Last winter while ice fishing for walleye, I watched on my flasher screen as a narrow green band appeared below my bait. The green band turned red as the fish moved in for a closer look. I jigged my offering slowly to entice a strike. Nothing. I quickly reeled up and changed to a more subtle presentation. When the smaller offering settled near bottom the red band reappeared on the flasher’s display. I raised the bait and watched on the flasher as the fish followed it up. This time, however, I felt the unmistakable tap on my rod as the fish hit my bait.
There is no doubt that using a flasher while ice fishing will help put more fish on the ice. Over the last several years, their use has become a lot more widespread. Whether you own a flasher or have never seen one in action, this article will help you understand how they work and give some tips on maximizing their potential.
TIPS AND TRICKS
First, make sure your flasher is set up properly. Make sure there is no slush or ice on the bottom of the transducer and set it just below the bottom of the ice. As you lower your bait towards bottom you should be able to see it falling on the flasher display. If you aren’t able to mark your bait, turn up the gain. If you’re fishing in water deeper than 25-feet select the narrow beam if your unit has a dual beam option.
If you still aren’t able to mark your bait, consider this; baits such as spoons have a tendency for fluttering out of the transducer’s area of view. By jigging the spoon up and down it will eventually straighten out and come back into view.
The biggest advantage of using a flasher is knowing whether or not you’re on top of fish. If you aren’t marking fish, it’s a sure sign to try another hole. This proactive approach to finding fish is the equivalent of run-and-gun fishing in a boat.
Once you find fish, use the flasher to gauge their activity level and determine what will trigger them to strike. Inactive fish typically appear close to bottom and are reluctant or slow to follow a jigged bait. In these situations, a more subtle presentation is often the key to triggering strikes. This could mean a smaller jig, or deadsticking a live bait presentation. Either way, with the flasher you’re able to see how the fish react to different baits or jigging styles. Keep changing your presentation until you connect.
Being able to see where in the water column the fish are holding is another advantage of using a flasher. At times, even walleye will suspend above the bottom. Seeing this on your flasher allows you to make adjustments that will keep your bait in the strike zone. Suspended fish are usually active fish, and here’s a good trick for triggering them to strike. Bring your bait up to the level of the fish, and then slowly raise your bait up higher. Watch for the fish’s reaction on the flasher screen. If it chases, keep bringing your bait up until it hits.
This game of cat-and-mouse is especially effective for lake trout and whitefish. Their willingness to chase baits makes them much easier to catch with the use of a flasher. They also suspend anywhere in the water column. I’d bet that half the lake trout I catch each winter appear somewhere in the top half of the water column and without a flasher I’d have no idea they were there.
Using a flasher will help you put fish on the ice that you otherwise wouldn’t have caught. This fact alone justifies their cost. They are fun to use, especially when you’re out fishing your friends because of the flasher advantage.