New To Fishing And Would Love Flathead Advice

[flatiemad]

Hi all,

Firstly let me say that this site is fantastic and very helpful to a beginner like myself. I am very keen to pursue flathead fishing from a landbased site. I live in the botany bay area although would be happy to travel I would love some advice on which soft plastics work best and what a good land based spot would be worth trying. any help would be really appreciated thanks,

[Vince1974]

Hi There,

Flat head are one of the easiest fish to target on plastics.....until you catch you first one that is. When you land your first many others will follow. Patience is the key!

The 3" or 4" GULP swimming mullet in the pumpkin seed colour are killers for the flat head. Also the Camo coloured 5" jerk shads are good...and even the 7" for the big mamas on a 1 ounce jig head!

Use about 15lb fluorocarbon leader to start as there head shakes will get their teeth grinding through the line if they swallow the bait.

Off any jetty in the harbour will work. I do really well around the areas in Balmain or Birchgrove. Even off calm beaches/bays are good areas. Look for areas with weedy patches.

I normally use a 1/4 or a 1/6 or a 1/8 jig head....depends on what the wind is doing.

After you have casted, hop the plastic back towards you with 1 to 3 quick hops or flicks letting the bait come back down and let it rest for about 5 secs winding the slack and repeat till your ready to cast again(the pauses can very...can be longer if you wish). You keep this method up casting in the various directions you will eventually land one. Flat head also hang around the sandy edges of structure, like rock walls. Dont be afraid to bounce the plastic in weedy/rocky patchy areas and in the shallows either. Yes you will get snags, but this is where the fish are a lot of the time. I have landed many fish, and good ones from depths less than a meter.

Good luck,

Vince

[flatiemad]

Thanks vince that's great advice, what tide do u normally fish for flathead

[zephi]

They can be caught at any tide really, but most say during the runout tide is best for flatties.

[flatiemad]

They can be caught at any tide really, but most say during the runout tide is best for flatties.

Thanks zephi

[Berleyguts]

Hi all,

Firstly let me say that this site is fantastic and very helpful to a beginner like myself. I am very keen to pursue flathead fishing from a landbased site. I live in the botany bay area although would be happy to travel I would love some advice on which soft plastics work best and what a good land based spot would be worth trying. any help would be really appreciated thanks,

The first fish I ever recall catching on a lure was a flathead, on a 1/4 oz Wonder Wobbler, off the beach near Dolls Point. Sometime later, I also caught a flathead in the same area on a lure I made from a toothbrush. As you live near Botany Bay, that stretch along from Dolls Point to Brighton would be worth a go.

Baz

[flatiemad]

The first fish I ever recall catching on a lure was a flathead, on a 1/4 oz Wonder Wobbler, off the beach near Dolls Point. Sometime later, I also caught a flathead in the same area on a lure I made from a toothbrush. As you live near Botany Bay, that stretch along from Dolls Point to Brighton would be worth a go.

Baz

Thanks baz I'll give it a go I have tried once with no luck but wil persist.

[cut_loose]

If you find that to many fish re biting the tails off your soft plastics than try a Berkley MF40 there made from a good plastic and they catch heeps of fish.

Also with the Soft Plastics and flatties work them really slow and just hop them along the bottom to easy. Get a good pair of fishing pilers or a hook remover as flatties seem to like doing this to your lures !

1fishing1:

[crashlee]

Hey Flatiemad

I had a short session on the out going tide at Carss Park I walked the bit just behind the swimming pool. Caught 2 small and 1 just legal Flaties (all released) on 3" camo minnow grubs.

Cheers

Crash

[flatiemad]

thanks guys, great advice, and I have had the tails bitten off quite often so I will try the MF40.

[david88]

If the tails are regularly being bitten off i think it is an indicator that there are tailor/leather jackets around as flattys can engulf big 7 inch plastics in a single gulp. that leads me to the most helpful piece of info i can give..

* when fishing plastics if you feel a small tap between flicks (not a bite, just a really light tap) it is often an indicator that a flatty has sucked in your plastic off the bottom but has not run off with it. when this happens i give a sharp strike instead of my usual plastic flick and most of the time i end up with a hook up. I find it takes a while to be able to detect this small tap but once you can recognise it you will find your right about 50% of the time. I think it also helps because if a flatty engulfs it and has it in his mouth a regular flick action can ust pull it back out of his mouth.

just my 2c

goodluck and tight lines.

Jungle.

[flatiemad]

If the tails are regularly being bitten off i think it is an indicator that there are tailor/leather jackets around as flattys can engulf big 7 inch plastics in a single gulp. that leads me to the most helpful piece of info i can give..

* when fishing plastics if you feel a small tap between flicks (not a bite, just a really light tap) it is often an indicator that a flatty has sucked in your plastic off the bottom but has not run off with it. when this happens i give a sharp strike instead of my usual plastic flick and most of the time i end up with a hook up. I find it takes a while to be able to detect this small tap but once you can recognise it you will find your right about 50% of the time. I think it also helps because if a flatty engulfs it and has it in his mouth a regular flick action can ust pull it back out of his mouth.

just my 2c

goodluck and tight lines.

Jungle.

Hey Jungle, I have felt that tap but wasn't striking hard at that moment, great advice thank mate.

[cut_loose]

thanks dave thats something i didnt know hopefully will land a few more flattys now