Top 5 Flashers for Salmon Fishing?
- Feb 7
- 3 min read
If there is one thing more plentiful and colourful than the sheer variety of flashers for salmon fishing, it would be the opinions of salmon anglers on which ones are best.
In fact, this has to be one of the deepest rabbit holes in all of salmon fishing. But before falling too far down that hole, here are my four top flasher recommendations that I know, without question, will catch salmon.
Based on 30 plus years of fishing and guiding for salmon from literally one end of the BC coast to the other, and using the tried and true KISS method (Keep it Simple Stupid), they are as follows:
=====================================================================
Note: Gibbs tackle is synonymous with salmon fishing in BC, and has been one of the most trusted brands on this coast for over 100 years.
As a Gibbs affiliate, I earn a small commission on qualifying sales at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
======================================================================
Gibbs Highliner Guide Series - No Bananas
2) Gibbs Highliner Red
3) Gibbs Highliner Guide Series - Onion
4) O’ki Tackle - Big Shooter - Black Onion
5) Gibbs Highliner - Green Red Striper
Now for those interested, a partial trip down the rabbit hole on the how’s and why’s of all this is included below. As with any trip down any rabbit hole, these are my opinions only…
In a nutshell, “conventional wisdom” on flasher use seems to go something like this. Match flasher colour to water colour and clarity, and use UV or glow flashers in low light and for fishing deeper (which are kind of the same since the deeper you go, the less light there is).
While I certainly don’t see any harm in following those guidelines, my personal approach is simpler. In low light situations, I lean toward the glow and UV flashers, and that’s about where it ends. I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about water colour and clarity etc. Over the years, I’ve seen so many different types of flashers catch fish in so many different conditions and situations, that to be honest, its hard to hold any preconceived ideas about which flashers work best in any given conditions.
Of course on any given day, some setups produce better than others. However, that could be due to a number of different factors other than the flasher itself. For example, whether you are trolling a bait, spoon or hootchie behind your flasher is probably more important than the flasher itself.
Bottom line. Most times, fishing with a flasher is more effective than without. But no one can say with any kind of certainty what flasher will produce best at any given time or place and why. So my basic approach and suggestion is just to pick one, and start fishing. If one produces noticeably better than the other, and you can attribute that to the flasher (rather than the bait or lure), you might consider a change. And to me, “noticeably better” means at least 3 fish to 0 for one setup over the other.
The four flashers suggested here have emerged through years and years of this kind of trial and error as consistent producers. Over your salmon fishing career you will undoubtedly buy and be successful with many others. But these four are a great place to start, and I believe you could go with just these four and at the end of it all, you will have caught as many fish as anyone else.
Comments