Tips n' Tricks

Spoons & Flashers

By Hans Auer of Bavaria Fishing Charters

When I fish the Gulf Islands where the water is reasonably clear, I usually look for water between 100 - 250 feet deep. When using four rods, I fish two of them right off the bottom, one side with flasher and Gypsy Spoon, the other with Gypsy Spoon by itself (on a fly rod). I don't mind at all if I bounce bottom once in a while. On the other two lines I usually use flashers with different color Gypsy Spoons, placing one on the bottom third of the water column, the other one I use for trying different depths throughout the day.

I use different leader lengths while I am fishing, between 3 and 8 feet. I also noticed on a few occasions when fishing is hot that even though certain colors are catching all the fish for awhile, all of a sudden they change their preference, and an other color gets all the attention.

In the Vancouver area where the water is usually more cloudy, I use Highliner Flashers with all my spoons. Since most of the water is very deep here, I spread my gear out more evenly. Early season between 90 and 200 feet, and later between 35 and 120 feet. You just have to play around a bit to find the depth of the day.

Trying out different depths, leader lengths, colors, and speed, helps me produce fish more consistently.