Well saying that fishing an indicator is fishing on the dark side is a little extreame. Sure, fishing an indicator for steelhead is like being Darth Vader himself but fishing an indicator in a lake or stream for trout is only being a Storm Trooper at worst. Usually when people are fishing an indicator in a lake they are using chronomids (midge larva and pupa) as said before. After letting the fly sink, they then very slowly strip it in with 6 inch strips or slow pulls with pauses.

Oh and Zen, I'm not Adam.

kjackson: I'm interested in this "Offut Lake Special" Got a recipie?

FJ15, try the old paper Patricks fly pattern book. Pattern should be there.

Offut Lake Special-- This is really too simple:

Hook: Mustad 3399A-- you really do need the shank length and bend in these proportions. If this hook is too dull for you, use a Luhr Jensen hook file. Size 8, 10 or 12. The original was on a size 10.

Body: Fluorescent orange yarn. (This is the same color as "hunter orange" not some of the steelhead colors).

Wing: A dozen white hackle fibers extending to the beginning of the bend and canted up.

Head: Black thread (essential)

Instructions: This is a basic fly but it should have the right proportions and correct profile. Start by winding a layer of black thread on the shank. Tie in the yarn well down on the bend of the hook (between 1/3 and 1/4 around the bend). The yarn I use is thin, probably about half as thick as the common knitting yarn.

Wrap the yarn forward, leaving adequate room for a largish head. Wrap the yarn back to the top of the bend. Wrap forward again. If this doesn't provide a thick abdomen, then you might want to wrap back about a third of the shank and then forward over that.

What you're trying for in the body shape is a thickish abdomen with a tapering, curved rear portion.

Tie in the hackle fibers as a short wing and then finish with a largish (about two sizes larger than normal ) head.

That's it. Once you figure out the proportions, it takes about a minute to tie.

The creator, I believe, was a biology professor at Centralia College named Rufus Kizer who also tied commercially and was one of the most knowledgable men I knew.

So you fish this on a floating line, longish leader and let it sink. We fished it mostly around lily pads and reeds and rushes, but it also works cast to rising fish.

Keith

Zen-life is good on my Meds - a tall black strong cup, and a fine cigar. Now, I have no power to delete posts in this forum, only in Fins and Feathers.....

I have never had any luck with Chromies, I know the theory, but I have never had a hit.

I mostly fish chronies deep just off the bottom, so mine are dark and skinny. But I still don't see the need down here for anything bigger than a 12. Bigger stuff is the same as Chromies, I never get hits.

Rob

Rob,

Maybe you need a "tutorial" on chronies and indicators on a local lake.

Well then, let's bring Mike along.

I'm free tomorrow. I'll bring the coffee. Where do we meet you and your boat?

Tomorrow I'm smelt jigging up at Oak Harbor.

The "tutorial" won't be until I get stocking confirmation on either Blackmans, Flowing or Roesiger. Any of those should be good for chronie fishing. Blackman's is my first choice.

Hey I'm up for tutorials I need all the help I can get. I have next Wednesday off and hope to get out to practise some of the tips you guys have been posting. I don't know where yet, someplace new. I might as well explore some new water ever week.

Kjackson: I waz a student if Rufus Kaiser at Centralia College in the 60's. Went on to gain a Forest Management degree. One of the most influential men in my life and a great fly tyer.

Regarding large Chronies: There IS one much larger than all others called Brown Bombers. They are Not brown in the pupa stage, adults are brown. Anyhow tie some 10 3x for this pupa and you Must have some because when they hatch the trout seek out only the Bombers.

Regarding Zens fixation on the chromie: He has been reading way too much Rowley and it's gone to his head. Most of the time here you will get SKUNKED with chromies. I am coming to the conclusion they work mainly in Canada where the Phantom Micge is prevalent in most lakes.

Regarding fishing other nymphs in lakes under the indicator take if from me it WILL work but you better take Advanced Piscatorial Pursuits from an expert before you start.....the patterns and technique must be perfect.

Hmmm, Fishnfellas--- the 60s you say? Forest management you say? When in the 60s? We may well have been contemporaries. I was there '68-70 doing the same thing. Went from Centralia to University of Montana.

Rufus had an impact on my life for sure. I just wished I could have been his pupil for four years instead of two.

He was responsible for me shifting my fishing to fly fishing as he could be counted on to give away his "secret" patterns after class or during lab.

Keith

Nope, not contemporaries time wise. I waz there in
61-62 in pre Forestry w/ Botany minor. He was one of the great ones in both. I went on for my batchelors at Wazzu and masters at OSU. Just Retired recently after long career with the State and Tribes.

The reason Rufus tied great flies is that he waz an aquatic biologist/limnologist and knew exactly what the critters he tied looked and acted like in every stage. Take a lesson from that.

He had a cabin on the lower Toutle River that we had retreats at. Waz great fun. Now it's probably under 20 feet of silt.

Fish flies! Catch a bunch!! Let em all go to grow bigger!!!

Hey, I almost went to my home town school there as well. We referred to it as UCLA - University of Centraila, Locust Avenue. But I ended up heading elsewhere (couldn't get away from that area fast enough...).

Hey PhishPhreak, ME TOOOOOOOO, I got what I wanted (AA degree) and got the heck outa there post haste.
That area is crawling with radical, redneck , John Bircher IDIOTS. They hung a half dozen "wobblies" from the bridge on the Skookumchuck down there in the 20's I think, for trying to organize laborers in the logging industry.

A very backward area of the state.