Happy New Year

Well, here is bidding farewell to 2010 and looking forward to the new year.  Lots of changes in the life and times of Shortbus Flashers, officially started business in October with a well received response from guides and a few tackle companies I had the pleasure of talking with. Places such as Rainbows End Jigs, Fishermans Depot, The Tackle Box & Hoggs Hardcore Tuna took the chance on me and my products and have put them in their stores.  Multiple professional fishing guides have signed up for the still ongoing guide program, and some were even good enough to admit they were using the Shortbus Flashers.  To all the businesses and guides, my heart felt thank you!

Admittedly, my business starting was a little off timed, with the end of the salmon season and months before the springer season, it has given me quite a bit if time to actually get caught up and hopefully have enough stock premade to not miss my most anticipated fishing season.... SPRINGERS!!   

From the Willamette which is my favorite place to spin fishing flashers and herring, to the mighty Columbia river, it always amazes me how lucky we as fisherman in the Pacific Northwest are to have such a resource so close to home.

So, with bent plastic stacked on my work bench, shavings at my feet and stickers precut and waiting to be applied, I will deem myself officially "Ready" for the upcoming season! 

Happy New Year to you and yours, may success come your way and your fish boxes be full!

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SPRINGERS

Normally I dont wish to skip over any fishing season, but this year its an exception.  I cant wait for SPRINGERS!!  This year should be another great year for the Willamette run from what the predictions are saying.  I know, I know its just a prediction, but hey you have to hope for something!

So, its a waiting game for Shortbus Flashers.  February will be the time to get rolling, salmon in the system, Sportsman Show to showcase products, how can it not be a good year!! 

Mini Flashers

So its time to test the waters with some new designs.  Introducing the Mini Flashers!  These little guys are only 3.5" tall but what are the possibilities they possess?   Well for starters, how about a true Kokanee flasher, you can run it in front of a dodger or all by itself.  Or what about Walleye, bring some more incentive to get a big fish to your offering.

How about in front of your bait while back trolling smaller rivers, a second color in front of your larger Shortbus Flasher.  What about plunking?  Yes you can just slide it down the line along with your bait for even more attraction.

As you can see, the possibilities are almost endless!  I'm really excited about the new addition, but look forward to getting some input for these little firecrackers!

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Hogg's Hardcore Tuna Tackle

Double introduction this time!! 

Lots of you already know Hogg's Hardcore Tuna Tackle and have had the opportunity to deal with Mike locally for some time.  With the business growing he has decided to expand and put up a store front for all of you TUNA addicts to supply your year round thirst!

But..... you know as well as I do that TUNA only run for a portion of the year so what is a tackle shop going to do?  Yep, expand even more!  So, not just TUNA tackle, but also salmon and steelhead tackle for all of your West side shopping needs!  With the expansion into the salmon and steelhead tackle, Shortbus Flashers is now available at Hogg's Hardcore Tuna Tackle! 

So, the important info -- where are they?

362 SW Oak St

Hillsboro, OR 97123

(503) 887-6845

Yes, there's more!  Hogg's is having a "Before and After Thanksgiving" sale to get things started for the holidays shopping needs - Below is a small list of some things on sale and hours.  Again, please support your local stores!!!

Store hours will be as follows

Sat Nov. 20Th 9AM to 7PM

Sun Nov. 21st CLOSED

Mon. Nov 22ND 4PM to 8:30 PM

Tues. Nov 23rd 4PM to 8:30 PM

Wed Nov 24Th CLOSED

Thanksgiving day CLOSED

Fri. Nov 26Th 8AM to 2PM

Saturday Nov 27Th 9AM to 7PM


Whats on Sale

Stingray rods as follows

AZ 5056 TRHEEV 50 to 100LB Heavy action 5'6" all roller rod $59.00

Az 5056 sumhev 50 to 100LB Heavy action 5'6" RS/RT stand up rod $50.00

Pink Stingray rods for your wife

CA2056 Sumeev 5'6" 20 to 60LB turbo guides medium action stand up $48.00

AZ2056 trmeev 5'6" 20 to 60LB all roller rod $59.00

Insulated fish bags

WPS bags are $20 off regular price.


