Yarn Indicators for Winter

The bobber has become ubiquitous for trout anglers the world over, and for good reason. Plastic and foam strike indicators float high, support a ton of weight, and are easy to see and rig. In many fishing situations, a large, high-floating indicator is the logical choice.

More delicate situations, though, require a gentler approach. In the winter months, when the water is low and clear, the fish are spooky, or the takes are subtle, I turn to yarn.

Why Yarn?

Nymph fishing is incredibly sophisticated these days. There are dozens of different styles of strike indicators on the market, giving anglers the opportunity to dial in the tool that best fits their fishing style. Despite the diversity of products available, an informal ocular survey on most of Northern California’s trout streams will reveal that the vast majority of nymph anglers opt for plastic or foam, and the remainder prefer to fish their nymphs on a tight line with a brightly colored section of mono serving as their strike indicator. While bobbers excel in rough water with very heavy rigs and tightline presentations are tough to beat when fishing close, I find yarn more versatile than either.

My love affair with yarn results from its two most endearing traits, the first being sensitivity. Yarn is incredibly light, making it dance and twitch as it floats along the river’s surface. Its twitchiness provides the angler with much more information about their flies than a high-floating bobber would, as the yarn leans and twitches each time the flies encounter a subsurface rock or invisible micro-current. When a fish takes the fly, the yarn shoots underwater much more easily than a round indicator would. I find that yarn’s sensitivity approaches that of a tightline presentation while allowing for much longer drifts. This results in more fish to hand, especially when the water cools down and fish take the fly with as little effort as possible.

Yarn’s second most important trait is its subtlety. It lands without a splash and is far less alarming to fish than indicators made of denser materials. Many of California’s trout waters run clear as air most of the year, and coarse presentations are simply a deal breaker for spooky, exposed trout. Yarn allows anglers to make presentations at any distance within their casting ability without disturbing the water and alerting their quarry. Yarn also causes minimal disturbance when removed from the water during a hook-set or re-cast. I have had plenty of days on clear streams where switching from my round, foam indicator to a tuft of yarn made all the difference.

Key Situations

California is home to a staggering array of trout fishing venues, and yarn indicators are a formidable tool on all of them. Though yarn can be used for nearly any nymphing presentation, there some situations that make it a clear winner.

A key variable when choosing an indicator is water speed. When fishing water on the slower side, yarn becomes a formidable weapon. Trout holding in slow current often take the fly very gently, and yarn’s superior sensitivity allows anglers to detect strikes that would go unnoticed with foam or plastic indicators. Slow water is also difficult to navigate with tightline presentations, and I find that Euro-style rigs offer no advantage over yarn in such situations. With yarn, anglers can make long, drag-free drifts in slow water without fear of spooking fish, and can rely on the yarn indicator’s twitches and dunks to detect very subtle takes. The same logic holds for colder water temperatures, which cause trout to become slow and lethargic. Yarn’s increased sensitivity is crucial for detecting gentle takes in winter nymphing situations.

Another situation that makes yarn a clear choice is spooky fish. When targeting skittish trout that you suspect will not rise for a dry fly, a small tuft of yarn allows you to suspend nymphs in the strike zone without making a splash or getting too close to the fish. Yarn has very high air resistance, making it trickier to cast than other indicator types, so anglers should choose the smallest piece of yarn that they can get away with when making a long presentation to spooky trout. 

So far, most of my arguments for yarn have been compared to foam and plastic indicators. Still, some conditions make yarn superior to tightline or euro-style presentations as well. Tightline nymphing can be a deadly approach, but when the wind picks up, much of the sensitivity that makes a tightline presentation so effective is negated by the bow formed in the leader. With yarn, anglers can make subtle presentations at close range and keep a tight line to their indicator, achieving a very similar presentation. The yarn grabs just enough surface tension to stay put in gusty conditions but remains nearly as sensitive as a monofilament sighter.

Rigging

When fishing yarn, I often use a longer leader than I would with a bobber. The longer leader allows for a more subtle presentation for spooky fish and allows me to fish a tight line to the indicator at close range. For most situations, I’ll start with a 7.5-foot monofilament leader tapered to 3X and rig my indicator near the end of the leader. From there, I’ll tie on two to four feet of 4X fluorocarbon tippet, then use a double surgeon’s knot to attach two more feet of 5X. I’ll leave one tag end from the surgeon’s knot long and use it to tie on a small, unweighted nymph, then I’ll tie a heavy nymph to the end of the 5X section. If the fish are very spooky, I’ll use 5X and 6X instead, and if they are less spooky, I’ll use 3X and 4X. For sight fishing situations, I may use a 12-foot leader tapered to 4X or 5X, then use a single weighted nymph below my yarn. 

My favorite method for attaching yarn is the New Zealand indicator system. The New Zealand system uses a loose hank of wool for the indicator and rubber tubing to secure it. Simply cut a piece of tubing, feed a loop of leader through it, then fit a piece of wool into the loop and pull it tight to the tubing. This system is intuitive and makes the size of the indicator endlessly customizable. The New Zealand system is very gentle on leader material and can slide along the leader when desired but stays put while fishing. The brand-name version is carried in most fly shops, but you can also make your own kit with a hank of polypropylene yarn and a length of thin surgical tubing. It can also help to have a thin, hooked wire to pull the leader loop through the tubing if it becomes difficult to feed through. Alternatively, an orthodontic rubber band can be used to attach yarn by passing a doubled-over loop of leader through the rubber band 4 to 6 times, then slipping the yarn through the loop and pulling it tight.

A key downside to yarn is that it requires more maintenance than a bobber does. Yarn can get waterlogged when fish dunk it, and the material can also become tangled and matted. Keeping a small comb with you can soothe the tangles, and using liquid flotant and dry shake will enhance the yarn’s floatability. A general rule of thumb with yarn is to treat it like a dry fly: use flotant and dry-shake as necessary to keep it floating, then switch it out for a freshie when it becomes fully waterlogged.

With cold weather setting in and water temperatures dropping, trout are settling into their winter routines. For those who relish hunting for trout on uncrowded water during winter months, yarn is the tool of the trade.