Flasher Rigging

Rigging the Pro-Troll Flashers

Flashers catch more salmon each year than any other device ever invented. Learn to use the Pro-Troll and you will be amazed at the results.

Rig it right and you will catch more salmon than with any other system. Rig it wrong and

you will catch a few salmon but most of them will not hit. The difference between right and

wrong involves a few basics along with some special tricks. The Pro-Troll flashers are

normally tied to your fishing line from your rod and reel.You will then rig a bait, hootchie, fly

or lure two to five feet behind the flasher. With your boat in motion you let the flasher up to

30 feet back. Your fishing line is then clipped in a downrigger release and you are ready

to take the setup to fishing depth. Diagrams on the following pages show different setups.

Rule #1 Rig it Frontwards

One of the most common mistakes with flashers is trolling them backwards. The narrow

tapered end is the front. The taper makes the flasher spin as it is trolled. The wide rear

section of the flasher kicks back and forth to attract the salmon with strong vibrations.

This flasher rigging section is divided into six sections. Each section discusses a different

aspect of flashers that can help you catch more salmon.

The Pro-Troll ProChip 11 flasher is highly effective in catching salmon in the Columbia River. The above diagram shows a typical rigging setup.

This rig works best when trolled in the direction the river is flowing. In the tide water section of the river, it is typically trolled in the same direction as the tide is flowing. When fished in the upper sections of rivers, it works best when “forward trolled” downstream in the same direction as the river is flowing. However, if you prefer, it can be back trolled as well. (This is when the bow of the boat is pointed upstream and you slowly back the boat down the river). It is effective when trolled as slow as 1 mph or as fast as 4 mph. Most fishermen troll at a speed where their rod tip pulses one time per second.

The ProChip 8 and ProChip 11 flashers may represent the most significant flasher

development in decades. The spin and kick design combined with the EChip is outfishing

everything on the market. It's big advantage is the action provided by the diagonal

kicker fin on the back and its electronic EChip attractor. Equally important are the

brass grommets, welded rings and stainless steel swivels as they provide a smooth bearing

point that allows the Pro-Chip flasher to rotate very easily at slow speeds.

They have several rigging advantages. (1) They can be fished very effectively with a variety of setups including downriggers, 2 or 3 lb. drop sinkers, dipsey divers or other planers. (2) The front leader length can be as short as 4 feet and still get an effective tail kick which attracts salmon and gives lots of action to the bait, hootchie or fly at the back. (3) It can be trolled as slow as 1 MPH and still provide a strong tail kick. This is a big advantage when fishing for mature salmon that will not hit a fast moving bait or lure. Conventional flashers must be trolled at 2 MPH or more to get a good tail kick.

NOTE: The fin is at the back end of the flasher

Typical ProChip 11 Flasher Rigging Diagrams

Rigging The ProChip 11 Flashers with the Agitator Fin

The Pro-Troll ProChip 11 flasher is highly effective in catching salmon in the Columbia River. The above diagram shows a typical rigging setup.

This rig works best when trolled in the direction the river is flowing. In the tide water section of the river, it is typically trolled in the same direction as the tide is flowing. When fished in the upper sections of rivers, it works best when “forward trolled” downstream in the same direction as the river is flowing. However, if you prefer, it can be back trolled as well. (This is when the bow of the boat is pointed upstream and you slowly back the boat down the river). It is effective when trolled as slow as 1 mph or as fast as 4 mph. Most fishermen troll at a speed where their rod tip pulses one time per second.

Northwest Pro-Troll

Pro-Staff Dan Sullivan

Tip: Large Chinook salmon that are getting ready to enter a river to spawn, frequently stay offshore and mill around for a month or so. At that point, they get very lazy and will not hit a fast-trolled bait or lure. The Pro-chip 11 flasher will still rotate and kick at 1.5 miles per hour. Troll it slow under these conditions and you may catch a trophy.

Great Lakes rigging techniques
courtesy of Capt. Ernie Lantiegne
Fish Doctor Charters

Rigging HotChip 8" and 11" Flashers

Conventional 8" and 11" flashers have been used by sport and commercial fishermen for decades. Rigged right, they are the top salmon catching devices in the world. The flashers are normally made of bright colored plastic and have colored tape on both sides. Embossed silver tape is very popular as is glow in the dark tape and various colors of tape.

Typical Flasher Rigging

Front Leader Lengths

The distance between your downrigger release and the front of the flasher can range between fifteen and thirty feet. This long leader here gives the flasher plenty of room to spin which is an important part of its action. In restricted conditions some fishermen will set the front leader length as short a six feet. Lengths more than thirty feet are rare and generally serve no purpose.

