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 Facebook at socalreels -- and Instagram at socalreelsusa 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.