drc2076 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) With a break in the weather (no torrential rain at least) and spousal dispensation I decided to head to my usual Pittwater location on Sunday to fish the run in tide from 4pm towards sunset and see what was around. A trip a few weeks ago suggested that things were starting to liven up in the estuaries and I was keen to see if warmer conditions together with recent rains had helped to stir things up. For the gear junkies I was fishing with my usual setup for bait fishing from a jetty: 9ft Shimano raider 7kg rod, Daiwa TD Sol III 3000D, 12lb power pro braid, 8lb leader. Bait was salted pillies and endeavour prawns. Casting unweighted with a strong southerly at my back I was getting better than usual cast distance. Second cast and I was into the trevally with a good 33cm specimen in the bucket (this was a catch your dinner session btw). A few pinkies later (as always) and I’m onto another nice trevally. I’m steering it in taking care to keep the rod out in case it makes a run for the pylons and just as I’m about to lift it out a large flathead emerges from the depths beneath the jetty and takes a swipe at the trevally. A bit ambitious considering the trev would have been around 30cm. I leave the trev in the water to watch the flattie keep swiping and then somehow like a bizarre aquatic magic trick the trevally is off the hook (only a small No 4 mustad baitholder) and the flattie is on. But it must have engulfed the hook as it takes a run for the bottom and one headshake later I’m busted off. Disappointing but not unexpected. Oh well. Re-rig and back out. About 15 minutes later I’m on to another trevally. Again as I’m bringing it in the same flattie emerges and takes a swipe at it. This time I land the trev and decide that if the flattie is hanging around under the wharf I’m going to go after it. I change up to 12lb leader and throw out the bait with a slow retrieve into the zone the flattie keeps coming out of. First cast, nothing. Second cast and the flattie jumps on! After a few runs I have him close to the jetty and the net in the water when it dives and again busts me off. Re-rig, this time with a long shank hook, and go again. After half an hour of working the flattie zone there are no more touches. I decide my chance to land the flattie is gone so I start casting out further again. More pinkies and trevs. By 6:30 I’ve got a feed of trevally in the bucket. I’m feeling only moderately pleased. The thought of that big flattie that got away twice is still on my mind. I finally run out of prawns and switch over to pillies. Cast out and something jumps on. Something heavy. Not running like a trevally. Get it a bit closer and I spy it in the water and bugger me it’s that flathead again. This time pinned through the lip with a long shank hook. No escape this time. After a few heavy runs he’s into the net and up onto the wharf. 61cm. Very nice. I release a couple of the trevs because the flattie is now going to be my special guest at dinner. But here’s the question: was it the same flattie each time or was I just into a school of big ones? I saw it three times before I landed it and each time it looked about the same size in the water. Either way, it made for a great ending to the day and hopefully a good omen for the season to come. Tight lines. Edited November 7, 2018 by drc2076 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterfisho7 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) Nice report great to see the flathead are around as I have seen any for awhile they might be coming on Edited October 21, 2018 by masterfisho7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rah Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 Great report mate. And a great flattie for a dinner guest. Cheers Rah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 Perfect eating size! Nice fish! Cheers scratchie!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volitan Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 Re your question about whether it’s the same flattie - well you said you were busted off twice, so wouldn’t the first two hooks still be in the fish, if it was the same fish ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Hornet Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 Nice flatty and the ones around 60cm always put up a good fight. I doubt if it was the same fish you encountered, but they could have 3 large males. At this time of year when they're starting to spawn its always worth spending an extra bit of time where you find a patch of smaller ones as they're likely males hanging around a big female. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 As Volitan stated, if it was the same fish, you would expect one or both hooks to be somewhere inside the flattie's mouth/gills/stomach. It is possible for a large flattie, with a hard mouth, to perhaps spit out one hook, but probably not both hooks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoingFishing Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 Great write up mate !!!! Persistence pays off and great table fish!! Love them flatties yum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GordoRetired Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 20 hours ago, Volitan said: Re your question about whether it’s the same flattie - well you said you were busted off twice, so wouldn’t the first two hooks still be in the fish, if it was the same fish ? Possibly, but you would be surprised at how fast a fish can get rid of a hook. I have had hooks bust off as I drop a livie into the bait tank and what seem like a very short time later have seen the hook on the bottom of the tank, fish just got rid of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caple666 Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 he really wanted to come home with you didn't he lol sounds like a nice a great arvo fishing well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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