30" X 60" sale priced at $190

30" X 48" sale priced at $165

We also have 2 close out models

one bag 30" X 60" non pleated bottom $125

one bag 24" X 60" pleated bottom $125


All lures and rigging products 10% off (excludes non sale rods and reels)

Products we carry are Jinkai, Shortbus Flashers, Rosco swivels, Ballyhood, Eat Me Lures, H2o lures, Jerry Brown line one,and much more

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Guide Program Still Available

Your going to need a bigger bus!!  Words from my lovely wife when I announced two more guides has taken advantage of the Shortbus Flashers Guide Program!!  She may be right!!

Introducing JMS Fishing Adventures and Ross Bell Guide Service to the bus.  Two guides from different sides of the state. 

 

JMS Fishing Advantures is owned and operated by Jason Spielman and works the waters in the Portland metro area and along the Oregon Coast.  

Ross Bell Guide Service fishes Southern Oregon rivers like the Coquille & Rogue River for over 20 years.

Thanks again to all of the guides that have taken advantage of the Shortbus Guide Program.  If you are interested in checking out the offer, don't hesitate to call!

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Welcome to Sport Fishing West!

Some Mondays are better than others, and this one is hopefully a beginning to a great week!

Shortbus Flashers would like to welcome Sport Fishing West to the Pro Guide section!  

Chris Sessions has been a common sight in the Pacific Northwest and also into Alaska waters. Since starting guiding in the early 80's,   Chris has consistently put his clients into limits of fish which has built his reputation as one of the top guides on the water and now we will be a part of the fishing fun!

We would like to welcome Chris and Sport Fishing West to the Shortbus Flashers family!  Another great addition to a quickly growing line of quality guides.

Still more seats are available on the bus and we are actively looking for guides who want to be part of Team Shortbus Flashers, please feel free to inquire about our Guide Program, you wont be disapointed!!

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Shortbus Flashers seats are filling!

Another seat on the Shortbus has been filled!

Welcome to Steve Roberts Guide Service!  Steve guides both drift and jet boat in the Portland area and along the Oregon coast for over 25 years.  Deciding Shortbus Flashers was a good fit for his style of fishing for Salmon, Steve decided to take advantage of the Guide Program and we are proud to have him on board!  

Again, thank you very much to the guides who have entrusted Shortbus Flashers on there guided trips!  If you are a guide and are in need of some great fishing flashers to put into your arsenal, we still have more than enough seats on the bus, give us a call or e-mail to see how we can help make your trips more productive.

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Retail Ready & Custom Colors!

What an eye opening experience, starting the process I thought it was putting a flasher in a bag and sticking it on the shelf.  O'boy was I wrong!! 

I have finally gotten the last piece of the retail puzzle, barcodes and labels for all the packaging finally!  Some of the retail locations I have been talking to wouldn't let me in the door to even present the line until they were fully scan ready.  Sure I can put some lines on the bag, how hard can that be???  Long story short, I am now the proud owner of 50 bar codes and only have 20 used so far.  So what does that mean?  Yep, custom colors!!  

What is the cool custom color combination's you would like to see on the shelf? How about Civil War colors?  Or maybe a "MsA Special"??  With 10 color options in stock, 50 more colors one call away, the mix and match options are mind boggling! 

Heck, how about just adding your school logo to a blank?

Lots of options, so if you have a color combo you just know would be a fish catcher, let me know and it may just make the new line-up!!

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Great Week!

Wow, Some weeks are better than others!  Shortbus Flashers is going strong and I'm very excited for the Springer season to get under way, and we all know what that means! More Fishing Flashers!!  The last few days have has brought a new group of guides looking to join the Shortbus Flashers Pro Staff!  The last post I had introduced Great NW Guide Service who took advantage of the guide program, which should have our fish flashers swimming in the great Columbia River in just a few short months.

With the word of the flashers spreading South, I received a call from Mr. Les Craig from Rogue River Guide Service about joining the Shortbus Pro Staff and I am very proud to say that Shortbus Flashers will now be swimming in the Southern Oregon rivers!  Les was making the trip North to watch the Beavers game this weekend and took a few minutes to stop by and view our lineup.  I had a feeling that anyone willing to drive hours to watch OSU game is a person who Shortbus Flashers wanted on board!!  I was not disappointed at all!  After a great conversation, I knew Rogue River Guide Service would be a great fit on the bus.

