirl. I like tieing the beetles so that's one to do quickly. Thanks for all the suggestions. Now I have to get to work.

Bill

 

[brownbass]

Hi brownbass,

You have some good suggestions and should solve your problem. I would like to suggest some flies besides foam flies of some type.

When fishing for Trout I almost always went with a big (size 10/8) dry fly for an indicator. I did fish an indicator on the San Juan but just about every other place I use a big indicator fly. In your case I would try a Royal Coachman or Royal Trude or Orange Stimulator or Royal Humpy or Royal Wulff. My most used was a Stimulator or Royal Wulff. If there are grasshoppers in your stream then the Green or Yellow Stimulator was a killer. My favorite dropper tied off the bend of the hook was a size 14 Prince Nymph.

I preferred these combinations because the attractor/indicator fly has all the strike triggers like tail, wing, head and body shape that Trout key on. I never liked foam flies because most lacked the triggers I wanted in a fly. I did use foam flies for Bass and Pan fish but just didn't have success with them for Big Trout.

Frank​

I was fishing a dry dropper earlier in the day but it didn't get the action I expected. That will be the way to go unless they are looking for something deep. That's where all my fish had come from that day until the two fish hit the indicator.

Bill

 

[comeonavs]

Bingo

Anything hits my indicator and I go with a stimulator and drop a adams off it sometimes

 

[Green Heron]

When I first started nymphing, my buddy showed me how and had me using a white Air Lock indicator. On my third cast, a nice rainbow inhaled it. I started using a dry fly (hoppers, big foam stoneflies, stimulators) as my indicator from that point on and haven't looked back. I have had great results.

 

[satyr]

A nice big old red humpy will usually work in those situations too.

 

[stenacron]

Happens on lakes too. Just accept the fact that there are times when a trout will put almost anything in his (or her mouth).

As long as the hits on nymphs to hits on strike indicators ratio is 100:1 (actually much higher) I can live with it.