Flasher Tactics

[yukon_guy]

I'm getting pretty comfortable with my first flasher. I'm able to move on sooner with greater confidence and I've been able to go straight to the fish depth wise BUT it's killing me to watch them swim away without biting. Today I had 5 lookers and another two likelys but the flasher raises new possibilities. Before I was "blind" and I just did my thing. I no doubt had lookers but now I can see them and don't know what to try to trigger a strike.

These were all lakers in 50 to 100 fow, most were near bottom but some were 1/3 of the way up. Do I keep it above them, drop it past them, hold still, ignore them and just keep doing what I was doing, WHAT?

Obviously a flasher is a game changer and I'd appreciate any advice or anecdotes regarding triggering a strike. Given the time of year I was wondering if I should downsize my spoons. I'm using 30lb braid with no leader. Thanks in advance to anyone who posts, you guys are great. 

[jeffro9023]

Well I can't speak about lakers thru the ice I've never targeted them but ill throw an idea out there...if you had fish "nosing" your bait and even following it but wouldn't strike then game on! Those fish wanna eat you just gotta find what they are looking for it can be mind warping...if u are marking fish only with no reaction then u gotta go find active fish...that's where I'm no help I don't know how lakers behave...I catch em in the spring trolling lake ontario and they like slow and right near the bottom...hope I was some help 

[yukon_guy]

Thanks jeffro. Yes, I had them follow me up 8-10 ft and i even had two in at once. Another was just a suspicious flicker that I reeled up to and after 10 minutes I gave up. As soon as I reeled up BOOM, great big green/yellow/red flash.

This reminds me of a looker I had in early December, pre-flasher. I was sight fishing in about 5 ft and was about to give up. I'd had a laker come in and just hover briefly and then slide away. After about 10 minutes I was about to give up but decided to start throwing everything down the hole. Three different spoons and nothing. On the fourth one he slid in slow,looked and left. Fifth and sixth spoons nothing. Seventh and he slides in again. My mainstay is a Williams ice jig which is what I get 90 percent of my early lakers on. One of the spoons which he came in on was a firetiger and that caught all the fish the next couple weeks.
   Except I never caught one on a firetiger unless an ice jig was in an adjacent hole or had just come out.

[Idahogator]

When you get them to follow, don't slow down. Just try to take it away from them and be sure to hang on.   

[appleye]

Try a fluorocarbon leader as well. Some times when there in chase mode drop to the bottom for a few seconds. Sometime they will pickup up. Play keep away from them and it kicks them in an aggressive response.

[BIGJim223]

Floro leader. I think they are very leader shy. I have had them chase from 130 feet of water all the way to the hole! Just play keep away until they hit the lure. Don't worry, if they want it they will catch it! You can't out reel them.

BIGJim223

[Drifter_016]

YK Guy I had the same issues this weekend.
When I checked the best fishin' & huntin' times on my GPS yseterday it said this weekend was poor fishing.
I beleive it!!   
I landed one, had one other hit and had 10 chasers yesterday.
20# braid with 15' of 8# flouro leader.
Today was worse with only a 1/2 dozen chasers.
Yesterdays chasers would follow 10'-20' and give up, todays only a foot or two.

At least with the flasher you know there are interested fish down there.   

Lakers can be finicky at times, this weekend was one of those times.

[adkwiley]

As stated above  , when I jig for lakers i start reeling it when i see a fish coming up to the jig and just keep reeling and make them chase it, they will charge and bite and alls you have to do is keep reeling and raise your rod tip and they are hooked!  And you will be to for that matter.

[Hard_H2O]

As stated you have to make them chase it sometimes.

If they nose it reel up a bit and see if they chase it.

[yukon_guy]

Thanks everyone, I was out again today and found a good spot I think. I was marking fish pretty much half the time with up to three within 20 feet of the bottom at a time. They were the strongest signals I've seen. I was in 100 to 130 fow of the end of a big point. I had several rise to my spoon and then drift back down.

I was seeing a number of fleeting green flashes about half way up. I figure if my gain is not set too high these are trout cruising around on the periphery of my cone. Does that sound right? I've worked on this interpretation once before and sure enough an intermittent flicker turned into a chaser. Other times a tighter group of of persistent weak signals has turned out to be ciscoe, evident because I can move them around with my baited spoon which comes up with the bait chewed or missing.

When I go out next I figure I need to open up a lot more holes, so far I've been sitting in one spot too long and not moving around much and never returning to a hole.

I hope all this gets me some results or else I'll have to take drastic measures ... like getting my butt out on the ice earlier. Banish the thought!

[jeffro9023]

Hey man at least your out there trying! That's the best part of fishing  ...keep pluggin away at different things...every experience makes you better and having the confidence and desire to go back for more "punishment" will eventually bring you success...keep us updated when u finally do!

[Eztiaan]

As stated Above, floro leader I believe is a must. I find making them chase is the best way to get a bite. When I mark a fish I lift hook slowly until the mark responds and moves closer, at this point you can assume you got his attention, I then speed up the reeling and it usually triggers a hit. If you see the mark loosing ground in your bait, interpret this as a loss of Intrest and drop it back down. Usually as it drops the fish may gain Intrest again and then start going up again. I usually get the hit  after  a 10 - 20 ft chase. If you are marking fish and then after awhile they disappear, I always real all the way up ad drop back down75 % of the time I do this I usually start marking fish again. Fishing 90 ft and this action makes them show up on bottom. This is just what has worked for me.. And smaller presentation. No need for gigantic baits when trying to actively fish them. I find if a fish is expending energy to chase your bait..... It is in it's best Intrest to consume it too replenish that energy spent..uh more of a reason to bite than just swimming up to a still or barely moving bait

[Cub]

As stated Above, floro leader I believe is a must. I find making them chase is the best way to get a bite. When I mark a fish I lift hook slowly until the mark responds and moves closer, at this point you can assume you got his attention, I then speed up the reeling and it usually triggers a hit. If you see the mark loosing ground in your bait, interpret this as a loss of Intrest and drop it back down. Usually as it drops the fish may gain Intrest again and then start going up again. I usually get the hit  after  a 10 - 20 ft chase. If you are marking fish and then after awhile they disappear, I always real all the way up ad drop back down75 % of the time I do this I usually start marking fish again. Fishing 90 ft and this action makes them show up on bottom. This is just what has worked for me.. And smaller presentation. No need for gigantic baits when trying to actively fish them. I find if a fish is expending energy to chase your bait..... It is in it's best Intrest to consume it too replenish that energy spent..uh more of a reason to bite than just swimming up to a still or barely moving bait

Great post..

[Hard_H2O]

I keep a Hali around for when I see those clustered weak signals or get the really light bites that indicate whitefish. They work good with a waxworm or two.