DIY Spearfishing Flashers

Flashers are a very useful tool in every diver's tool box. But did you know you can make your own flashers that are deadly effective for cheaper than most of the ones brought in stores. Here's another talk I had with Jon from @castandspear about the setup I brought with us down to Baja. I used this setup to bring in fish close enough to shoot with a pole spear.

Here's the step by step process to making your own flasher.

It's really simple to make and doesn't take long at all. Most of all, making these flashers are really cheap!

Materials Needed:

1. Get Mylar, same material emergency blankets are out of, or a box wine bag.

2. Zip Ties

3. Scissors

4. Clear packaging tape

5. Bullet fishing weight or Torpedo weight. Size can vary, but go heavier than you think.

The Process

Step 1: Using your scissors (#3), cut a 12" wide by 12"-18" long shape out of the Mylar material (#1)

Step 2: Cover the Mylar rectangular shape with the packaging tape (#4) on both sides. This increases the durability of the flasher, both in and out of the water.

Step 3: Cut 1/2" or so wide strips into the in the longer side of the Mylar shape, leaving about 4" at the top of the material uncut. These strips with be your "squid" flasher's tentacles.

Step 4: Take your fishing weight (#5), and roll the material around it ensuring that the loop to attach the line is still accessible.

Step 5: Using your zip ties (#2), zip tie the material around the forward portion of the weight first. Again, make sure you can access the "eye" of the weight. Then zip tie the rear-end of the weight.

Step 6: Cut on the remaining end of the zip ties and sand down with a file the remaining plastic. Why? Because the remaining piece of little plastic is sharp and can cut your hands or even line.

Step 7: Attach the flasher to your float through the fishing weights "eye" using either cable, line, or monofliment.