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Hot session on Flathead


The Poacher

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Hey Raiders,

 Took my son and his mate out on Saturday morning as the tides and the forecast were ideal. As the tide change was at 8.30, I caught some livebaits the night before and kept them alive overnight. 12v pump plugged into a battery pack, which I left plugged into the wall via the re-charger. Was messy but it worked. 

Anyway, drifted around and got 5 over 65cms, and a big girl at 78cm. Kept a couple that were deep hooked and released the big ones. The big girl was caught on a handline and a size #2 suicide - hooked right in the corner of the mouth.  I use small hooks on the smaller poddies so they swim around. But generally, I use those banana style hooks. 

To be honest, the kids LOVED the hand to hand contact of the handline. Flathead aren't really going to bust you off, so the kids really got to get a feel for keeping gentle pressure on the fish - and there is no hurry to "get it in".

Then, as the tide bottomed out, I had a look in Broken Bay and saw a few birds working. Got 5 bonnies to top off the morning. Was great to be on the water, and makes up for those times when its a marine desert out there. 

The Poacher70cm (800x450).jpg80 (800x450).jpg

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Sounds like a great session - some good demersal (bottom) fish and a few of the more sporty pelagics!

If you don't mind answering a couple of questions - how do you catch your poddies - a trap or on bait, and how do you rig the live baits when drifting so they are close to the bottom but don't snag up?

Also good on you for releasing the big flattie!

Cheers

Fil

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LuckyFil - I have trouble catching poddies in a trap. Sometimes I cant do it, but mostly its unreliable. I catch them on a tiny (size 10 or 12 trout hook) hook one at a time. The hook is so small most 8lb line wont go through it. So I used a leader of 4lb line. Also, I use whatever size mullet I can catch. Flathead eat them all. I would love to hear where/how other raiders catch their mullet, because its a pain in the butt for me. 

Or where other coasties catch their's. 

Also Regan - I sent you a PM. 

Cheers,

 

The Poacher

 

 

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4 hours ago, The Poacher said:

LuckyFil - I have trouble catching poddies in a trap. Sometimes I cant do it, but mostly its unreliable. I catch them on a tiny (size 10 or 12 trout hook) hook one at a time. The hook is so small most 8lb line wont go through it. So I used a leader of 4lb line. Also, I use whatever size mullet I can catch. Flathead eat them all. I would love to hear where/how other raiders catch their mullet, because its a pain in the butt for me. 

Or where other coasties catch their's. 

Also Regan - I sent you a PM. 

Cheers,

 

The Poacher

 

 

I have done this too. If you go to a shop that sells fly fishing stuff you can get smaller hooks. I have size 16 and size 20 on 2lb fluro leader. i use a large foam float stopper as a float, it is a bit smaller than a pea. You can use those clear plastic water filled bubble floats if you need casting distance.

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5 hours ago, The Poacher said:

I have trouble catching poddies in a trap. Sometimes I cant do it, but mostly its unreliable.

Yeah that's been my experience as well although I admit I haven't persisted with a trap in recent years. I remember catching them on a small hook using bread as a kid off a wharf but interesting to hear that's still the most reliable method. Thanks for sharing.

I gave up using bait in Brisbane Waters because of all the pickers and have been using plastics for the last couple of years. Generally I'll get a few flatties but sometimes they've shut down and I suspect a live poddy would be irresistable for them!

How do you hook the poddies so they don't die?

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Thanks Captain Spanner - thats a very good tip. 

I use plastics too - but with the little kids on board it doesnt seem to be that effective. 

LuckyFil - I just hook them through the jaw, straight from bottom to top. Even the 10-15cm ones I hook the same way. They are a very hardy bait fish. 

 

Sam Bros - I got the bonnies with both methods. When the school was active we could cast to them. When they went down, we just trolled the area and still got them. 

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5 hours ago, The Poacher said:

Thanks Captain Spanner - thats a very good tip. 

I use plastics too - but with the little kids on board it doesnt seem to be that effective. 

LuckyFil - I just hook them through the jaw, straight from bottom to top. Even the 10-15cm ones I hook the same way. They are a very hardy bait fish. 

 

Sam Bros - I got the bonnies with both methods. When the school was active we could cast to them. When they went down, we just trolled the area and still got them. 

Thanks mate

Were you using skirts or hardbodies?

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That's a great session. Our last effort in Pittwater was dead, but the time before we caught 9 flatties. They just seem to fire up sometimes.

If the poddy mullet are around - and I haven't checked since April - they are easy to catch in the Careel Bay shallows in knee deep water.

I always allow an hour - sometimes you have 20 livies in 15 minutes - other times it takes longer to lure them in and then gain their trust! If I'm patient and keep berleying, they almost always turn up - not in Winter or early Spring though.

Over the years I have noticed a pattern where I would go down there towards the end of the rising tide, but they wouldn't really 'play ball' until the tide started receding. This happened enough times that I now get my poddy mullet about an hour after high tide.

There is also a way I was shown to bait the trap by an old boy 20 years ago that increased speed and success. Just chucking a bit of bread in there is not ideal.

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