Short Bus Flashers in Wrangell
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:07 pmWell, it's getting colder and the wind is going to blow harder later this week, so fishing will most likely be out of the question. That's ok because I still have plenty of fishing gear to go thru. Right now, I am working on this cool cut plug rig I used on Silvers this summer. I am working on yet another version that I know will work great on Kings.
As you can see from my photo, the basic set up consists of a banana weight, chain swivel, Short Bus "pole dancer" flasher, a couple McMahon snaps and a Gamakatsu solid tie mooching rig. I used this set up as a shallow line straight out the back of the boat in a rod holder. I caught quite a few Silvers real shallow with this, which turned out to be a lot of fun for my clients! Another thing that is nice about this set up is that you can hold the rod and feel the strike! With the roll of the herring and the flasher working properly, it's a great combo.
Another method you can use with this is anchor mooching. We have a spot here at the mouth of the Stikine River where you anchor the boat on the flood and drop and let the current work your gear. We catch a lot of Kings this way and again, you can hold the rod, feel the strike and fight the fish all the way. This set up, cut plug herring and Short Bus flasher work great in the current and continue as the current speeds up. You get the attraction of the flasher while the herring has a roll all its own, but yet they work together.
You can experiment with leader lengths if you like, but the standard mooching rig length works just fine. I recommend even adding a swivel in the middle of the leader just to make sure the leader doesn't tangle. Don't be afraid to add another chain bead swivel below the flasher as well.
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
John Yeager.
As you can see from my photo, the basic set up consists of a banana weight, chain swivel, Short Bus "pole dancer" flasher, a couple McMahon snaps and a Gamakatsu solid tie mooching rig. I used this set up as a shallow line straight out the back of the boat in a rod holder. I caught quite a few Silvers real shallow with this, which turned out to be a lot of fun for my clients! Another thing that is nice about this set up is that you can hold the rod and feel the strike! With the roll of the herring and the flasher working properly, it's a great combo.
Another method you can use with this is anchor mooching. We have a spot here at the mouth of the Stikine River where you anchor the boat on the flood and drop and let the current work your gear. We catch a lot of Kings this way and again, you can hold the rod, feel the strike and fight the fish all the way. This set up, cut plug herring and Short Bus flasher work great in the current and continue as the current speeds up. You get the attraction of the flasher while the herring has a roll all its own, but yet they work together.
You can experiment with leader lengths if you like, but the standard mooching rig length works just fine. I recommend even adding a swivel in the middle of the leader just to make sure the leader doesn't tangle. Don't be afraid to add another chain bead swivel below the flasher as well.
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
John Yeager.