Flathead Tackle

[james44]

Hey there guys... i was just woundering if any off you guys might be able to tell me what tackle set up you reckon is the best for catching flatheads on, and what you think about plastic's v's live bait for getting a flatty on..??

cheers Cox Craft

[Ray R]

G'day mate, I have caught quite a few flatties and I use a Stradic 2500 with 4 or 6lb braid attached to a 2-5kg Berkley Pro Tactic. I use 8lb flurocarbon leader and 3.5 or 7 gram 3/0 jig head with any one of the Berkley jerk shads or minnows,I have used heaps of different colours they all seem to work and sometimes you will find they prefer a paricular kind on occasions. It's good fun just keep casting to the sandy drop offs and you will find them in there lurking around.. Hope this helps ..

[slinkymalinky]

Here's another vote for a light spin outfit. I also have 2500 stradics... when specifically chasing flatties I use a 2-4kg Berkley Drop Shot rod and have the reel spooled with 10lb Platypus Super Braid. I use 15lb fluorocarbon when I'm specifically targeting flatties but I've never yet been chewed off by one on the many occasions I've hooked them on 10lb or lighter leaders.

I mostly chase them with plastic... gulp shads and shrimps in 3-5" sizes in are my favourite but flathead are rarely fussy... I use 1/0-3/0 jig heads (mostly TT or Berkley Saltwater) depending on the plastic.

Up on the gold coast and sometimes around sydney, I chase them with live bait... anything from small herring to big yakkas (although the fish on these are usually by-catch).

Cheers, Slinky

[Davemmm]

I bait fish with live poddies, small yakkas, nippers, mullet/tailor/salmon strips, whitebait etc etc. I use light spin outfits with usually about 15kg line. A 2/0, 3/0 or 4/0 hook depending on the bait size.

I also use a handline with 30lb and jig a big sinker straight down onto a strip bait. works best during winter on similar sandy dropoffs to what Ray was referring to.

Dave

[james44]

G'day mate, I have caught quite a few flatties and I use a Stradic 2500 with 4 or 6lb braid attached to a 2-5kg Berkley Pro Tactic. I use 8lb flurocarbon leader and 3.5 or 7 gram 3/0 jig head with any one of the Berkley jerk shads or minnows,I have used heaps of different colours they all seem to work and sometimes you will find they prefer a paricular kind on occasions. It's good fun just keep casting to the sandy drop offs and you will find them in there lurking around.. Hope this helps ..

Thanks for your help mate i will try the few ideas that got throwen to me and see what happends..

cheers Cox Craft

[dipship]

Im a full sp convert so i reckon you should give em a go!

I have fished side by side with live poddy fishos and outfished em too many times for it to be fluke. Its not that sp's are more deadly, but they do resemble a live bait too, its the matter of cast-retrieve that allows you to cover more ground which i think is the vital factor.

Try 1000/2500 sized reels with 4 or 6lb braid, whack on some 10lb leader, flick a 2-4kg 7' graphite rod and you will be almost there.

If your starting out i reckon you should use sps around the 3" range. This will attract all size lizards as well as bycatch of bream, maybe mulloway, whiting etc. In this way its brakes the monotony of catchin one species.

Try Atomic 3" Jerk Minnows in various colours. They are the best allround sp of all.

[james44]

Im a full sp convert so i reckon you should give em a go!

I have fished side by side with live poddy fishos and outfished em too many times for it to be fluke. Its not that sp's are more deadly, but they do resemble a live bait too, its the matter of cast-retrieve that allows you to cover more ground which i think is the vital factor.

Try 1000/2500 sized reels with 4 or 6lb braid, whack on some 10lb leader, flick a 2-4kg 7' graphite rod and you will be almost there.

If your starting out i reckon you should use sps around the 3" range. This will attract all size lizards as well as bycatch of bream, maybe mulloway, whiting etc. In this way its brakes the monotony of catchin one species.

