Botany Bay - Brighton - Flathead Hunting

[RichieR]

Hey Raiders,

new to this forum - first post!

look forward to posting many big fish and successful catches soon!

I've been going down to Botany Bay ALOT lately and fishing off those man made rocks / breaks along the front of Brighton / Ramsgate etc .. But im just not having ANY luck at all

I was wondering if someone might be able to help me with what im doing wrong ??

Im using a jig head and putting the plastic on correctly so it swims and thats it - no swivel, no sinker (assuming this is right?)

Then im casting out into the deeper water, letting the waves and motion of the water carry the plastic in towards the shore a bit as well as reeling it in slow, flicking it

Im just not having any bites or catching anything.

Im targetting flathead, and im fishing from about 6:00 - 8:30pm as the sun is going down

Is this the wrong time to be fishing ? Unfortunatly this is the only time i can fish

Any advice ?

I've included a picture that shows what im fishing off and generally where im casting

(Yellow lines = where im casting from the rocks)

[Ray R]

G'day RichieR, mate it sounds like you are doing everything right , the only thing I can suggest is to give the SP 2 or 3 sharp rips then let it settle and do it again and again, the other thing is that I am sure some Raiders local to the area will guide you to some other productive spots.

Keep trying , they will come..

Cheers..

P.S , you didn't mention flurocarbon leader, are you attaching 2 meters or so to your braid and tying your lure to the leader..

Cheers again..

Edited March 26, 2009 by Ray R

[A.dawg]

Hi RichieR well i myself have never had much suscess off the groynes but near the nets just outside of them the are heaps of big flathead and bream iff you go for a swim have look around the nets garentee you will spot some huge bream, trevally and ocassionally flathead although they arnt that big only around 40cm But if you give the SP 2 or 3 sharp rips like Ray R said the flathead will swim from long distances to see whats going on.

Also stand in the water when you fish sometimes you'll see the flathead swimming over to your plastic

Good luck A.Dawg~~~

[RichieR]

Hey, thanks very much for the replies so far!

No im not using any leader ? - should i be ?

Im just attaching the jig head straight onto my 6lb line

Also - which nets do you mean ? the ones at the end of Ramsgate St or the ones near 'Duke' street - closer to the Brighton le Sands Novotel ??

I went to buy some new plastics last night and all of the "berkley 'shad's" were sold out!

Im assuming they're the ones to use .. all the reports i read of people catching flathead on soft plastics, they've used a 'shad'

Thanks again!

Much appreciated

[Wantingaboat]

Hey Richie,

I have caught flathead on many different SP. Minnows, sand eels, jerk shads,ect but my biggest flathead caught was with a 3 inch pogy. I must say that i am a novice as well and i find SP fishing in the wind or with a strong current like you describe very difficult. To get the flathead you need to be in touch with the sea floor constantly of course and this is hard to maintain in your situation. I am sure there are other raiders who can accomplish this but my advice is to find somewhere with less current. My method is very simple. I cast out.... allow it to sink to the bottom (until you see a big bend in your line) take up the slack. Give it two little flicks and then wait 4 or 5 seconds for the SP to hit the bottom again and then flick again. When i started i got nothing and my mate who uses them regualrly diagnosed my problem that i was too keen. I was flicking and then taking in slack too quickly which wasnt allowing the SP to sink back down enough. He told me that the fish 9 times out of 10 take it when its sinking back down. i dont want to give you a bum steer but thats what has worked for me.

Good Luck.

Ps. And yes you should be using a leader if you are using braid. Dont worry about swivels or sinkers.

Edited March 26, 2009 by Wantingaboat

[austral]

hello, ive never fished in that area but by looking at the photo maybe you could cast from the sand to the edges of the walls and slowly walk along the beach casting as you go.as for lures any type in the 3in size will catch fish you just have to stick at it, the colour doesnt really matter ive tried pink,green,clear-brown,and white they all work just choose a lure and stick at it.if theres any weed beds nearby cast around them as well...good luck

[fran1mat]

Hi RitchieR,

The other replies have given some excellent advice, all of which I agree. I fish further up the Georges River from land using SP's, I have had most success with 80mm True Blue Fish. I have tried plenty of others but these have been most successful. Being landbased when using this technique, I go for a slightly bigger jig-head as I find it allows me to cast further.

Just as Wantingaboat said, I make my flicks with the tip of the rod upwards, then let the plastic 'swim' back to the bottom. This will have the plastic 'swimming' on the way up, and on the way back to the bottom, stirring up the sand as he goes.

As Austral said, I try to cover as much ground as I can. I will stop and cast from the same spot into different directions, then just move along. I have had success each time I have gone to my secret locations. A bloke that lives up the road from me swears by fishing in obscure locations that other people wouldn't think there are fish. I have tried his theory and I must say, he is very close to the money.

I purchased a SP Fishing DVD and the experts recon that the secret is to retrieve as slowly as possible, then slow down some more.

Good luck.

[RichieR]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I think im going to have to do some more reading or maybe buy one of these soft plastic packs that come with a DVD - cause at the moment im just attaching a jig head to standard clear fishing line 6lb and hoping for the best.

I dont understand the leader / mono / carbon fluro 2 meters of line ??

Do you buy another spool of line thats called "carbon fluro leader" and tie it on ?

Is it stronger ? more transparent ?

Thanks again for the tips!

also - what size is too big for the jig heads ?

What size should i be using ?

I think at the moment im using a number 4 or number 6 (can check when i get home) - and they are alot bigger than a standard hook i would use if i was putting a prawn on a hook!

Edited March 30, 2009 by RichieR

[Slaka]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I think im going to have to do some more reading or maybe buy one of these soft plastic packs that come with a DVD - cause at the moment im just attaching a jig head to standard clear fishing line 6lb and hoping for the best.

I dont understand the leader / mono / carbon fluro 2 meters of line ??

Do you buy another spool of line thats called "carbon fluro leader" and tie it on ?

Is it stronger ? more transparent ?

Thanks again for the tips!

also - what size is too big for the jig heads ?

What size should i be using ?

I think at the moment im using a number 4 or number 6 (can check when i get home) - and they are alot bigger than a standard hook i would use if i was putting a prawn on a hook!

If you are using braided line (I am assuming you are, if not I reccomend getting some) you should use about 2m of fluerocarbon leader as it is near invisible in the water, does not break as easy through abrasion and also absorbs any shocks to the line.

You don't need swivels, simply tie the leader to your main line via a 5 turns surgeons knot (has never let me down) or a double uni knot. The strength of the leader will depend on the area or the fish you are targeting, but 6-8lb should be fine for what you are doing.

For jigheads, try 1/12 - 1/4 ounce weighths on a 1 or 2/0 hook, tying it on with a uni knot. There is a section on the site that shows many knots, if you want to get a DVD have a look at the Berkley one presented by Adam Royter. It is very brand specific, but it gives great information on knots and techniques.