Flashers imitate.....
- Thread starter Dave S
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Seafever
Well-Known Member
Everything I've read says the flasher initially attracts by sonic vibration which resembles the acoustic effect a salmon would make by attacking baitfish.
So the other salmon hear it first...then come in to investigate ...and then they see it by sight as well.
The sight thing baffles me.........many flasher colors , while extremely effective do not resemble salmon colors in any way.
They have not yet made a flasher that duplicates the green top,slightly purple going into faint gold and then silver and then white belly that you see on many Chinooks.
Maybe certain flasher colors turn the Chinook on....it seems this is true.
But the initial attraction is the sonic vibration.
So the other salmon hear it first...then come in to investigate ...and then they see it by sight as well.
The sight thing baffles me.........many flasher colors , while extremely effective do not resemble salmon colors in any way.
They have not yet made a flasher that duplicates the green top,slightly purple going into faint gold and then silver and then white belly that you see on many Chinooks.
Maybe certain flasher colors turn the Chinook on....it seems this is true.
But the initial attraction is the sonic vibration.
Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
I think it can imitate both but I lean towards another salmon. Its very common when coho or pink fishing to bring one to the boat and see several others follow the fish up to the boat, they get excited by the hooked the salmon. I think while salmon are feeding the vibration and/or sight another feeding salmon can make others excited and they'll come take a look.
For that reason the gold betsy flasher or other gold chrome taped flashers tend to work better later in the season, when mature springs are starting to show more golden tones then say mid winter.
then again it could just be a general attractor, not looking like anything in particular but interesting to fish.
For that reason the gold betsy flasher or other gold chrome taped flashers tend to work better later in the season, when mature springs are starting to show more golden tones then say mid winter.
then again it could just be a general attractor, not looking like anything in particular but interesting to fish.
Seafever
Well-Known Member
In some places a Chartreuse flasher can be hot. This isn't a color that is present on a salmon.
But it is a color that is highly visible at depth or in murky water.
I think some flasher colors are just "triggers' that excite salmon subconsciously.......
In the same way that if a shapely girl holds a bra out from behind a door it will peak your interest...although you haven't actually seen anything yet........
But it is a color that is highly visible at depth or in murky water.
I think some flasher colors are just "triggers' that excite salmon subconsciously.......
In the same way that if a shapely girl holds a bra out from behind a door it will peak your interest...although you haven't actually seen anything yet........
Bosinova
Member
Almost fell for the bra but then saw the reflection of her in the mirror through the open door and swam off
Seafever
Well-Known Member
HaHa....
........
...........
If it all makes sense you have arrived at a backwater in the eddies of the Universe.......
You need to rethink it until it has become Uniform Chaos.....which in turn will be at the mercy of The Butterfly Effect.
One small Herring paddling along in the ocean could actually change the course of history....
I've used the Super Gold Betsy with very good results since I started fishing this year.
I also know guides who exclusively use the Purplebody/Gold side Hotspot just about year round.......
......................
...................If it all makes sense you have arrived at a backwater in the eddies of the Universe.......
You need to rethink it until it has become Uniform Chaos.....which in turn will be at the mercy of The Butterfly Effect.
One small Herring paddling along in the ocean could actually change the course of history....
I've used the Super Gold Betsy with very good results since I started fishing this year.
I also know guides who exclusively use the Purplebody/Gold side Hotspot just about year round.......
......................
Finished Business
Well-Known Member
To answer Seafever's original question....oh...wait a minute...this wasn't a question posted by Seafever!? lol
Sorry, Had to throw a jab at least once lol, cuz mannn you question a lot of products
Sorry, Had to throw a jab at least once lol, cuz mannn you question a lot of products
jeffywestcoast
Well-Known Member
Flasher = boobies ..makes sense, i was at gone fishing the other day buying my derby entry when out of the corner of my eye i spotted a flasher with a pin-up girl on it..cant wait to hear that radio chatter for this one.. ya caught that one on the Amber...
at the risk of posting anything to racey you will have to google alure flashers yourself.
at the risk of posting anything to racey you will have to google alure flashers yourself.
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salty-dog
Member
In my unending quest for information, I have spoke with many anglers as well as the owners of a couple flasher builders.
First and foremost, the flasher doesn't just do one or two things.