Tail Leader Lengths

The tail leader length is the most critical part of correctly rigging a flasher. The tail leader length is the distance between the back of the flasher and the bait or lure. Tail leaders that are too long or too short will perform poorly in catching fish. Commercial fishermen who make their living with flashers will often repeatedly adjust their tail leader lengths if they are not catching fish. Sometimes a few inches will make a huge difference in the catch. Recommended tail leader lengths vary by the type of lure or bait behind the flasher and also vary by the species of salmon you are after. Following many years of research, here are our recommended tail leaders.

Hootchies or Flies Bait or Lures

Chinook Salmon

11" flasher 36 to 50" 42 to 60"

8" flasher 20 to 27" 26 to 48"

Coho Salmon

11" flasher 26 to 40" 24 to 42"

8" flasher 20 to 27" 22 to 48"

(1) The Chinook (King) salmon distances also apply to Makinaw (Laketrout) and halibut.

The diagram shown above assumes you are fishing with a downrigger. The downrigger allows a fisherman to extend his front leader up to thirty feet back from the downrigger wire and still be able to reel the flasher up to the tip of his fishing rod when he is netting a salmon. When drop sinkers, dipsey divers or other planers are used, the front leader length is restricted to five or six feet. This will still work but the flasher is somewhat restricted in its arc of rotation and amount of tail kick. The research at Pro-Troll indicates that fishermen that are not using downriggers will have better success with flasher like the Pro-Troll ProChip which has a built in agitator fin for more action with a shorter front leader.

Many fishermen prefer to not have the flasher tied onto their fishing line. When a fish is hooked the flasher adds some extra drag to the retrieve. These fishermen will often tie the flasher directly to the downrigger weight on an extra cord and then hook a downrigger release and their fishing line up the cable four or five feet. The flasher then acts as an attractor and does not interfere with landing a salmon.

Alternate Flasher Rigging

Eight Inch Flashers vs. Eleven Inch

Pro-Troll makes both 8 inch and 11 inch HotChip flashers with EChips. Both of them work well. If you are fishing bait or a spoon behing the flasher the 11 inch model usually works better. The tail kick and vibrations from the flasher are what attract salmon. You need to be careful you do not fish a lure that is too heavy or you will reduce the tail kick to a small wiggle and the flasher will not attract salmon. The 11" model is better able to handle the heavier bait setups and spoons. The 8" model works very well with small light hootchies or flies. These are both very light and will allow a good tail kick on the 8" model.

Why Flashers Catch More Salmon

Flashers catch more salmon every year than any device or other setup on the market. The secret lies in the mechanisms salmon use to find their prey. Salmon, like other fish, have five sensing mechanisms they use to find their prey. Sight, smell, sound, lateral line vibration sensors and electro sensor cells which can detect nerve pulses from baitfish. The lateral line is by far the most important of these. Along a salmon's side and on top of his head he has rows of nerve cells that can sense vibrations in the water. When a school of baitfish swim above a salmon he knows exactly where they are even though he cannot see them. He can sense the vibrations of their wiggling tails as they swim. He can also detect stronger vibrations made by larger fish as they attack baitfish. If you watch the action of a Pro-Troll flasher in the water its tail kick closely duplicates the swish swish of a salmon's tail as he attacks.

Salmon sense this from as far away as thirty or forty yards and will immediately

charge in the direction of the flasher. Like a magnet, the flasher has pulled salmon

to your baits and lures. This is the flasher secret. It pulls salmon to your boat. You

may catch them on the setup behind the flasher or you may catch them on other

lures fished above or to the side of the flasher. No other device offers the lateral

line attraction of the well designed Pro-Troll flasher with its strong tail kick. The

Pro-Troll flasher has one additional advantage in that it contains the EChip

electronic pulse generator. This appeals to the salmon's fifth sensing mechanism.

As he approaches, he feels the tiny electric nerve pulses he is used to sensing as

he approaches a live baitfish.

Flasher Colors and Trolling Speeds

Flasher Colors

Pro-Troll makes a number of different color flashers and different finishes.

The best salmon colors are red, green, blue, white and chartreuse. Tape finishes include embosses silver, white glow in the dark, fishscale and several special reflective tapes. The

best color to use will vary with water color and fish conditions. Water color is very important. It can vary from absolutely clear to green, brown or blue depending on silt and algae conditions. One flasher rule of thumb is to match the water color. In green water use green flashers. In blue water use blue and in brown water use red or white. When fishing very deep (100 to 200 feet down or more,) light colors like whites and glow in the dark

work well. The best color strategy is to have a variety of the most popular flasher colors in your tackle box. If you are not catching fish with one color, try another. Often you will find that one color will outfish all the others. But, the next time you go out, you may find that a different color is best.

