Bio-Glow: A Review of Strike Indicator Putty

   Bio-Glow, produced by Loon Outdoors, is strike indicator putty that also glows in the dark when charged with a UV light or a regular flashlight.

 

OVERVIEW

   This pale yellow product did not leave a favorable first impression.  I opened the lid and the Bio-Glow was stuck to the container’s top and bottom like freshly chewed gum sticks to a shoe.  When I removed the putty from the lid, that tacky stuff really stuck to my fingers and it was difficult to thoroughly get off my skin.  Furthermore, to float it on the stream I had to use larger diameter putty than the diameter of Thingamabobber I normally use.

   Sounds pretty grim, right?  Well, I actually started to like the material a little… then a lot.  Now I wish I’d ordered another 1-2 containers of Bio-Glow or its non-glowing sibling, Biostrike. 

   As the directions read, wet hands when using the material.  Do this and there won’t be sticky putty on your fingers!  Streamside, it worked beautifully.  Fingers wet, I pulled out the desired amount and pinched it around my leader.  Done.  If I wanted to slide it up or down my leader, I did so and pinched the putty down again.  Then, I got on with the fishing.    So very fast & simple!! 

   I did have to apply more Bio-Glow than I expected to need.  I pinched off an amount similar to the diameter of indicator I typically use.  The Bio-Glow sank.  I added a bit more and it floated for 5 seconds or so before slowly drifting subsurface (It still indicated fish this way & provided a slower fly descent..hmmm..).  Finally, I added a little bit more and the indy putty floated fine with my 5/32” tungsten bead-head sz 12 nymph and sz 18 dropper.  I did expect a heavy splat but that didn’t happen.  Was it a delicate presentation?  No, but it didn’t land much differently than casting with the other style of indy. 

   The single piece of Bio-Glow was my indicator for at least 2 hours before I lost it.  This timeframe included working my flies free from snags, and hooking, fighting and landing fish.  It never moved from its original position on the leader unless I moved it.  And unlike my plastic indicators or the foam ones others use, the Loon indicator putty is biodegradable!  The next day, I used the putty again.  Only fishing for a short time with an indicator, I removed and returned it to its container to be used another day.

   I have not fished with this material at night.  However, I ‘charged’ it with light and took pictures.  The initial very bright light dimmed quickly but left a good amount of glow afterward.  Even after 10 minutes a smidge of glow remained.  The autofocus light on my camera continued to recharge the Bio-Glow so I couldn’t accurately depict how much the glow decreased over time.  To use this at night in current, I’d estimate that its optimal use would be 2 minutes prior to wanting to charge it again.  In still water, I suspect 5 minutes max of fish time between needed charges.  I hope to do some night fishing in April and will update this post if I do.

RECOMMENDATION, MISC, UPDATES

   At this time, I recommend giving Bio-Glow ($7.95/1.0 oz) a try.  Just like anything, it may not be optimal for all situations but I think it will do the job - & quickly- in a lot of them.  It’s extremely easy to connect to and reposition on the leader & that increases actual fishing time.  It stays in place in most situations and is meant to be re-used.  If lost, it is biodegradable.  After moving the indicator, a small amount of residue remains on the leader but is easily removed.  If you like the idea of a putty indicator but don’t need it to glow, Loon Outdoors also makes Biostrike ($7.50/1.0 oz), which is available in a few colors.  Check out Bio-Glow at your local fly shop or click this link to visit the Loon Outdoors website:  http://www.loonoutdoors.com/products.html#bio-glow 

   How much bang there is for your buck simply depends on how much weight you have below the indicator & how much putty you return to the container after each fishing trip.  The container is similar in diameter to a tippet spool, but twice as tall.  A firmer container or slightly domed lid would lessen the inconvenience of the tacky putty becoming pressed against the lid.  I used Bio-Glow for the first time when air temperatures hovered between 35-40*F.  The product was also kept slightly warm as it was located on an inside pocket of my wading jacket.  I am very curious to learn how well it will hold up to Midwestern summer temperatures (& freezing winter temperatures) and if the ease of application will change.  I am looking forward to  using it again.  Over time, I suspect updates will be added to this post. 

PROS:

*Easy to use or to adjust up/down leader.  *Takes seconds to add to leader or to adjust.  *Remained in place on leader for prolonged time.  *Re-useable.  *Biodegradable & environmentally friendly.  *Compact container.  *Can glow in the dark. 

CONS:

*May need more putty than expected.  *Container design makes putty stick to lid.  *Possibly better chance to lose a putty indy than another style of indy.  *Cost/use may be a con depending on how much product is required for the individual’s needs & environment. 

Updates
3/22-23/13:  I used 1 Bio-Glow indicator for 1.25 days of nymph fishing.  I made another indicator after the original got lost from my line while I was bushwhacking through some pretty thick stuff.  Temps were ~31-35* (I had to break ice off my guides on day 1) and Bio-Glow did stiffen, causing me to take a tiny bit longer to remove from container & place on leader.  No big deal.  It also seemed to take a little less product to float my dropper rig set-up (less than I reported in initial review) and at one point I even had split shot on the rig.  Does it float better when colder or is it me?  Later in the trip, esp the next day, I did have to move the Bio-Glow back into position a few times as it had slid down to the fly.  Once I gave a little pinch-twist to the body of the indicator -not just the ends- it remained in place.  Again, it was colder, I'd been fishing with it for many hours, and I was fishing an area with beaver dams with higher silt content (Bio-Glow did pick a little of this up).  It was still much easier and quicker to use than regular strike indicators & I'm fishing more efficiently because of this.
12/2013:  If putty starts to accumulate on the exterior of the container or interior of the lid, it becomes difficult to open the lid of Bio-Glow's shallow container.

