An indicator with many goals. Flying back from Montana years ago, I was sitting across the aisle from Howard West. Howard was the main man with Scientific Anglers at the time. We were discussing new products which they may put on the market. I had some of the new indicators, which I was developing with me. He asked how I made them. I explained how I used a skinny needle to slide it through a one-inch piece of orange fly line. Then I pull a six-inch piece of mono through this. I incorporate this into my hand tied knotted leader 4 feet above the fly. It is an excellent strike detector.
Howard was very excited when he saw these. The next year they put them on the market under the name of Scientific Anglers Indicator (discontinued by Scientific Anglers and replaced with Murray’s Fly Shop Indicator).
The indicator is so small that they do not hamper casting in any way. My customers find many uses for them in addition to helping detect the strikes.
One of the most popular products we sell are the Murray’s Trout Nymphing Leader. These are 9 feet long with a hand tied compound taper with Scientific Angler Indicators incorporated. The first indicator is 3 feet above the fly and a second indicator 6 feet above the fly. We build these in 3X, 4X, 5X, and 6X.
Bass Leader
Our smallmouth leaders are built with a different formula. Here we are using larger flies and we frequently fish our nymphs and streamers deeply. These Bright Butt Leaders are 9ft long built with a compound knotted formula with one Indicator in the butt section. I then install another indicator 5 feet up from the fly for my personal fishing and for the students in our schools. This leader enables me to quickly show each student how to evaluate the swing and proper mending of the streamer fished across stream.
An even greater value of the Scientific Angler Indicator comes through when I’m teaching each student my “swing nymphing technique”. This is a slightly different version of Charlie Brooks deep fishing nymph technique which Brooks taught me on the Madison River.
With the swing nymphing technique, the indicators are used to help the angler see if he is getting his nymph down deep. I have the student cast upstream 20 feet at a 45 degree angle. I stand closely beside him and encourage him to watch both of the indicators on the leader. The one closest to the nymph sinks out of sight quickly. Then I encourage him to watch the top indicator closely. As this one sinks out of sight, he knows his nymph is down deeply close to the stream bottom. Then by removing the slack with his line-hand, he can swing the rod tip downstream at the rate the nymph is drifting and quickly feel the strike.
Fly Finder
When I’m fishing the sloughs in the Rockies for large trout cruising to feed on midges I often fish a size 24 Mr. Rapidan Midge Dry. In order to help me spot these artificial flies on the surface I cut a 1/4 inch strip of a Scientific Anglers and slide it onto my Classic 9ft 7X leader four feet above the fly. I can easily spot this on the stream and then by lifting my line of sight see my dry fly just beyond it. I’m not using it as an indicator here but as a fly-finder.
The more you use the Scientific Angler Indicator the more uses you will find for them and the more fish you will catch.