Try Atomic 3" Jerk Minnows in various colours. They are the best allround sp of all.

thanks krazyman ... ill see what happends ill defently take what you have said on board.. you wouldnt happen to have any favorite flathead spots that you could lent out would you??

cheers mate

Cox Craft

[dipship]

thanks krazyman ... ill see what happends ill defently take what you have said on board.. you wouldnt happen to have any favorite flathead spots that you could lent out would you??

cheers mate

Cox Craft

Where do you fish??? Where do you Live???

I can point you in the right direction but i need to know where you fish? or are going to fish?

[james44]

Where do you fish??? Where do you Live???

I can point you in the right direction but i need to know where you fish? or are going to fish?

i am fishing around pittwater and flint and steel and i know you can get them around there some were but like just woundering if you had any other places were you know off some good size flattys working...

cheers..

Cox Craft

[jewgaffer]

Hi Cox Craft. A good spot for fishing for flathead in the Hawkesbury is just inside of the mouth of Mooney Mooney Creek on the run out and two hundred yards up the creek fishing lighter into and letting the current in the creek do the work on the run in. You can also fish there landbased and fish next to your car right at the side of the old Pacific Highway.

Oh any of the minnows or hardbodies which handle tubing and trace better, and I also find tasmanian devils designed for trout work just as good on flathead as well.

Cheers

jewgaffer

Edited June 19, 2008 by jewgaffer

[james44]

Hi Cox Craft. A good spot for fishing for flathead in the Hawkesbury is just inside of the mouth of Mooney Mooney Creek on the run out and two hundred yards up the creek fishing lighter into and letting the current in the creek do the work on the run in. You can also fish there landbased and fish next to your car right at the side of the old Pacific Highway.

Oh any of the minnows or hardbodies which handle tubing and trace better, and I also find tasmanian devils designed for trout work just as good on flathead as well.

Cheers

jewgaffer

Thanks jewgaffer.. i dont really go up the hawkesbury but i just might i have a few places to try so yeah .... any place that anyone has said to catch good fish in must be good and worth giving a go.. so cheers jewgaffer...

Cheers Cox Craft

[gretsch]

I have been fishing rubbers for Flatties for a while now and can tell you that the success rate over live bait is about 10 to 1. Rubbers must be the most effective method to catch Flatties.... and BIG ones too!!!

Do yourself a favour and go to the tackle shop, buy some 9 gram jig heads with 2/0 hooks, a packet of Pumpkin Seed Pogys and a packet of size 4-5 Squidgy Fish in black and gold. Make sure you rig them nice and straight.

Go to the water, find some drop offs or snags, cast in and do a jerking whipping retrieve keeping your lure in close contact with the bottom at all times.

I would be very surprised if you don't catch one.

As a foot note, most of my big Flatties have been caught from the shore around rocky outcrops, moorings and wharf like structures.

Edited June 19, 2008 by Cephalopod

[james44]

I have been fishing rubbers for Flatties for a while now and can tell you that the success rate over live bait is about 10 to 1. Rubbers must be the most effective method to catch Flatties.... and BIG ones too!!!

Do yourself a favour and go to the tackle shop, buy some 9 gram jig heads with 2/0 hooks, a packet of Pumpkin Seed Pogys and a packet of size 4-5 Squidgy Fish in black and gold. Make sure you rig them nice and straight.

Go to the water, find some drop offs or snags, cast in and do a jerking whipping retrieve keeping your lure in close contact with the bottom at all times.

I would be very surprised if you don't catch one.

As a foot note, most of my big Flatties have been caught from the shore around rocky outcrops, moorings and wharf like structures.

hey mate thanks for that... ill see what the tackle store has... so i spose that you defently think that leaving a live bait out in the water swimming around is no point when you could be casting and retriving over and over???... ill be defently see what happpends in the up coming holidays... and get back to you.

cheers...

Cox Craft