A-Tractors: Fishing Dodgers, Cowbells and Rotating Flashers

Adapted from Capt. John King's article "A-Tractors: How to Fish More Effectively with Dodgers, Cowbells and Rotating Flashers," written March 2001 on MichiganSportsman.com, before he designed his own flashers. Read the original.

"I'm not an outdoor writer, I'm a fisherman." John compared attractors to farm tractors: slow and powerful, they tow your bait or lure. They come in three types:

  • Cowbells (lake trolls): strings of spinning blades that churn the water with flash. They drag your lure but don't add action.
  • Dodgers: flop side to side, making a fly or squid dart back and forth.
  • Rotating flashers: roll in a wide circle, twisting your offering through the water like a corkscrew.

Speed control is everything

  • Attractor fishing requires the ability to troll as slow as about 1 mph. Most boats troll too fast without help.
  • John preferred sea bags off both sides of the boat, tied to the spring cleats amidships, over trolling plates. They also take some roll out of the boat and keep engine RPMs up for better oil pressure and charging.
  • Trust cable angle over speed readouts. John had 3 speed indicators that varied by about half a mph. A downrigger cable hanging straight down is about 1–1.5 mph.

Why attractors work

A fish's lateral line senses water disturbance, and attractors signal that dinner is near. Below about 70', where it's dark, their flash "shines" too. "Fish can strike something they can't see or feel."

Cowbells

  • 3–5' long with 3–8 blades. Willow leaf blades handle the most speed (around 2.2 mph); Colorado blades are slowest (Browns at 1.5 mph or slower); Indiana blades are in between.
  • About 24" leaders for Brown Trout or Lakers.

Dodgers

  • Dodgers come into their own deeper than 70', though John has filled boxes from 20' down.
  • The right speed is the one the fish want. A common rule: the dodger should flop, flop, flop, then roll over completely. Too fast and it just spins.
  • Rigger leads of 10–20' most of the time, up to 100' for spooky Kings. A longer lead lets you carry more speed.
  • Size 0 (8") and 00 (6") are most common. 00 dodgers pull faster and are deadly off divers for adult Kings.

Rotating flashers

  • Rotating flashers filled John's boxes in August 2000 when Kings were deeper than 80' and dodgers weren't working.
  • He ran them 12–20' back from the ball, sometimes 20–30'.
  • Leaders should be longer than with dodgers.

Attaching the fly

  • Knot: a double overhand loop attaches the fly, squid or bait to a dodger, cowbell or flasher. Double the line, tie a double granny knot, and draw it tight. (See also John's later double loop knot method.)
  • Dodger leaders: the usual rule is 2.5× the dodger's length (about 20" on a size 0, 15" on a 00). John preferred 24" on both for big Kings.
  • Kings vs. Coho: Kings as a rule prefer a leader of 18" or more behind a size 0 dodger. Coho like a faster fly on a shorter leader.
  • Large rotating flashers: leaders no shorter than 3' and sometimes 5'. Smaller flashers: about 24".
  • Leader material: at least 40 lb test. Buy a bulk spool for re-rigging.

How John's advice changed: after he designed his own flashers, John ran 20–25" fly leaders behind his 10" BTI for summer Kings and 36–42" behind his 12" flashers.

Line

Attractors add drag, so use at least 20 lb test, and 25–30 lb is better. John has seen a big King snap 20 lb at the release when it hit a dodger.

Snippets

  1. Stiffen your downrigger releases when running attractors because of the added drag.
  2. Keep a tight line at all costs. Once a salmon starts towing a dodger with slack line, the chatter will roll the hook right out of its mouth.
  3. Size 00 dodgers off divers are deadly for adult Kings.
  4. Best Manistee dodger colors in 2001: Pearl, Grey Ghost and FireDot, with white/chartreuse and hammered chrome at times.
  5. Keep glow squids out of the light when not in use; sunlight burns them out. Charge glow with a strong light for the first-light bite. "Go with the glow!"
  6. Kings have hard mouths that dull hook points. Check hooks and leaders often.
  7. A fixed slider (a spoon 3–5' above a dodger or flasher) can add extra fish. Don't try it with cowbells.

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