As it spins and rotates in the water, it gives a vibration that could be described as imitating either a feeding fish or a wounded one. That vibration travels further under water than it would in air. Also, as it spins, it lends action to a lure by giving it a rise and fall. The rise is irrelevant as an action but required to provide a fall.
The fall portion of the rotation is to decieve a fish into thinking the food source has been either tail-whipped or bite-slashed by the predatory fish and is falling to it's death- this, an easy meal.
The flash of the flasher is to create the impression that there is a school of game fish. This is done by the quick flash. If you've ever seen a school of bait fish as they change direction, the sheen of their scales produces a bright, but momentary light flash. Watch a flasher at work and you'll see the same type of light flash.
So, there you go: flash, vibration and action=flasher.
First and foremost, the flasher doesn't just do one or two things.
As it spins and rotates in the water, it gives a vibration that could be described as imitating either a feeding fish or a wounded one. That vibration travels further under water than it would in air. Also, as it spins, it lends action to a lure by giving it a rise and fall. The rise is irrelevant as an action but required to provide a fall.
The fall portion of the rotation is to decieve a fish into thinking the food source has been either tail-whipped or bite-slashed by the predatory fish and is falling to it's death- this, an easy meal.
The flash of the flasher is to create the impression that there is a school of game fish. This is done by the quick flash. If you've ever seen a school of bait fish as they change direction, the sheen of their scales produces a bright, but momentary light flash. Watch a flasher at work and you'll see the same type of light flash.
So, there you go: flash, vibration and action=flasher.
fish stalker
Active Member
You called it! Lets see it buddy!
Someone just gave me some old flashers I think there were a couple that were like this actually. Definitely purple blue green silver not sure the order and no gold.
Seafever
Well-Known Member
Funny the original OP talked about flashers imitating bait..
Because I made this one up a couple of months ago to do just that......
Haven't baptised it yet though.....
Flasher shape:- ordinary flashers do not look like a fish in design....and as soon as a salmon gets within eyesight range , it can clearly see the flasher is not a fish. But this doesn't stop them, because by that time they are more interested in the lure.......some colors/tape on a flasher will actually spook fish at certain times of the year.
A flasher does not really resemble a slashing fish by sight......but normally it is not a design that poses a threat to a curious fish.....so although they don't really know what it is, they are not afraid of it for the most part.
Because I made this one up a couple of months ago to do just that......
Haven't baptised it yet though.....
Flasher shape:- ordinary flashers do not look like a fish in design....and as soon as a salmon gets within eyesight range , it can clearly see the flasher is not a fish. But this doesn't stop them, because by that time they are more interested in the lure.......some colors/tape on a flasher will actually spook fish at certain times of the year.
A flasher does not really resemble a slashing fish by sight......but normally it is not a design that poses a threat to a curious fish.....so although they don't really know what it is, they are not afraid of it for the most part.
demco99
Well-Known Member
Seafever
Well-Known Member
Back in the day when I used to fish the Alberni Inlet in late August/Sept I found that the spawners often preferred a blank blade with no tape on it and a chovy behind the flasher.
A straight purple blank blade was very good too.
So I take the tape off the blades with such things as WD40 etc.etc.
It's a pain in the butt getting all the sticky off..........
So that's how I ended up with a blank green blade.
Blank blades......by themselves, are not usually found in tackle shops......
I had some tape that I cut fish symbols out of......
That flasher in the second pic that looks like a fish is a production flasher.......they are still around.......first came from Great Lakes.....
The future of flashers:- what I see is:-
(a) chambers inside the body of the flasher that contain liquid that activate when the flasher is rotating producing certain effects and colors. These would be micro-chambers and the thickness of the flasher would not be affected.
(b) Micro LED inserts in the body of the flasher that activate when the flasher is rolling. Again these would be micro and not affect the thickness of the flasher.
(c) certain tapes that are water-contact activated and produce certain effects over and above the base color of the tape.
(d) O'ki is already producing two-tone tapes...that is depending on what angle you look at the flasher from, the color is different......like on some custom car paint jobs.
I think this still in it's infancy and there is better yet to come.
(e) Flasher with bult in "audio" chips.....chips that emit an audible sonic frequency that attracts fish.
Regardless of what the flasher actually looks like to fish.......I have noticed that certain finishes like "Plaid-prism" and "Cracked ice" will actually cause fish to take hits on the flasher itself......