I look over the guides who have joined the Shortbus Prostaff and I cant say how proud I am to say we are associated with a great group.  Top to bottom I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of the guides to friends and family.  I think we are building momentum and with the guides that have joined already Shortbus Flashers will be a huge success!!

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Shortbus Is Rolling!

I want to take some time to say thank you to the existing guides on the Shortbus Pro Guide program.  These great fishing guides have been some of the first professionals to give me the chance in the flasher making market.  Dan with Quality Fishing Adventures and Mark with Lytle Charters were a couple of the first guides to take Shortbus Flashers on there trips and I really appreciate the opportunity to work with both.

Today, Shortbus Flashers is proud to announce the addition of  
All Rivers & Saltwater Charters from Seattle to the Pro Guide program!

Take a second to check out the guides and all the services offered.  If your ever in the market to see how a professional uses a Shortbus Flasher, make sure to look up one of these fine guides

Guide Links

Tillamook

Heading to Tillamook tomorrow to do a little selling and fishing.  Reports have been sporadic with small bursts of fish coming through with the tides.  Shortbus Flashers will be swimming if we can get over the bar, just to much seaweed in the bay to even try and run extra gear.  Last year at this time, we fished the bay for the majority of the morning as the bar was to rough to cross, no bites nor see any nets fly.  Bar restriction was removed toward the tide change and we ended up getting outside.  Ended up with our 3 fish limit in just under an hour!

So, wish me luck, hopefully a successful day of fishing and a successful day of marketing the Shortbus Flashers!!

Success!

Mark Lytle of Lytle Charters, one of Shortbus Flashers pro guide's was nice enough to send me a video of some salmon action from Buoy 10 this year while using a Shortbus Flasher.

Lytle Charters was one of the first guides to take advantage of the guide program and we are very proud to have him on board.  The video was shot during the Buoy 10 season.  Mark was running the 8" gold Shortbus Flasher when the fish hit.  Enjoy the video, and congratulations on the great fish Cathy!!

Click on the link below to watch the action!

 Shortbus Flashers & Lytle Charters - Buoy 10 Action

New Retail Locations!

What an exciting day!  Started the day with a sales call to Rainbow's End Jigs Flies & Tackle to talk about carrying the new line of Shortbus Flashers.  John was kind enough to support local businesses and decided to put some stock on his shelf!

But to make things even better, he is purchasing enough to have them on the shelf on all three of his locations!  So introducing the first locations to take the Shortbus Flasher line!!

Rainbows End Jigs, Flies & Tackle

6300 NE 117th Ave # 104
Vancouver, WA 98662-5514
(360) 253-7617

The Tackle Box

7704 NE 219th St
Battle Ground , WA 98604
360-687-4441

Fishermans Depot

1230 Lewis River Rd # A
Woodland, WA 98674-9763
(360) 225-9900

If your in the area and on your way to the water, take a chance to drop into one of the three locations.  Great bait, great tackle and even greater FLASHERS!!

Coho

Its time, the Coho are here and thick!! Getting reports on the local tributaries that limits of coho are being caught! Some rivers are already at a 6 fish limit. Let me tell you that if you put 6 fish in your freezer it fills awfully quick!

We have had great success in the past years casting wigglers and slowly retrieving. This can be done from either the boat or the bank and both work very effectively. Color combos such as BW-29, Dr. Death, or matte red work great! Fishing can be fast and furious when the fish are in. Tending to run in schools, if you hook a fish, make sure everyone else keeps casting until the fish is ready to be netted, it is very common to have doubles on throughout the day.

Fishing should be good through the end of the month when the fish will start getting there spawning colors and meat turn lighter in color. So get them while you can!

Now, if I can figure out a way to cast flashers and my wigglers..... Hmmmm.....

Ready!!

Finally!!  Business license, bags, product flyers and a whole bunch of flashers pre-made, we're ready for the big time!!

Shortbus flashers has been a while coming, taking the first step has been a little tentative and nerve racking.  My focus will be to small independent stores and direct to guides.  Mass marketing seems like a step that I may not be willing to take just yet (that can change if someone asks nicely ;)  )

We have distributors for southern Oregon and I think for Washington giving me the Oregon Coast to travel on my days off.  Excitement, nervous and a hope that the retailers say yes!

