Ó 2008 John Abbott and Captain Downriggin’sä

   The salmon flasher dates back to the early 1940’s when large heavy rods and wire line plus a good deal of “elbow grease” were required to haul these rotating “kelp cutters” in from the deep.  Nickel, brass, copper, and 50/50 combinations were the only types available at the time and required polishing before every trip.  The large metal flashers have fallen out of favor by all but the saltiest of anglers due to their unbearable drag on today's lighter rods. 

   In 1959, a Canadian commercial fisherman, Jack Gaunt invented the first plastic flasher- the Hotspot.  The Hotspot revolutionized salmon angling in more than one way.  Not only was the drag from the rotation significantly less, but the flasher could be used as both a dodger and flasher depending on trolling speed.  Today, nearly 40-years later, the angler was has good choice of colors and styles, whether plastic or metal, to choose from.

   There are a lot of theories to why a flasher works so well.  Some anglers say the flasher mimics the tail slashing of a feeding salmon, yet other anglers say it is nothing more than the action provided to the lure.  However, if we take a quick look at three attributes which are very important in salmon angling - sight, sound and smell - the first sensory mechanism the fish “senses” is the vibration (sound) of the flasher.  These powerful vibrations are often “sensed” by the fish through their lateral line response at distances between 30 and 40-yards.  In turn, these vibrations draw the fish towards the lure or bait.  Next would be a visual (sight) feeding (or angered) response by the fish.  Does your lure/bait have a crippled/wounded or living appearance?  With a flasher it certainly does!  The next attribute would be smell.  Unless you cover your flasher with some type of scent this doesn’t factor in to the equation; however, I recommend covering the flasher and leader with some type of paste scent.  Why?  What is the first thing you grab when the gear is coming aboard?  This would be a good time to politely remind the angler that the olfactory sense of a salmon is highly acute, and subconsciously we are always touching something in the boat- tobacco, food, sun tan lotions, tools, etc…  When at all possible I highly recommend achieving all three attributes on the water at the same time. This will definitely increase your success!

   Does flasher color make a difference?  I guarantee 99 out of 100 people reading this article would immediately say “yes.“  However, let’s take a quick look at the standard flasher.  How much of the blade is covered by tape on both sides?  Would 85 to 90-percent be a good approximate?  Then take into account reflective qualities of the tape…  Rotation through the water... I could literally go on with blade colors, tapes, water color and clarity, the eye sight of a salmon etc… but I think you get the point.  The intent is not to discredit the fine manufactures of these products rather show how much hype has been placed on color by anglers.  With that said, I do believe blade color does make some difference, but I also believe that Mr. Salmon is far more interested and focused in what’s behind the flasher, especially if he has been drawn into the gear and following it.  Remember the flasher draws the fish in through vibrations and then to the movement of bait/lure.

   Having spent a lot of time as fly fisherman and short 5-year stint as a professional tier one soon discovers early in their career there’s more to wrapping some feathers around the hook and calling it good.  Many fly anglers get an incurable disease requiring them to remember every bug by it’s Latin name, practice casting in the back yard, or the urge to tie a fly to perfection into the wee hours of the morning.  Some of you know exactly what I mean eh? However, there is one thing I learned from fly tying that I bought over to the gear side.

   One of the greatest fly fishing authors of all time, Charlie Brooks, Nymph fishing for Larger Trout, devised a method of tying called, “In the round.” Charlie wanted to present a fly in a manner that the fish could see the silhouette or representation of the nymph regardless of how it was viewed or tumbled through the water.  The fly was tied exactly the same in a 360-degree fashion.  For instances, the bottom of the fly looked exactly as the top and vice versa for the sides.  Simple and highly effective!  From bug to flasher…

   With the exception of a few color schemes, I buy all my blades blank- no tape.  This allows me to fish just the blade color and gives the same the view regardless of the fish’s approach (“In the round“).  The blank blade offers unlimited opportunities for the angler to experiment with different colors of blades and the addition of tape styles and/or colors and patterns.  I have done a lot of experimenting with blank blades and have settled on three colors for the Puget Sound region-  chartreuse, white and black.  Chartreuse is a highly visible color for dark winter days and at times seems to really spark interest in the fish.  Black and white should not be under estimated and are considered neutral colors in the color spectrum which remain true to color at any depth.  Black offers the best silhouette underwater in any light condition and blends in wonderful with the marine environment.  White is without a doubt my favorite color - especially summertime - and I probably tie this flasher on 90-percent of the time.  A subtle and highly visible color that doesn’t spook fish.

Note: With the exception of white, blank blades are extremely difficult to find these days.  I wish more manufactures would offer the blanks again.  However, I have found the soaking the blades in WD-40 will easily remove any tape and residue

  In the above photo, I have added glow in the dark tape to the flasher.  (Tape has been added to the opposite side in the same location.)  This ¾-inch glow tape is from 3M and made specifically for shipboard use; therefore, it has a waterproof adhesive, extremely durable, and possesses a glow that lasts all day. (Note the scrape marks in front of the flasher from bouncing along the bottom targeting sand lance feeding fish.)  By applying the tape in this fashion, I have achieved the “In the round” effect without covering the majority of the blade.

   If you looked closely at the white flasher pictured, you probably noticed two holes.  Those are two ¼-inch holes I drilled into the flasher to change the sound signature of the flasher considerable and also produces a bubble trail in the water.  I like to use this particular flasher when there are a lot of boats on the water.  The unique sound signature offers the fish something different than what they are accustomed to “sensing.”  Chinook don’t mind the bubble trails and it drives the coho crazy!  Warning: do not drill larger than ¼-inch holes as this will greatly effect the rotation.

   The next modification generates a lot of noise in the water!  I have added two size 2 willow leaf blades to the back welded ring via split rings. These blades can be applied to or removed from the flasher within seconds without wasting a lot of time on of the water.  This is done by adding or removing the split rings with the blades attached.  The intent of this modification is not visible movement or action rather to produce additional noise.  The willow leaf blades bounce off the barrel swivel during rotation sending a loud audible noise in the water.  If you want to give this a try before getting it wet, tie on a leader and pull the flasher and leader in opposite directions then shake the flasher. It is very noticeable…imagine this noise in the water!

Note:  Always use small willow leaf blades.  These blades create the least amount of vacuum and do not effect the rotation of the flasher.

   The last modification will produce a slight “wave” or “wobble” effect during rotation giving your hoochie a different pulsating look to the fish. You can take the flasher to a band saw and cut into the flasher approximately 1-inch creating a “V” look. If you do not own a band saw, a 3-sided triangle rasp or file works very well too.