My flashers with these finishes on them (like Purple Haze and Green Haze and Hotspot Chameleon) all have teeth marks all over them.
Other less aggressive-finish flashers that I use have no teeth marks at all......
A straight purple blank blade was very good too.
So I take the tape off the blades with such things as WD40 etc.etc.
It's a pain in the butt getting all the sticky off..........
So that's how I ended up with a blank green blade.
Blank blades......by themselves, are not usually found in tackle shops......
I had some tape that I cut fish symbols out of......
That flasher in the second pic that looks like a fish is a production flasher.......they are still around.......first came from Great Lakes.....
The future of flashers:- what I see is:-
(a) chambers inside the body of the flasher that contain liquid that activate when the flasher is rotating producing certain effects and colors. These would be micro-chambers and the thickness of the flasher would not be affected.
(b) Micro LED inserts in the body of the flasher that activate when the flasher is rolling. Again these would be micro and not affect the thickness of the flasher.
(c) certain tapes that are water-contact activated and produce certain effects over and above the base color of the tape.
(d) O'ki is already producing two-tone tapes...that is depending on what angle you look at the flasher from, the color is different......like on some custom car paint jobs.
I think this still in it's infancy and there is better yet to come.
(e) Flasher with bult in "audio" chips.....chips that emit an audible sonic frequency that attracts fish.
Regardless of what the flasher actually looks like to fish.......I have noticed that certain finishes like "Plaid-prism" and "Cracked ice" will actually cause fish to take hits on the flasher itself......
My flashers with these finishes on them (like Purple Haze and Green Haze and Hotspot Chameleon) all have teeth marks all over them.
Other less aggressive-finish flashers that I use have no teeth marks at all......
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Since the flasher is going through full rotations, if it were made to authentically mimic the colors of a salmon, it would look like some kind of salmon stunt pilot doing impossible barrel rolls to the real fish. You might even wind up with seasick salmon. I don't think realism is the ticket to flasher effectiveness. Since there aren't a lot of Purple Haze Jellyfish salmon out there, and you don't see a lot of herring sporting "Chartreuse and Red Plaid" scales, accurate imitation of real fish can't be the key.
I suspect that the flasher sends out its sonic (and electric in the case of a Hot Chip) signals, drawing the salmon into viewing range. UV and Glo enhance detectability, bringing more fish into the area where they can discover your lure or bait, where realism is more important.
I've also had springs actually hit the flasher many times. I rarely hit bottom or get down among the ling cod, and I'm not fishing in dogfishy areas. Obviously, certain flasher colors trigger hunger, anger, or curiosity. A spring has to know that he can't swallow a flasher, and if springs tended to try to drive away competing salmon, we'd have a lot more chinooks with teeth marks on them. The assault on the flasher is probably just a bigger version of the half-pound jack that hits your 7" Clendon-Stewart spoon, or the 7-inch trout in a mountain lake who decides that a red-and-white Len Thomson spoon 2/3 of his own size that looks like nothing that ever swam in that lake needs to get whacked.
I suspect that the flasher sends out its sonic (and electric in the case of a Hot Chip) signals, drawing the salmon into viewing range. UV and Glo enhance detectability, bringing more fish into the area where they can discover your lure or bait, where realism is more important.
I've also had springs actually hit the flasher many times. I rarely hit bottom or get down among the ling cod, and I'm not fishing in dogfishy areas. Obviously, certain flasher colors trigger hunger, anger, or curiosity. A spring has to know that he can't swallow a flasher, and if springs tended to try to drive away competing salmon, we'd have a lot more chinooks with teeth marks on them. The assault on the flasher is probably just a bigger version of the half-pound jack that hits your 7" Clendon-Stewart spoon, or the 7-inch trout in a mountain lake who decides that a red-and-white Len Thomson spoon 2/3 of his own size that looks like nothing that ever swam in that lake needs to get whacked.
Karma-Kazi
Active Member
When I fly fish for coho's in the prop wash with my fly rod and dont locate surface fish. I send a couple dummys down on both riggers to about 60-100 ft and then slowly work them up to within 7-8 ft of the surface and whamo there goes the fly rod. Just had to drag a smaller school of coho to the top to get the surface takes.
Great fun. Give it a go in a couple weeks in sooke when the coho move down. Fly rods and clousers.
-KK
