# DIY New Zealand Strike Indicator tool



## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I watched a video on this last week and figured it would be simple enough to make your own, and I did one yesterday in about 5-6 minutes. Here's the tool I made:










And here's the video of the real deal:

[ame="http://vimeo.com/63412360"]New Zealand Strike Indicator Tool on Vimeo[/ame]

I had all the stuff around my bench. I used a sewing needle, and cut a notch out of the looped end using a cutting wheel on my Dremel. The loop on the other end for attachment to a zinger is leftover white Dacron backing, tied to the tip of the needle. The round red piece is a large plastic bead, slid over the thread wraps coated in gel CA superglue. And the plastic tubing is small junction tubing I had from some tube flies. I tested it with some wool I have, and it worked perfectly. I will just need to get some indicator wool or treat mine with floatant to see how well it floats. My best wool color for this is white/cream, but I may dye some with orange Kool Aid if this wool will float well enough.


----------



## Yakphisher (Jul 9, 2013)

Cool! 
But I hardly ever use them much anymore. I just use a large bright stimulator style fly as an indicator just for those stupid fish that want to hit the indicator. Nothing like having an extra hook for those occasions.

Use silicone tubing like cpin use. Its a lot easier to use and lighter.


----------



## Flymaker (Jan 24, 2013)

Looks like a good idea ....may have to make one up myself....


----------



## flyman01 (Jan 23, 2013)

TheCream said:


> I watched a video on this last week and figured it would be simple enough to make your own, and I did one yesterday in about 5-6 minutes. Here's the tool I made:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I ran into a gentleman about 4 years ago while fishing the Clinch River in Tennessee and then happened to stumble into him again last summer while on a weekend excursion back at the same river. His name is Barry D. the inventor of the this strike indicator. He has a place in Tennessee as well as New Zealand where he originiated the idea and started making them. Barry demonstrated it to me and mailed me several of these kits, I have shown this indicator to a number of fly-shops down in Tennessee (since I have a place down there and primarily fish the southern streams) and they all have started to carry it. BassPro now sells them as well, it truly is a great strike indicator to use for lighter nymphs. I like it because it does not compete weight wise with the nymphs I am throwing so I have yet to get a tangled mess like I have with other indicators. Furthermore, when you are casting with one on, it has a gentle presentation as it floats down onto the water surface and does not splash and spook fish like other indicators I have used. Its a great product, I use it regularly and I highly endorse it.


----------



## flyman01 (Jan 23, 2013)

HipWader said:


> Sounds like you put a lot of time and effort into making your own strike indicator system......but I have never used a strike indicator fly fishing in 10 years yet I carry 6 indicators in my vest.....I seem to do okay without using one...and I make sure my leader which is a knotted type all lay flat on the water...I usually detect the slightest subtle take since I wear a pair of 3x reading glasses while fishing...it blows everything up including the fly line so I can see any hesitations....
> 
> HipWader, in moderate or less current and seam lines, I too prefer not to use an indicator as the patterns I am throwing drift more naturally and I get more strikes as a result. However, there are times in the southern streams I fish; I am working some of the deep fast runs that are loaded with bigger fish that love to eat midge and bead head patterns. When fishing these, I am throwing a double rig combo usually with tungston bead heads and or a small split shot to get them down deep and right now. Because I am mending and stripping like crazy in this swift and abrupt current, it is difficult to detect virtually any strike without an indicator and the topic of this post is my indicator of choice. This weekend I went south to my favorite river, fishing nice pocket water with dry patterns along with some of the aforementioned runs using nymphs and the strike indicator; my weekend results were outstanding. Saturday I had 39 to hand and Sunday 32 with many in the 12" + range including one 16" Brown and one 18" rainbow. I would be remiss if I did not mention the number of hook-ups that I was unable to get to hand, but that is how it goes when you are fishing with size 20 patterns


----------



## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Ignorance is bliss.


----------



## flyman01 (Jan 23, 2013)

HipWader said:


> I wear a pair of 3x reading glasses while fishing...it blows everything up including the fly line so I can see any hesitations....
> 
> 
> Are the reading glasses you wear some type of prescription type bifocal glasses? I use 3x reading glasses as well when I am tying fly's, they magnify everything close up but if you look 4 feet away or at distant objects, it is blurry as can be, just like looking through a magnifying glass. They do not act like binoculars like yours do.


----------



## Rockyraccoon (Jun 19, 2012)

I too met Barry on the banks of the Clinch River a few years back. 

While I do like the system, I'm still a firm believer in the fact that there is no perfect indicator that fits every situation. However, each situation has an indicator that is perfect for it.

I love light yarn for spooky water nymphing.

Foam footballs work well when your constantly changing depths every few minutes, and you can find them in many sizes.

The New Zealand wool works well, is easy to adjust but loses buoyancy after a short time as the wool thins out.

Thingamabobbers will float the heaviest nymph rigs you can throw at them.

Even stick on palsa indicators can be handy in the right situation.

I carry a large variety of them all and all of them get used a lot.

Back to the original thread.....Great work on making your own. Looks just like the original.


----------