So, wish me luck and hopefully when people chose the flasher for their needs, they decide that made in the USA is a good choice!

Getting Close

Finally after testing, talking with guides and hours of cutting and bending Shortbus Flashers is about a week away from full retail marketing.

Business license, Plastic bags, product info for bags, swivels, prism tape and a whole mess of blanks should all be ready to hit the road by the end of next week.

I may take the day and fish because I know it will start getting hectic here very soon.  The coho are in the rivers and casting wigglers is one of the funnest ways to fish that I know!  Dont get me wrong, trolling bays and rivers with flashers and herring, feeling the bite is sure a great way to fish also, but I will say casting gives me something to do!

Hope to have some pictures of the retail packaging on the next post!

Take a look at the web site if you havent already - Shortbus Flashers  www.shortbusflashers.com 

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Heavy Water Flashers

You wouldnt believe how many crazy looks I got when I put out a fish flasher on at Bonneville!  You wouldnt believe how crazy I looked when the rod was throbbing with a fish on the end!!


It was a slow day back trolling plugs, they had been letting water out of the dam the day before and the nets cleaned out quit a few larger fish from the gene pool.  Fish that were being caught were small, like the 8-10 pound range, a far cry from the 25+ pound ones you get used to for fall fishing.

Shortbus Flashers can be used in lakes to raging rivers, with such minimal drag only the slight difference can be felt.

Dont be afraid to try something a little different, watch what others who are catching fish are doing and mimic as much as possible.  If you know fish are around but not biting, dont be afraid to try different tactics, it may not be "normal" but it may just pay off in the end!

How do I use a Shortbus Flasher?

Rigging the Shortbus Flashers

This is a "how to" rigging explanation of how to rig an inline fishing flasher from your rod to your bait with explanations on parts and steps - Order from rod to bait

•  Start with sturdy rod with a soft enough tip to see the bite, but enough backbone to support the extra drag of the lead and flasher
• Slider to lead weight - allows the weight if caught in the net during fishing to not snag and break off the fish at the last second.  While trolling, you will run a dropper length 12"-18" long
• Swivel - puts a bumper between the slider and the flasher
• Note - you can substitute diver for lead dropper
• Swivel to flasher - use a piece of mono line at least as long as your dropper.  What this will do is keep the weight from hitting the river bottom and swing up into the spinning flasher thus causing tangles
• Flasher - The most important part of the rigging, make sure you are using a "Shortbus Flasher"!!!
• Flasher to bait - normally 1'-6' in length, depending on water clarity and action imparted on bait.  Generally there is a 6 bead swivel placed half way between the bait and flasher.  This gives the rotating bait a smoother roll and not have to work against the rotation of the flasher.  If you are using a lure that does not spin or rotate, the swivel in the middle is not necessary to use 

Remember!!

• Let the line out slow to keep the gear in line, to fast and you will tangle your gear.
• Don't drag bottom - the weight kicking up into your flasher will inevitably get caught into your fishing flasher or the flasher will drag again causing tangles
• Watch the total length of your bumper to bait.  To long with a short fishing rod can make landing a fish "interesting" make sure you can control the fish to make the netters job easier
• Always have multiple Shortbus Flashers on board for your guests!

 

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Life of Flashing

Wow, what a journey!  First of all I want to thank my family for supporting me in my venture of business ownership!

Introducing Shortbus Flashers!  We are a fishing flasher producer here in the great Pacific Northwest.  What is a flasher?  Well, let me tell you.  In fact, let me show you first...

Yep thats it!  A plastic triangle of prism tape!

Actually, think of it as a flashing sign that notifies game fish such as salmon, steelhead and kokanee to name a few.  As the flasher slowly spins, the available light is reflected thus giving the fish a reason to inspect the area hopefully finding your baited hook.

Shortbus Flashers works trolling or on anchor. Bait or any other lure can be placed behind the presentation.

Next post, I will explain how to rig and run the fishing flasher.  Until then, thanks for looking and dont forget to check on the new web site!  www.shortbusflashers.com