I know what you mean.

As for the strike indicators I think the problem I am running into is light pollution and lack of overhead cover. It never seems to get truly dark. Even on a new moon there is enough artificial from nearby man made structure light that I can vaguely make out the edges of the bank. I bet the TB would work better in a remote location where the contrast would be greater. I will give them a try next time I make it up to the mountains.

Hi Matt.

As far as how much to move, it’s just too conditional. Low and clear water, for example adds another variable, because you’ll spook fish by moving too much and creating waves. Sounds like, with a 200 foot wide river, I would move more. Just fish and keep stepping slowly.

Regarding the glow Thingamabobbers — you may have gotten a bad batch or something, because my glow TBs are actually too bright, too often. I have no need for painting Airlocks, in this case. That little glowing orb of a TB is money.

But . . . if you found something that works for you, then that’s it!

Cheers.
Dom

I think I have been moving too quickly but I am not sure. I cover about the same 500 yards in 4-6 hrs as you guys, but my river is at least 200’ wide. I usually work one bank or the other and hit good looking pools, tail outs and riffles in the middle. There is so much good looking water I start to feel rushed and probably don’t spend enough time focusing on individual lies. I am catching a few fish but nothing worthy of a picture yet.

I found that mixing glow in the dark dye with UV resin and applying a heavy coat to my airlock creates a glow in the dark indicator that is MUCH easier to see and holds a charge significantly longer than the glow in the dark thingamabobbers.
I know you dislike airlocks, but this would work on your preferred thingamabobbers as well.

I am going try applying the dyed resin to the blood knots on my sighter section to help with visibility during low light conditions.

Sorry for rambling. I am a little sleep deprived.

Great points, Greg. Good to hear from you.

Dom

Also, “mouse emerger” is a great name! Watch a video of a mouse (or frog?) swim. Their head is on top but the rest of his body is dangling down in the water.

I will use glow in the dark emergency tape cut into little tags as an indicator if nymphing and just above a micro swivel I use for streamers and larger flies even when using glowing fly line. It helps with my poor eyesight when the fly is close or if I need to pick it up to clean it off.
I love fishing at night and I remember on one of my first nights out the thrill of hooking into a branch under water that had some give to it and was in enough of a flow that the branch, still anchored to the bottom, wavered like it was a fish. It lasted for a second before I figured out what was up however that “hook up” was solid and it really felt like I had hooked a leviathan brown. Literally one second was all it took to figure out I was snagged but that feeling and excitement of the possibility of what could of been keeps me up late at night.