Choosing a Spearfising Flasher
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Spearfishing flashers, also known as teasers, are designed to lure in a variety of pelagic and reef fish making the task of finding and shooting them easier. Spearfishing flashers have been used for generations as a way of attracting fish by reflecting light through the water, making larger fish species think there is bait in the area or feeding occurring.
Sam talks us through some of these helpful tips in choosing the right flasher.
Flashers will lure fish to you and keep them focused on the flashers shiny effect so you can dive down and take your shot without the curious fish even spotting you. There’s a variety of flashers available so here’s a quick guide to help you choose.
Mirror Flashers You could probably make your own mirror flasher but Headhunter have designed one using three large double-sided acrylic mirrors and a rubber squid on the end.
Pros
- Puts out a super bright flash of light, which is more likely to attract pelagic species. Mackerel, Wahoo, Kingfish and tuna are generally the species you aim to attract using a mirror flasher.
- Works well in clearer water.
- The mirrors are shaped and placed in such a way as to help avoid tangling on each other.
- Rubber squid at the bottom aims to attract the fish.
- Mirror flashers are good value.
- If the water is too murky you are not going to get the light needed to attract fish.
- Eventually, the mirror may crack.
A spinner flasher is probably the most widely used by spearos. The Rob Allen spinner flasher has a line of little spinners, which are spun using the water pressure, with a brightly-coloured rubber squid on the end.
Pros
- Less chance of a shark or pelagic getting its head caught in a spinner flasher than a Ladder Flasher (see below).
- Good for attracting reefies who tend to go for the rubber squid.
The Rob Allen Ladder Flasher is shaped like a small rope ladder with bright flashy treads.
Cons
- Shark or pelagic can get their head caught between the treads, swimming off with your flasher and float.
- For shore diving a ladder flasher is harder to tow through the water.
The Rob Allen Bait Ball Flasher has a series of brightly-coloured replica bait fish on a line with a squid on the end.
Pros
- Great for shore diving and attracting smaller pelagic fish.
- Not good for tempting the bigger pelagic species.
- Comes with its own capsule to put away and store when not in use.
Mirror balls can be added to a flasher. They fill with water when submerged and go up and down with the wave action.
Pros
- Put out heaps of light and vibration to attract the fish.
- Dog Fish Tuna seem to be particularly attracted to mirror balls
- They are fragile so you have to be careful, but they do come with a storage pouch for protection when not in use.
Rooster or Flasher Float
When you’re using a flasher you need a rooster float, also known as a flasher float. A rooster float means you can drift along with the flasher or jig your flasher up and down without tangling in your float line.
Adreno has a larger rooster float with 20m of line or a mini rooster float with 10m of line, which is great to throw in your bag when travelling. Both come with a snap clip on the end of the mono to attach to your flasher.
Our rooster floats come in high visibility orange and foam-filled. You can lock off the line to correspond with the depth you want to hunt at by putting the attached bungee strap back over the neck.
