Colin
We've had some heated debates over this in the past, as have a lot of sites.The outcome has always been each to his own as long as its done fairly.
meaning not sitting on plastic boxes like coarse anglers and the striking so hard it rips the fishes mouths apartn(as has been happening on some waters up here).Indicators are great for people with failing eyesight or as you say to ensure fishing at a constant depth with buzzers as the waves make the flies rise and fall like the real thing, so it is effectively imitative fishing, however float fishing lures doesn't really amount to the same thing.
That said i rely on the tip of the flyline as my indicator when fishing buzzers, but then i never fish static (no patience
) I like my flies to move in the water and i can vary the depth with more control, by altering my retrieve speed, during the course of a day the fish will change positions in the water and i like to keep with them.I suppose on some heavily stocked waters this doesn't matter so much as you could stick to one depth and there will be fish there most of the time so you will catch, its just not what i choose to do.
The indicator was good for teaching my son how to spot takes when he was nymph/buzzer fishing but eventually he wanted rid of it. Since the removal of the indicator his casting improved no end and he seems to get as much satisfaction from this, as from catching the fish.His catch rate stayed about the same.
So to sum up i like a nice longish leader 15-20 ft, a couple of flies, a dead slow figure of eight, and i like to be mobile.
Sandy