Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3611 May 12-26, 2017 | Page 34
Vol. 36 - Iss. 11 - Pg. 32
May 12 - 26, 2017
Using Hot Spot Flashers To Box Kings!
H
ot Spot Flashers perform very well
when it comes to hooking ocean run king
salmon off the California coast and beyond.
When utilizing flashers the key decisions
a fisherman needs to make are, first the line
length between the downrigger release and
the flasher. Second, the tail length between
the flasher and the hoochie or bait. Third, the
weight of the leader to use. And fourth, which
bait, lure or hoochie to use behind the flasher.
A typical Chinook setup is 18 feet of line be-
tween the downrigger ball and an 11” Hot Spot blade on 30 lb. fluorocarbon. These measure-
flasher. The lure is run 42 inches behind the
ments are often utilized by commercial salm-
on trollers.
SoCal Reels are built with T-6 Aircraft
When fish-
grade aluminum frames and German
ing shallow
Dual Carbon Fiber Drags.
water, say
They feature the Highest Drag
water less then
Capacity and the lightest weight
40 feet deep,
on the market.
it is often wise
to drop the
flasher back to
30 to 70 feet
behind the
downrigger
weight.
Affordable, High Performance
Small Reels for BIG FISH!
• CNC Machined
• Titanium Alloy Drag Plates
• Stainless Steel Gears,
Parts, and Ball Bearings
Call (619)550-8900
for Information and the
dealer near you!
www.socalreels.com
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Flasher Color And Trolling Speeds
H ot Spot offers a long list of flasher
colors and finishes. The basic colors
are red, green, blue, white, chartreuse
and purple with red and green being the
most popular. Finishes include reflective
silver mylar, transparent pearl and glow.
Water and fish conditions help to de-
termine the optimal color flasher. Water
color is very important. Water color can
vary from clear to
brown, with many
shades of blue and
green in between.
Water color vari-
ations stem from
algae and plankton
growth and silt.
The conditions
can change within
miles. Water color
can best be ob-
served by looking
at the prop wash
when air bubbles
are present. Here
are some general
guidelines. Clear
water call for
red, green, char-
treuse or silver/
chrome blades. If
the water is blue, blue, green
and silver/chrome blades tend
to work well. Dark green or
brown water is best tackled with
chartreuse, white, purple, red or
gold/silver blades.
Recently Hot Spot has intro-
duced a handful of new colors
that will perform well under
the right water conditions. The
Moon Jelly Red Racer color is
red, green and blue with UV re-
flectivity. Green Onion is basi-
cally U.V. Chartreuse and Moon
Jelly Outfitter combines red,
chartreuse and blue elements
along with U.V. reflection.
One of Hot Spot Flasher’s
major advantages is that it can
be trolled at a wide range of
speeds and will perform equally
well in all circumstances. Its
productive rolling and kicking
action is consistent anywhere
between 1.5 and 3.5 knots. The
most common speed for kings is
2.3 to 2.75 mph.
To learn more about Hot
Spot’s entire line of products,
visit them online at www.
hotspotlures.com.