Problem with New Zealand wool indicators

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kevinhaney1
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Problem with New Zealand wool indicators

#1

Post by kevinhaney1 »

I went fishing yesterday and tried to use my New Zealand wool indicators. However, whenever I tried to tighten them up using only mild to moderate pressure pulling the leader, the leader tore right through the little plastic tube. I went through four of them before giving up. The only thing I could think of was that the cold made them harder and more susceptible to this, even though it was only 45-50 degrees. Anyone else ever had this happen, and is there any remedy? It happened no matter how gently I tried to tighten up the indicator on the leader.

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cappy
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Re: Problem with New Zealand wool indicators

#2

Post by cappy »

My remedy - Use a dry dropper setup. I gave up on all "indicators". It's always nice when you pickup a few on the dry.
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jim royston
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Re: Problem with New Zealand wool indicators

#3

Post by jim royston »

I grab the folded leader at the base of the tube and pull the tube up over the indicator. The amount of material is important, too much and it's difficult to encircle with the tube, too little and the indicator is too small. I have stopped using the wool and have gone to a synthetic yarn that is waterproof (to a degree)

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DrLogik
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Re: Problem with New Zealand wool indicators

#4

Post by DrLogik »

I have one of those also and haven't had leaders break but they are a bit of a nuisance. You might try moistening the leader before you pull it tight. Not sure that's necessary but that's what I do.

I went back to using a red foam Humpy because I got tired of fish going for the NZ bobber and no hook-ups. Foam Humpy's float great and you have two flies in the water not one.

PYochim
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Re: Problem with New Zealand wool indicators

#5

Post by PYochim »

Don't give up on them yet. It could be a few things. First you may be using too much yarn. Too much yarn will not let you pull it into the sleeve, thus tearing it. Second, the sleeve may be too long. Third, use the thicker part of the leader to place the indicator and then move it down. Fourth, place a thin coating of red Mucilin on the indicator. It will float all day.

Jim Royston's suggestion also works well.

Bill Terry
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Re: Problem with New Zealand wool indicators

#6

Post by Bill Terry »

Kevin, I use them a lot, but as Jim Royston says, if you try to get too much indicator into the plastic tube, you can't get the wool into the tube. I use them mostly when fishing dry flies or dry/dropper rigs if the dry fly is too small for me to see. For this kind of fishing, I use the smallest tuft of wool that I can see. For larger flies that I can see, I dispense with the indicator. For strike-indicator nymphing with weighted nymphs, I use other strike indicator styles because the NZ indicator gets pulled under by the weight of the flies.

It sounds as though you are trying to pull the yarn into the plastic tube by pulling the two strands of leader that come out the bottom of the tube in opposite directions. That doesn't work--as you have found, the leader cuts the tube. Do what Jim says: hold the plastic tube between the thumb and forefinger of one hand, and pull the two strands of leader together directly in line with the tube with the other hand.
Ad piscatoribus sunt omnes res secundi.

billems
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Re: Problem with New Zealand wool indicators

#7

Post by billems »

I tried them. They make me feel like I'm casting a wig.

Bill Terry
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Re: Problem with New Zealand wool indicators

#8

Post by Bill Terry »

billems wrote:
12/14/21 22:13
I tried them. They make me feel like I'm casting a wig.
That's pretty much how it is with any yarn-like indicator, whether NZ wool, polypropylene, or other material. But they land softly and don't spook fish like Thingamabobbers, etc. All my guides in NZ use some sort of yarn, whether they affix it to the leader with the little plastic tubes or otherwise. One guide showed me how to use orthodontists' rubber bands to secure the yarn, but I can't remember how he did it. It's probably on YouTube.

After thinking about the point in this discussion about not being able to get much yarn into the little plastic tube, I looked on the Home Depot website and found some plastic tubing in 10-ft lengths with inside diameters of 3/32" and 1/8", which should allow you to use a bigger tuft of wool. I'm going to try them.
Ad piscatoribus sunt omnes res secundi.

billems
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Re: Problem with New Zealand wool indicators

#9

Post by billems »

To me they're over priced, make the leader hard to cast, and eventually sink, no matter what you do.

Webfly
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Re: Problem with New Zealand wool indicators

#10

Post by Webfly »

When I was in New Zealand 20 years ago, our guide used lambs wool that he would pull off the fences, so he had an endless supply. He would fluff and tease it and trim it, but pretty much used one tuft all day. He claimed that since it wasn't processed, that the natural lanolin was the key to it working so well. With that being said, what makes NZ wool any different than US wool or any other wool for that matter, as long as it has not been processed. Maybe a factor in the price...

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