flashers and flies

[Jonboy Walton]

I am looking for some help with fishing flashers and flies. I tried some of the information that I picked up on previous posts on Sunday with no luck. I have tried fishing f/f before and have never caught anything on them. On Sunday I tried fishing them off of a dipsey (0 size, back about 120 which should be down about 20'ish, on the 0 setting which would be right behind the boat, not angled out). They were being fished off of Okuma rods/reels with 20lb braided to the flasher then the provided leader to the fly. I trolled that at 2.0-2.4 SOG for about 4 hours and gave up and went to the spoon on a dipsey. I was fishing a Spin Dr. in green body and silver stick on with a blue/green howie fly. After about 2 hours with nothing I swapped the blue/green fly for a blue/purple one...still no luck. Ran that f/f from Watkins Glen to Glenora and finally took it off. I realize that some days are a dipsey day and some are a downrigger day but I have NEVER caught a fish on f/f with about 20 attempts. My f/f gear is somewhat limited with green plain, green/silver, green/green and blue/green holo combo's for flashers and blue/green, green, blue/purple, green/chartruse, green/silver howie flys. I am hesitant to buy more gear for a technique that I am not proficient at and don't catch much on. Any thoughts? If someone out there is willing, I am offering a trip to Seneca on my boat (if we fish my gear what I have is what I have), if you wish to bring your gear because you are more comfortable fishing your gear you are more than welcome too, for a day of fishing in return for some on the water knowledge. We can work out the details....

[Hookedup]

PM Sent!

[Pete Collin]

Jonboy,

Don't give up on the flashers and flies, they can work magic. When I am trolling, I like to have different kinds of lures on my rods: a spoon on one, a F/F on the other, a plug on another. If you have located the fish, they will tell you which one they like. they can be funny. For example, I love using flatfish type lures for lakers. Last year, it was all I could do to get a strike on one. You can't argue with them. If they like one type of lure consistenly, switch the rest of your rods to that lure.

I wonder if finding fish was your problem during those 20 attempts. they can't bite if they ain't there.

Pete Collin

www.pcforestry.com

[Jonboy Walton]

Finding fish I seem to do well on. I like having good gear, my electronics are a Lowrance HDS10 with side scan and Navionics. I watch patterns and log depths and lures that are working and tweek when needed. I switch about every 20-30 minues for a rod not working (either depth, lure, speed etc.) I agree with putting out a spread. On sunday I fished stickbaits, stinger spoons and the f/f. Most of the other attempts have been in Keuka and let's face it, if you can't catch a laker in Keuka well you figure it out. Seneca is kinda new water to me and I've tried the f/f maybe 3 or 4 times before there but in either body of water no takers. In the end, it still is fishing but I would have thought that many times I could get a dumb one...

[stoutner]

You will get many opinions and here is mine. I have NEVER EVER caught anything on a flasher fly running only 20 feet deep. Not saying it can't be done....I just haven't. Maybe 40' down with cloudy water at the shallowest. I generally fish flashers 60 down to 120 down. If the water is really clear I find you have to be really deep unless it is really early in the morning or really late in the evening. Forget about that #0 diver it won't get you deep enough for flasher fly combo. I really like the Walker size 107. I run wire and the deeper depths such as 100 feet It is almost exactly a 3-1 ratio. 300 feet out is 100 down. As I try to run shallower it works out to about 2.5 - 1 or so. If I want 50 down I have to let out about 125 feet or so.

Braid is fine for running divers until the sea fleas come out. Once they come out you might as well leave the braid home. It is a nightmare. Go buy a spool of wire and spool that rod up with wire. You wont regret it Just buy some sleeves and a crimper. They usually have the tool and the sleeves right next to the wire.

If your out on Seneca this weekend, give me a shout out on the radio (Stoutner)....channel 68. I could try to help you out.

[BrookTrout]

I agree with the depth comments. I can't say I run F/F combos every time I'm out but have had most luck when run deep. I know on Champlain I would have days when nothing else was working and I would drop a grey or green ghost down behind a chrome dodger and boom! I was into fish. Haven't had much luck with spin doctors yet on Seneca but have been trying to get em into the rotation.

[bandrus1]

I wouldnt run a flasher fly combo in less than 40fow personally

[stinger]

Here is a pic of a fish caught 100' on the dipsey line counter (33' + down) over 50' bottom. Like the others said, doesen't happen often at that depth but does happen.

Hang in there. My best producer deeper than 50' is flies behind a dodger or flasher.

All you have to do is get the first fish on a DF and you'll be sold on then. $$$$$$

[711skwerlz]

Run that dipsy out away from the boat if you wanna run it shallow. Dipsies are not the only way to run them. Try it 8 ft off the ball on your rigger 60-120 down. Also I run them alot on copper. Taken Lakers,kings,browns,bows, Atlantic with FF on 200-300ft of copper. Good colors you got there though.

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[Zebedee]

I'm sure sean has sent you some good advice. He has helped me before as well. At the speed you are running, make sure the swivel is attached to the front hole of the spinny.

I can tell you I had a triple one time all flasher/flies. I was trolling with a buddy and both wire divers got hit as I was hooking a flasher/fly to the rigger release. I set the pole down and reeled one wire while my friend reeled the other. We were racing to see whose fish would get netted first when the flasher skimming the top of the water 15' behind the boat gets hit! Obviously this was a crazy fluke (I happened to be in a hot spot when fish were active). Like any lure...get the presentation right, put it in front of the fish, and give it time.

[Little Pirate]

I run Spin Doctors and Pro Trolls with DW flies were the fish are. If the fish are higher than 25' down, I will use a smaller divers to have the rig at at least 100' from the boat. Tow flasher flies rigs always outfish my other 4 downriggers spoons 2 to 1.

[ioiosoiwork]

I'm sure sean has sent you some good advice. He has helped me before as well. At the speed you are running, make sure the swivel is attached to the front hole of the spinny.

I can tell you I had a triple one time all flasher/flies. I was trolling with a buddy and both wire divers got hit as I was hooking a flasher/fly to the rigger release. I set the pole down and reeled one wire while my friend reeled the other. We were racing to see whose fish would get netted first when the flasher skimming the top of the water 15' behind the boat gets hit! Obviously this was a crazy fluke (I happened to be in a hot spot when fish were active). Like any lure...get the presentation right, put it in front of the fish, and give it time.

X2 on the Sean Brown advice