Balloon Indicators

Swift River rainbow caught under a nitrile glove balloon indicaor

Nymphing is difficult and not particularly effective in the small streams I fish in MA, so I didn't have much practice before coming to the Driftless. Realizing the abundance of scuds and nymphs in the spring creeks here, I decided I needed to learn how to fish nymphs.

I started out using indicator putty, but I found that it didn't float well and frequently fell off the line. Next I tried the ubiquitous Thingamabobber, and while I liked the way they float, I found them hard to adjust and frequently spooked fish with the loud splash they tend to make when they hit the water.

In researching alternatives, I found that the Thingamabobber was inspired by some guides who use water balloons partially inflated with air. The consensus seemed to be that balloons land more softly than Thingamabobbers, but that they are even harder to adjust, as the only way to attach them is with a slip knot.

Luckily, I found this article, which describes a variation of the New Zealand strike indicator, only using a balloon instead of yarn. I won't go into detail on setup, as the linked blog has that covered.

Here's a few variations I've found effective so far:

Trying different balloon materials. 

The standard balloon for an indicator is a water balloon. These work great, but I discovered this technique in November. Things may be different in warmer parts of the country, but here in Minnesota no one is selling water balloons in the fall, so I had to improvise. I tried standard party balloons, but it's nearly impossible to make a balloon smaller than an inch. That might work on a big river when you're using a ton of weight, but on the small streams I fish it's overkill.

Brookie caught under a standard water balloon indicator

Next I tried Nitrile Rubber Gloves. I was able to use the fingers of the gloves like mini balloons, so each glove provided 5 indicators. I was able to get these smaller than party balloons - the minimum size is probably about 1/2". The light blue color of these gloves should be good for spooky fish, but it could be tough to see in rough water. These indicators were also tougher than standard balloons - while the balloons tended to deflate over time and were easy to puncture, the glove indicators have remained undamaged for months.

My final test material was balloon art balloons - the long skinny ones clowns use to make hats and animals for kids. These were nice because you can tie very small indicators (down to about 1/4"), and you can make many from one balloon. I found that these lost air rapidly (within ~24 hours), but you can cinch the line down on the balloon itself rather than the tag of the knot, which will usually blow the balloon back up. So long as you store in it's partially deflated state, it won't deflate any further.

A variety of balloon indicators made from Nitrile Gloves (blue), 
water balloons (top, multiple colors), and balloon art balloons (bottom, multiple colors)

Pen tubes for tubing.

You don't need to buy the New Zealand Strike Indicator tool or any special tubing. I've been cutting small pieces of the ink tubes of ballpoint pens (the small tube on the inside, not the outer pen tube). These work perfectly, and you're almost guaranteed to have access to an old pen you can cut up for free.

Luckily dry fly season is upon us, but nymphs will still catch fish!