Flathead Seasons

[Koalaboi]

Hi Everyone,

After a very productive summer flicking Tuggerah Lakes with soft plastics, the flathead have well and truly gone off the boil.

I've usually managed 4 to 5 good fish per hour but the last 5 hours have been very quiet...

Two elements have changed:

1. the water temperature has dropped to about 17C.

2. the autumn equinox has passed...just about the time the flatties went quiet.

People using live poddies seemed to keep getting a few, but now, even they've found it tough. The live poddy flattie regulars have stopped turning up to their local haunts.

I'm looking ahead and wondering whether I should just wait till the spring equinox or till the water temp gets back up to 20C.

I'm thinking that with jews, salmon and tailor turning up on the beaches and rocks, it's time to put away the spinning gear and haul out the long wands.

Any ideas on seasons though?

Tight lines,

Koalaboi

[Josh88]

That temperature drop would explain most of it. Flatties have a low metabolism as it is and a decrease in water temp would only make it slower, meaning they will be eating less and not moving around as much. Wait till the temp increases and you should get a few.

Josh

[yakfishing]

You might have some luck in deeper water where it takes longer for the water to cool. I havent caught a flatty in a while form narrabeen lake, but this morning I had a quick flick in the harbour and scored one in 5 mins.

[Hodgey]

A very thought-provoking thread, this one.

Last year I posted a couple of reports of 70+cm flathead caught in the middle of Winter. Water was very cold, hence the polar fleece jackets and beanies! There were quite a few Raiders getting onto some great flatties at the time. The flathead fishing in my location at the moment is also VERY quiet, and our water temp is still hovering around 20 degrees, so I am not convinced water temp has the huge impact that I previously thought.

They are still there ... but very inactive. When they start 'sulking' like this, I usually pack away the plastics, and start bombing away at them with bibless lure (regardless of depth) and other rattling hardbodies. I noticed a fishing report recently that mentioned success trolling hardbodies.

I hope someone (jewgaffer? ) can provide a greater insight to what's happening here.

Hodgey

[Koalaboi]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your thoughtful responses.

Clearly, the temperature is going to to change with the equinox, so in that way it was a bit of a dumb question so thanks Josh 88 for clearing that issue up so well. However, thoughts on fishing deeper water are really interesting., Tuggerah Lakes is a very shallow system so small changes in daylight hours etc will have a more immediate effect on water temperature. I've noticed in the fishing reports that FRs are still catching flatties, though these have been off the beach, outside and in deeper estuaries. So your point,, Yakfishing is right on the money, thanks for that.

After nearly 40 years of serious fishing, I've realised that the way to fish is to suss out your targets and only go when you know you've got a very good chance of returning with a respectable catch. Clearly this is going to involve a lot of trial and error with regards to all the variables that affect our passion. Concentrating on blackfish and bream off the rocks got me to the point where I only bothered to go when I believed I would be successful. After a while, I was getting it right. (Well, most of the time!)

Targeting flatties in the estuaries has been a new gig for me this summer. Great fun. But, I want to be predictive.

Obviously, the warmer water is the go. The temperature changes that trigger a change in the feeding is what I'd like to get closer to. Is this change absolute or relative?

Is there any accessible research on flathead that would help that anyone knows of?

Winter flatties also have raised their flat, ugly scones too in this thread, and thank you for that Hodgey! Let's say for argument's sake, that after a prolonged period of 14C water it jumps by one or two degrees in the middle of winter. Would this indicate that it might be worth a go? If so, soft plastics or live baits? Or, do they only come on the chew when the temperature reaches say 19C? What about up and down the coast? In cooler and warmer states?

Thanks again everyone for your time and thoughts on this.

Fishing, it gets the grey matter going in the most unexpected directions! Gotta love this way of life!

Koalaboi

[luderick59]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your thoughtful responses.

Clearly, the temperature is going to to change with the equinox, so in that way it was a bit of a dumb question so thanks Josh 88 for clearing that issue up so well. However, thoughts on fishing deeper water are really interesting., Tuggerah Lakes is a very shallow system so small changes in daylight hours etc will have a more immediate effect on water temperature. I've noticed in the fishing reports that FRs are still catching flatties, though these have been off the beach, outside and in deeper estuaries. So your point,, Yakfishing is right on the money, thanks for that.

After nearly 40 years of serious fishing, I've realised that the way to fish is to suss out your targets and only go when you know you've got a very good chance of returning with a respectable catch. Clearly this is going to involve a lot of trial and error with regards to all the variables that affect our passion. Concentrating on blackfish and bream off the rocks got me to the point where I only bothered to go when I believed I would be successful. After a while, I was getting it right. (Well, most of the time!)

Targeting flatties in the estuaries has been a new gig for me this summer. Great fun. But, I want to be predictive.

Obviously, the warmer water is the go. The temperature changes that trigger a change in the feeding is what I'd like to get closer to. Is this change absolute or relative?

Is there any accessible research on flathead that would help that anyone knows of?

Winter flatties also have raised their flat, ugly scones too in this thread, and thank you for that Hodgey! Let's say for argument's sake, that after a prolonged period of 14C water it jumps by one or two degrees in the middle of winter. Would this indicate that it might be worth a go? If so, soft plastics or live baits? Or, do they only come on the chew when the temperature reaches say 19C? What about up and down the coast? In cooler and warmer states?

Thanks again everyone for your time and thoughts on this.

Fishing, it gets the grey matter going in the most unexpected directions! Gotta love this way of life!

Koalaboi

hi koalaboi

narrabeen lake fishes well for flatties in winter as long as you fish the shallows [sandbanks] later in the day when the sun warms the water up

i have foundthat water temp is in layers sometimes ie 14degrees on the bottom 17 on top especially in autumn

peter

[bjneville]

I have to agree with the temp theory, but I'd add that it's a relative thing. The water can still be cool (winter) and you can still catch flatties.

I was fishing Worrell Ck & Nambucca River last June. The average water temp was hovering around 16 deg for the two weeks I was there. But if you cruised around you could find pockets of water up to 18 - 18.5. Similarly, there were areas down to 15 deg.

Guess which ones produced the goods?

Yep - the warmer spots. I managed double figures most days (only kept one or two - was there by myself) by taking the time to cruise around taking readings from the sounder. The areas with interspersed weed banks were warmer than bare sand - the darker colour retains heat better. Shallow sand banks would find flatties sunning themselves in the mornings, although the takes were slow to the point of lazy. I really had to be sure to set the hooks hard each time, or they'd simply spit the placcies back at me every time they saw the boat.

The other thing I found was a contradiction - normally flatties fish better on a falling tide as they wait for bait aggregations. These two weeks the incoming tide was pushing warmer water in from the sea. The water up-river was at least 2 deg cooler, and I was finding a dropping tide was time to go home. On the flood I was nailing loads of flatties.

The bonus for the holiday - not only did I learn more about flatties, but it was bream spawning time and they were thumping the flattie lures every time I drifted past one of the massive schools. What a choice.............

Qwyj

[Hooked-Up]

flatties of all sizes are a viable target species through winter,

just have to narrow down where to find them and when,

its true colder water sloooows them down so we must find warmer water,

if in a tidal lake for example stick to the back waters where its not so susceptible to the cold flushes from the sea as much, and stick with shallow water in the arvos after the suns warmed it up if you can chuck in some weed patches and a run out tide your in the game,

the flatties will be waiting for all that warm water and bait to be pushed off the flats