When indicator (not tight line or Czech style) nymphing in choppy, broken water, I like to use a thingamabobber for a strike indicator. It floats a weighted multi fly rig better than sticky foam, is easier to adjust depth, and doesn't leave sticky crap on my leader.
In the past, my approach has been to just throw a loop in my leader through the eye of the thingamabobber, then drop down however far, add a couple split shots, and then my two flies, with the dropper hanging off the bend of the top fly. This was easy, fast, and the thingamabobber could be easily adjusted. The downsides are that occasionally I will get the thingamabobber twisted up and knotted, especially after a few fish on a windy day, or that the sink rate on the thicker section of the leader isn't very good.
I have played around with a "90 degree" rig a little bit, and my approach was to tie the butt section to the eye of the thingamabobber, and then tie tippet to that same eye, running down to my fly. This adds more potential failure points but inserts a "hinge" in the line, and allows me to run fluoro all the way to the fly, giving better sink rate and less visibility.
On the most recent Orvis podcast, a steelhead guide was discussing the 90 degree rig, but it sounds like he ties his tippet to the butt section BEFORE the thingamabobber. I'm envisioning a surgeon's knot with the thingamabobber on the tag downstream of the knot. I'm trying to figure out whether I like that idea, as it sounds like a way to increase tangles and knots in the system. I guess it would be a benefit in that if you hook up, you're not stressing two knots on the thingamabobber, especially important for a hard fighting fish like steelhead.
One final issue that I've been ruminating on is the tendency for split shot to slide down tippet (especially fine tippet) and lay on the fly. I've considered throwing an overhand knot in the tippet to stop this, but doesn't that give you another failure point in the system above the flies? As an alternative, I might drop 6-8" of tippet off the bend of my dropper fly and put the split shot on the bottom. This won't allow the flies to free float as much, but will definitely get them DOWN. It would have the added benefit of being the first point to get hung, and would likely be the failure point, saving flies in the process.
Lots of thoughts here. Would like to read others' thoughts.
In the past, my approach has been to just throw a loop in my leader through the eye of the thingamabobber, then drop down however far, add a couple split shots, and then my two flies, with the dropper hanging off the bend of the top fly. This was easy, fast, and the thingamabobber could be easily adjusted. The downsides are that occasionally I will get the thingamabobber twisted up and knotted, especially after a few fish on a windy day, or that the sink rate on the thicker section of the leader isn't very good.
I have played around with a "90 degree" rig a little bit, and my approach was to tie the butt section to the eye of the thingamabobber, and then tie tippet to that same eye, running down to my fly. This adds more potential failure points but inserts a "hinge" in the line, and allows me to run fluoro all the way to the fly, giving better sink rate and less visibility.
On the most recent Orvis podcast, a steelhead guide was discussing the 90 degree rig, but it sounds like he ties his tippet to the butt section BEFORE the thingamabobber. I'm envisioning a surgeon's knot with the thingamabobber on the tag downstream of the knot. I'm trying to figure out whether I like that idea, as it sounds like a way to increase tangles and knots in the system. I guess it would be a benefit in that if you hook up, you're not stressing two knots on the thingamabobber, especially important for a hard fighting fish like steelhead.
One final issue that I've been ruminating on is the tendency for split shot to slide down tippet (especially fine tippet) and lay on the fly. I've considered throwing an overhand knot in the tippet to stop this, but doesn't that give you another failure point in the system above the flies? As an alternative, I might drop 6-8" of tippet off the bend of my dropper fly and put the split shot on the bottom. This won't allow the flies to free float as much, but will definitely get them DOWN. It would have the added benefit of being the first point to get hung, and would likely be the failure point, saving flies in the process.
Lots of thoughts here. Would like to read others' thoughts.