Flasher Trolling Speeds

Conventional 8 and 11 inch flashers are normally trolled between 2.0 and 2.5 miles per hour. This speed is needed to give the flasher good tail kicking action. The vibrations from the tail kick are what attracts the salmon. The new ProChip flashers with the agitator fin on the back can be trolled much slower than conventional flashers and still provide excellent tail kick. These can be trolled down to 1.0 mile per hour. At whatever speed you troll, look at your flasher action as you start to let it down. It should have a strong side to side tail kick along with a spin. The optimum salmon attraction occurs when the flasher is most erratic in its motion.

Rigging the ProChip 8 Flashers with the Agitator Fin

The ProChip 8 and ProChip 11 flashers may represent the most significant flasher

development in decades. The spin and kick design combined with the EChip is outfishing

everything on the market. This flasher has been endorsed by nearly every Charter

Captain or Professional fisherman that has tried it. It is also a consistent derby winner.

They have several rigging advantages. (1) They can be fished very

effectively with a variety of setups including downriggers, 2 or 3 lb. drop sinkers, dipsey

divers or other planers. (2) The front leader length can be as short as 4 feet and still get an

effective tail kick which attracts salmon and gives lots of action to the bait, hootchie or fly at the back. (3) It can be trolled as slow as 1 MPH and still provide a strong tail kick. This is a big advantage when fishing for mature salmon that will not hit a fast moving bait or lure. Conventional flashers must be trolled at 2 MPH or more to get a good tail kick.

NOTE: The fin is at the back end of the flasher.

Typical ProChip 8 Flasher Rigging with Downrigger

The same type setup can be used with a drop sinker, a dipsey diver or a planer:

Captain Pete Lahosky runs the Prime Time Fishing Team on Lake Ontario. He has won almost every major salmon derby on the Lake including the prestigious Challenge Cup. He has fished the ProChip 8 as his primary flasher for the last two seasons. One of his favorite setups is running the ProChip 8 eight feet behind a wire line dipsey diver. He runs a white and pearl fly 22 inches behind the flasher. His comments were, "The ProChip 8 just seemed to call kings to it. This rig outfished similar set-ups with everything else the same but the flasher by a 2:1 margin."

And on the West Coast:

Captain Barry Canevaro fished for many years for salmon on the Pacific Ocean outside the

San Francisco Golden Gate. He was recognized as one of the top salmon producers in

Northern California. Here is how he ran the ProChip 8 in two different setups:

Early in the season when the salmon are actively feeding he will run the flasher on a

downrigger. He runs it 25 feet behind the downrigger cable with either a Pro-Troll Roto Chip

bait holder rigged with an anchovy or a hootchie. He uses a tail leader length of 36 inches.

Late in the season when the large spawners congregate outside the Golden Gate, he

changes to a 1 1/2 lb. drop sinker 30 inches in front of the flasher. He uses a 30 inch tail

leader with an anchovy in the Roto Chip. With this setup he will troll as slow as 1 MPH.

His comments are, "I have never seen any flasher catch fish like the ProChip 8. My

preferred color is the glow in the dark white. For the last two months of the season it caught more fish everyday than any othersetup on my boat. One of the reasons I feel it is so effective is that I can drop my trolling speed to as slow and 1 MPH and still get good flasher action. This gets the 30 to 40 lb. spawners that will not hit a fast trolled bait late in the season".

Rigging HotChip 8" and 11" Flashers

Conventional 8" and 11" flashers have been used by sport and commercial fishermen for decades. Rigged right, they are the top salmon catching devices in the world. The flashers are normally made of bright colored plastic and have colored tape on both sides. Embossed silver tape is very popular as is glow in the dark tape and various colors of tape.

Typical Flasher Rigging

Front Leader Lengths

For the HotChip 11 model, the distance between your downrigger release and the front of the flasher can range between fifteen and thirty feet. This long leader here gives the flasher plenty of room to spin which is an important part of its action. In restricted conditions some fishermen will set the front leader length as short a six feet. Lengths more than thirty feet are rare and generally serve no purpose. For the HotChip 8 model, see the Tail Leader lengths below.

Tail Leader Lengths

The tail leader length is the most critical part of correctly rigging a flasher. The tail leader length is the distance between the back of the flasher and the bait or lure. Tail leaders that are too long or too short will perform poorly in catching fish. Commercial fishermen who make their living with flashers will often repeatedly adjust their tail leader lengths if they are not catching fish. Sometimes a few inches will make a huge difference in the catch. Recommended tail leader lengths vary by the type of lure or bait behind the flasher and also vary by the species of salmon you are after. Following many years of research, here are our recommended tail leaders.

Hootchies or Flies Bait or Lures

Chinook Salmon

11" flasher 36 to 50" 42 to 60"

8" flasher 20 to 27" 26 to 48"

Coho Salmon

11" flasher 26 to 40" 24 to 42"

8" flasher 20 to 27" 22 to 48"

(1) The Chinook (King) salmon distances also apply to Makinaw (Laketrout) and halibut.

