Nice day out with a mate

[kiwicraig]

I went out yesterday morning with a friend of mine.  We started by gathering some live bait from the bait station by Little Box Head, then came inside by Lobster Beach to drift.  We had live baits and a cut bait out the back I was casting ahead of the drift with soft plastics.  We were only on our second drift when my rod - which had a live slimy on it - folded over.  I grabbed it and lifted the tip to set and I thought I was on.  I started bringing it up and there was a lot of weight on it.  I got it up to the surface and my mate got sight of it - a huge flattie.  Then it opened its mouth and was gone.  It was not actually hooked - it had just been holding the bait.  I brought in my now dead livie to re-rig, but told Jas to keep his livie down because that same fish might take it.  And then it did.  We were drifting towards the channel and a ferry was coming so I was a little concerned, but then in a stroke of luck the sea anchor caught the yellow 4 knot buoy and stopped us drifting into the channel. Jason brought the fish in and it was a cracker of a croc.  We measured it at 80cm, snapped a quick photo and let the old girl go with big grins on our faces.

 

We carried on like this for a while and had a few hits, but were struggling to connect.  I decided to anchor up in front of Half Tide Rocks so I could make some coffees.  I had a very frustrating stretch with 4 hits on my plastic in 5 casts without connecting.  After each hit I would drop the tip, then give it a few jigs to try and draw a second strike, but it was not happening and every time when I wound in the plastic was pulled down the hook and needed to be straightened.

It was going quiet and I had suggested we move up stream a bit a s the boat traffic in the channel was becoming a pain.  We had pulled in the lines and I was about to go lift the anchor when I saw a huge bait ball on the sounder.  I told Jason to drop a line down again an I put down the plastic for some @flatheadluke style vertical jigging.  It was  a good call Jas came up tight and it took off on a run.  I said straight away - that's not a flattie.  I was right.  After a couple of runs and a few jumps we boated a nice salmon.  It even came with someone elses hook and leader hanging out of its mouth.  We removed both hooks, took a photo and let it go. 

After that we headed up past The Rip Bridge to one of my spots.  We tried a drift and towards end of we were getting bites.  The wind had come up quite a bit so I preposition and then anchored at the end of the drift.  Jason pulled out a nice flattie and a lovely bream.  I pulled out two lumps of weed, half a cockle shell and a pair of pliers.   At this point I was feeling a bit crap if I am honest.  Putting a mate onto fish is the next best thing to catching fish - but it is a distant second. I had even changed tactics as I could see bait was winning the day.  And then I came good with a couple more position changes I brought in the next three fish - all good table size flatties - and a new personal best for starfish! LOL.

We closed out the day with a drop over by the rip bridge but were just getting baited by little fish.  We called it and headed back in.  Took a while to get it but we did end up with a great feed.  The three on the left were mine.

 

[antonywardle]

As usual, a great write up @kiwicraig

Brisbane waters on a nice day is pretty hard to beat!

 

[Rock hopper]

Nice work guys.

Some times you have to just roll with the punches and change as conditions dictate. 

Always amazes me how many big flattie in Brissy waters there are. 

You did well with all the holiday traffic on the water. 

 

[LuckyFil]

Great story and pics Craig - looks like you've been getting into the flatties big time lately.

The biggest flathead I've caught over 55 years of fishing have all been on bait. I guess they get cleverer as they get bigger and learn to dodge lures! I love using plastics for the active style of fishing but accept that I'll usually get small to mediium sized fish.

My Dad and I used to regularly get flatties over 6lb (in the old scale) on yellowtail fillets at his secret spot in Pittwater, with the occasional 8 and even a couple of 10 pounders. Haven't fished there in many years though after we had to sell his boat.

Keep up the stories!

Fil

[rickmarlin62]

Nice starfish...lol...rick

[nutsaboutfishing]

Great write up!! Very entertaining to read

Richard

[GordoRetired]

Had a similar experience to you one night with a big Flathead taking a live bait. We were by the Spit bridge and sent down a small Tailor. First time the rod bent, my mate started to bring it on and before we got sight of it it spat the bait, moved back just past where we had hooked it and in almost exactly the same spot the rod bent again. As my mate bought it to the side of the boat and we saw it we both thought we had hooked a big shark, but as it got closer we realised it was a Monster Flattie. I got hold of the trace and as I went to lift it into the boat the 30lb leader snapped. We never measured it but we reckon it went 40cm+ across the head and would have been well over 1.5m long.. It's probably one of my best 'the one that got away' stories 🙂
Good on you for letting the big girl go, it will keep the breeding going 👍

[masterfisho7]

Well done some fine fish there that's a top flathead 

[61 crusher]

Great read and photos, try the live bait technic on the run out tide with a bit of lead during the autumn spawn run, you might pick up a “big girl” for the brag mat and maybe a Jew A’s by Catch

[Guest Guest123456789]

That croc is a trophy well done Craig. Any fish caught on your boat and marks is always the skippers fish no matter who winds it in

[kiwicraig]

5 hours ago, flatheadluke said:

That croc is a trophy well done Craig. Any fish caught on your boat and marks is always the skippers fish no matter who winds it in

Thanks Luke. Was within metres of where we got the 63 the other day.

[jenno64]

Great work on picking up the croc second time around and well done on the release:)