Strike Indicator: Real Deal or Fly Fishing Puffery?

   Child sits on dock holding fishing rod, watching the red/white bobber & hoping for a fish to take the worm.  30+ years later, the woman wades in a stream, mending the strike indicator around a branch & maintaining a drag-free drift on a nymph rig, setting up for a take.  Goals are the same:  have fun & catch fish.

   Heck yes, the strike indicator is a bobber!  However, it can be more than that.  I’ve never read a book or sat with friends for hours while watching my strike indicator.  Both the bobber and the indy can set the depth of the hook and indicate when a strike occurs, which is similar in concept to how a screwdriver or a drill can drive a screw into wood. In particular situations, either tool can perform the same task.

   The plastic, foam, cork, putty, yarn, or sometimes, elk hair object, with the edgy name, ‘strike indicator’, is a multi-tool.  (The bobber may also serve other purposes, but that is a topic for another writer to explore)  This article will explore how the indy can be used in ways other than as a classic bobber, and when used similarly to a bobber, how other considerations of its use still differentiate it from conventional angling.

But when is an indicator a ‘multi-tool’ not strictly a bobber? 

   How about when the indicator is a dry fly or a hopper with a dropper attached?  How many conventional anglers hook a fish with a bobber? 

  The indicator can also be used in multi-current situations to set up the fly.  When casting directly downstream through riffles and drifting into a deeper pool, I have intermittently used an indicator.  As I strip out line to maintain a drag-free drift, first, it is easy to produce enough slack to not feel a strike and second, the disturbance to the line in the riffles can lessen the ability to sense a strike. Adding an indicator creates a waypoint where less slack is present on the side closest to the nymph and where a strike can be seen, especially during the nymph-led fishy transition into slower, deeper water. 

   A respondent to my query on theflyfishingforum.com provided another example:  the angler uses the indy as an anchor point in a slack eddy, causing the fly that has landed in adjacent fast water to pivot around this section of eddy, hit the eddy line and then flow into slow current water.  This strategy keeps the heavier fly from landing on the smooth water while still directing the fly into the current changes and to the slow flow water after the pivot-point, which tend to be popular fish hang-outs.

   Furthermore, this same angler reported that he will purposely overweight his indicator, dampening “the rigid depth controlling effect of the indy.” 

   The ‘soft take’ of a trout might be felt too late for the angler to effectively set the hook.  At times, having a visual reference to the fly can be invaluable.  Once it leaves the hand, a tiny dry fly often becomes invisible on the water, and nymphs and wet flies can be become difficult to see in a variety of water conditions.  Indicators can then be used as a simple aid to allow the angler to make better visual contact with the fly or, at least, to approximate its location in the current.  The indy here may be a commercial design, or perhaps the angler simply adds fluorescent paint to knots on the leader.  This technique could also be a teaching tool utilized to aid one with reading current.

   A guide friend of mine dislikes the term ‘strike’ indicator, believing that this gives one the mistaken belief that its primary function is to indicate a strike.  Regarding indicators, he wrote, “The main purpose is to telegraph to the fly angler how your nymphs are behaving underwater.  Using an indicator gives the angler a better visual of what is happening below the surface.”  He sure wasn’t describing a bobber.

Can this 'multi-tool' make one a better fly angler?

   Well, the simple multi-tool can set fly depth, indicate a strike, be a visual indicator of fly location, aid with fly placement in multi-current situations, & telegraph what the nymph is doing on the water bottom.  However, another valuable attribute is that the little gizmo is also a great teaching tool.  Next time you chase the fish from a hole, use the indicator and keep fishing the hole.  Without those fishy distractions, you will have a great visual with which to learn about water current, water depth & what your nymph is trying to tell you.   

   Indirectly, use of an indicator and a little patience will improve general fly fishing skills.  When one reluctantly adds an indicator to a leader already burdened with a weighted point fly, a dropper, and split shot, either one’s fly casting or knot de-tangling skills will improve (& probably both).  In streams and small rivers, presentation of both the indicator and the fly without disturbing the quarry is the new rule.  Producing a drag-free drift on a windy day can be more challenging.  Finally, when you learn what the indy is indicating and how to respond, life will be filled with more fish and fewer snags.

   Fly fishing offers endless opportunities to have fun, to learn, & be creative in the outdoors.  Improving my abilities to use and read a strike indicator have increased my general skills as a fly angler, regardless of whether I elected to attach an indicator to my leader on any given day.  The indy is simply a multi-tool which allows the angler to be successful (or not!) depending on when and how it is used.  Others may be just as successful foregoing the strike indicator while utilizing similar techniques…  As fly anglers, we have many tools at our disposal.  However, our enthusiasm & the application of our knowledge and skill, peppered with a little luck, ultimately determine our successes.

(In a month or two, this story will be moved to the 'Featured Article' section, but I will still make reference to it here so that it may remain easily found.  Thanks, ~Twitch)