The diagram shown above assumes you are fishing with a downrigger. The downrigger allows a fisherman to extend his front leader up to thirty feet back from the downrigger wire and still be able to reel the flasher up to the tip of his fishing rod when he is netting a salmon. When drop sinkers, dipsey divers or other planers are used, the front leader length is restricted to five or six feet. This will still work but the flasher is somewhat restricted in its arc of rotation and amount of tail kick. The research at Pro-Troll indicates that fishermen that are not using downriggers will have better success with flasher like the Pro-Troll ProChip which has a built in agitator fin for more action with a shorter front leader.

Many fishermen prefer to not have the flasher tied onto their fishing line. When a fish is hooked the flasher adds some extra drag to the retrieve. These fishermen will often tie the flasher directly to the downrigger weight on an extra cord and then hook a downrigger release and their fishing line up the cable four or five feet. The flasher then acts as an attractor and does not interfere with landing a salmon.

Alternate Flasher Rigging

Eight Inch Flashers vs. Eleven Inch

Rigging conventional 8 in and 11 in flas

Pro-Troll makes both 8 inch and 11 inch HotChip flashers with EChips. Both of them work well. If you are fishing bait or a spoon behind the flasher the 11 inch model usually works better. The tail kick and vibrations from the flasher are what attract salmon. You need to be careful you do not fish a lure that is too heavy or you will reduce the tail kick to a small wiggle and the flasher will not attract salmon. The 11" model is better able to handle the heavier bait setups and spoons. The 8" model works very well with small light hootchies or flies. These are both very light and will allow a good tail kick on the 8" model.

Hootchies are very effective behind flashers when the salmon are feeding on shrimp or krill (squid). There are dozens of color variations available. Whites greens and shades of reds and purples are popular hootchie colors.

Some fishermen use lures or spoons behind flashers but you have to be

careful. A lure that is too heavy will kill the tail kick in your flasher. Small StingKing lures and spoons can sometimes work very well.

As the season moves into summer

and the larger salmon are reaching

maturity, small flies and sparkle hootchies can work very well. Howie or

Horse flies tied 20 to 24 inches behind a ProChip 8 flasher can be deadly.

Lures and Baits to use Behind Flashers

Bait rigged behind the flasher catches more salmon than any other setup but hootchies are also very popular. When frozen bait (or bait strip) is used, it is best to use whatever the salmon are feeding on in the area where you are fishing. In the ocean, this is most often anchovies or herring. In fresh water the common baits include shad, smelt and alewives. The bait should be mounted in a bait holder like the Pro-Troll Rotary Salmon Killer or new Roto Chip. My traditional setup for ocean chinook was an 11" flasher with exactly four feet of tail leader and a red or chartreuse Rotary Salmon Killer holding a frozen anchovy or herring. Year in and year out this setup proved more effective than any other variation I had tried. Since the development of the ProChip 8 flasher with the agitator fin and the EChip, I now use this setup more than anything else. It catches more salmon. Early in the season when the salmon are agressively feeding I will normally use a frozen anchovy or herring approximately 30 inches behing the ProChip 8.

Flashers vs. Dodgers

Dodgers and flashers are both used very effectively to catch salmon.

Many fishermen do not know the difference between a dodger and flasher

and end up rigging them wrong.

Flashers are made to kick and rotate as they are trolled. The narrow tapered

end is the front. A bait or lure is connected to the back of the flasher by a tail

leader. A dodger is metal and a size 0 dodger is about nine inches long as

shown in the photo. The dodger is uniform at both ends and is not made to spin. Its action is like a pendulum swinging back and forth as it is trolled. If you troll too fast and the dodger spins, you have lost its strong fish attracting ability. Dodgers and flashers do the same thing in attracting salmon. Their action puts out strong vibrations in the water that can be detected by salmon thirty or forty yards away. The salmon are attracted to these vibrations because they are the same as the vibrations made by the tail of a feeding salmon on the attack. Salmon in the vicinity will charge the flasher or dodger hoping to get in on the feed.

There is a major difference in the way flashers and dodgers are rigged. Rig them wrong and you may catch a few fish. Rig them right and you will catch ten times as many fish. Flashers are made to ride from five feet up to twenty feet behind your weight, planer or downrigger release. Then you want your bait or lure three or four feet behind the flasher (tail leader). The size 0 (nine inch) dodger is close coupled and only about twenty-six inches behind your weight or release. Then you want the tail leader to the bait also close coupled about twenty inches behind the dodger. The rigging dimensions for both these devices is critical, particularly the tail leader length.

Flashers are more speed insensitive than dodgers. In other words, they will work over a wider range of trolling speeds than a dodger. Dodgers tend to have one speed where they work best. If this speed is exceeded the dodger spins and you lose its attraction to salmon.