Well,I am about a week away from closing on my boat and I've started collecting gear...all used so far. I'd love to hear people's thoughts about flashers and hooks (or any other advice of course, me being green to power trolling). As a hand troller, I've mainly used white, silver and green variations for flashers. Seems like white works well for winter kings in the shallows. But I've hear blue or purple would be best for dogs.
Any thoughts on a good color/style assortment to carry for power trolling in the summer? How about OKi versus Hot spot versus Luhr Jensen? King flashers versus dog flashers etc...
What size hooks do people like? I have used 5/0 or 6/0 for kings in the past and 4/0 for coho....
Also, how about treble versus single or double hooks for kings?
So many choices...........
Flasher and hook preferrences
-
mattakfish
- Site Supporter
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2012 7:30 am
- Spammer?: No
Flasher and hook preferrences
Matt on the F/V Aurora
Re: Flasher and hook preferrences
A few tips:
1. The best selling flasher at Murray Pacific this year is the blue plastic with the mirror tape hot spot.
2. They have discontinued or screwed up both the best hooks and the Luhr Jensen superiors so most of us old timers are totally confused as to what hooks and spoons to use. I used to use the Barker hook, 95165 7/0 on my old # 5 superiors and the # 11 Duranickle on the old # 7 superiors. Chuck Barker himself gave me the tip. They don't make those superiors or those hooks anymore.
3. Use either single or treble hooks, when fishing herring, I use both. When using single it helps to figure out some form of additional attachment on the hook, I use stainless wire, to keep it embedded in the herring where you want it. Do not use bait when there are a bunch of shaker kings, halibut, rockfish you don't want around. I seldom run bait on the bottom flasher anymore.
4. Here is a big tip, use gold and chrome spoons instead of brass, copper, bronze etc. It used to be that the copper etc metal plating on the spoons held up. Now it is so thin that it disappears after a short while. The gold and chrome lasts longer. Some of the gold plating holds up much better on some spoons than others. Be sure to use iron hooks or attach jump rings if you use stainless on brass or copper finish spoons. The brass and copper #7 Superior used to be a super spoon but not anymore to my knowledge.
5. Years ago some of us independently arrived at the conclusion that the blue plastic hot spots with either the mylar or chrome tape finish worked better for chums and pinks than the red or chartruese plastic. Some of the guys concluded they also worked better for Chinook and saved the problem of having to change flashers when moving from fishery to fishery. I have gone a different route with custom made flashers for pinks and chums, but if I had to buy new off the shelf would go with blue plastic.
1. The best selling flasher at Murray Pacific this year is the blue plastic with the mirror tape hot spot.
2. They have discontinued or screwed up both the best hooks and the Luhr Jensen superiors so most of us old timers are totally confused as to what hooks and spoons to use. I used to use the Barker hook, 95165 7/0 on my old # 5 superiors and the # 11 Duranickle on the old # 7 superiors. Chuck Barker himself gave me the tip. They don't make those superiors or those hooks anymore.
3. Use either single or treble hooks, when fishing herring, I use both. When using single it helps to figure out some form of additional attachment on the hook, I use stainless wire, to keep it embedded in the herring where you want it. Do not use bait when there are a bunch of shaker kings, halibut, rockfish you don't want around. I seldom run bait on the bottom flasher anymore.
4. Here is a big tip, use gold and chrome spoons instead of brass, copper, bronze etc. It used to be that the copper etc metal plating on the spoons held up. Now it is so thin that it disappears after a short while. The gold and chrome lasts longer. Some of the gold plating holds up much better on some spoons than others. Be sure to use iron hooks or attach jump rings if you use stainless on brass or copper finish spoons. The brass and copper #7 Superior used to be a super spoon but not anymore to my knowledge.
5. Years ago some of us independently arrived at the conclusion that the blue plastic hot spots with either the mylar or chrome tape finish worked better for chums and pinks than the red or chartruese plastic. Some of the guys concluded they also worked better for Chinook and saved the problem of having to change flashers when moving from fishery to fishery. I have gone a different route with custom made flashers for pinks and chums, but if I had to buy new off the shelf would go with blue plastic.
-
mattakfish
- Site Supporter
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2012 7:30 am
- Spammer?: No
Re: Flasher and hook preferrences
That's a big help. Thanks! I've got an old tub full of gear with a bunch of blue plastic hot spots. Maybe I'll refurbish them with new stickers. I'm also wondering if it would also be worth trying sport flashers like konezone or fishflash on a few spreads....
Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Matt on the F/V Aurora
Re: Flasher and hook preferrences
I have used fish flash as an attractor but prefer the action a regular flasher gives a bait or lure. I am sure there is a place and time for fish flash as they really work in the Gray's harbor area in Washington for the sporties.
-
birdfeeder11
- Member
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:04 am
- Spammer?: No
Re: Flasher and hook preferrences
I have found that the green fish flash flasher seems to intercept hatchery kings fairly well in may.