Flasher Help

[Dreamcatcher]

I am new to the boards and I am in need of some help with suggestions for running flashers for Rainbows. I live in north Idaho and fish on Lake Pend Oreille. Our fishery includes Lake Trout and Rainbows and I have never fished with flashers. From what I have researched I plan on using flashers primarily with dipseys and spoons or flies. I am looking to purchase some spin doctors and would like help with color selection. I have pulled Dreamweavers Spin Doctor color selection from their web site and would appreciate the name of your favorite Rainbow colors and set ups. Again my focus is on Rainbows and not Lake Trout. I have a good selection of Siggs Rig Flies and Silver Streak spoons. I used to live in Pennsylvania and fish Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes. It's great to have found this Forum and read what is productive back east. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. This is my largest rainbow taken from my new lake and it weighed over 20 lbs and was caught on a fly off of a planer board.

Randy

[Priority1]

The leaders behind the flasher should be about 2-1/2 to 4 times the length of the flasher. The longer the lead the less action on the fly or lure. Sometimes less action is better, and other times not. The white and green glows are hot here. A little orange or red in the mix may trigger the fish. Run the flasher at least 2 feet behind the Dipsy. Never exceed the length of the rod, for total length of leaders and equipment behind the Dipsy. Example a 20 ft. of gear behind a Dipsy will not allow you to easily net a fish with a 9 foot rod. The rest is trial and error, or hopefully trial and success. Good Luck Randy.

[Nailer]

Welcome aboard.

I don't know how the Rainbow act in Idaho but, in lake Mi most fisherman that target Rainbow like to use a mix of Orange in there spread. I have got Rainbows on a White flasher / Green fly combo though.

That's a nice fish you've got there!

[Times Two]

My favorite has been the white blade with glow; or the green blade

with glow. Check out Siggs Riggs for flies...they are pretty durable.

The new Aqua Crackle was smoking for me this year....

John

[DIRTY DOG]

im with times two my favorite is a white with white glow and a green glow horse flie 18 to 20 inches behind

and omg that is a HUGE RAINBOW

terry

[Sea-Mac]

That is a HUGE rainbow, nice fish! Id use a bunch of whatever you caught that one on.

[Satisfaxion_Gauranteed]

I'll triple the white flasher, white glow fly sediments. That's been one of my hottest setups this year. Green glow flys and mountain dew colored flashers would get honorable mention.

[Adam Bomb]

We get most of our Steelhead on spoons, but we've got a few on a 8" Mnt. Dew Glow Blade SD w/a Glow Bloody Nose fly. Been killer on Kings as well.

Heres the last one to fall prey to this set up.

[Dreamcatcher]

Thanks guys for the help! Hopefully your comments will shorten my learning curve using flashers. It looks like White Double Crush Glow and Mountain Dew Crush Glow will get me started. Since moving west most of my Rainbow success has come using spoons throughout the year. In the fall my efforts turn to flies fished off of planer boards. Our big Kams will start coming to the surface sometime in October. Best wishes for tight lines and screaming reels.

Randy

[spoonmaster]

Hey guys, I am also new here. Great forum you have with alot of great info.I fish lake Erie and catch 95% of my bows on spoons.I have never used flashers, but am always looking to try something new.Some great tips here but could someone tell me how fast you can run them, most of the time we run 2.6-3.2 mph is this to fast.And is there any rule about how far behind the cannonball to run them.

Thanks for the help

Spoonmaster

www.fishing-lures.ca

[Priority1]

Unlike the old dodgers the flashers can be run at least 3.5 MPH. They may be able to handle even higher speeds but I haven't run them faster than 3.5. Most of the time I run 2.5 - 3.2 MPH. You need at least a couple feet of lead ahead of the flasher to allow them to work. I have run them as close as 8 feet behind the ball. Most of the time I try to run the flashers within 10 ft. of the ball. The flashers do take up some room side to side, so running them tight avoids tangles on turns. Most of the time if I'm going to run 2 flashers they will be on my Dipsys. I have had flashers on two of the Dipsys and a Big 11 inch flasher on one of the inside riggers. It depends on what gets hot.

[Adam Bomb]

Ive run my flashers anywhere from 10-35' behind the ball. The higher up the longer the lead. Normally though, my flashers and flies are most productive off the dispseys. Ive found that the longer the lead off the dipsey to the flasher/fly, the more productive they were. Ive tried various leader lengths and the 6'6" has been the most productive on our boat. It can be a little hairy netting at times, but its worth the trade off IMO. My best length behind the flasher is 20" from the end of the flasher to the head on the fly. I had a fly leader get a knick in it, so i retied it. By the time i was done cutting and retying it was only 15" from the flasher to flie head. It ended up being one of my hottest set ups. So dont be afraid to go short either. That was more so for Kings though.