Handling flathead before release on the flats

[Berrero]

Hey Raiders,

 

Just thought I'd put this question out here and see what responses I get.

 

90% of my fishing is wading <1ft of water over the flats chasing flatties. Have been quite successful at a few local spots that I've found, catching them isn't the issue, it's getting the buggers in to land to unhook & release. Sometimes I can kind of surf them in on top of the water but most times they thrash around and aren't too happy being walked the 50mtrs or so to the shore. I'm strictly catch & release so my main concern here is the fishes wellbeing. I've had a fair few throw themself off the hook thrashing about while walking them in (not an issue for me, still consider it a catch), and are sometimes pretty torn up by the time they are in on the shore. Have even had one pull bone out of his mouth while thrashing about. At all other times I handle them with the utmost of care as I have a lot of respect for these fish but this is one aspect where I feel a bit helpless. 

 

Short of carrying around a landing net with me while wading (which would be bulky & annoying to carry, and have heart landing nets can damage flathead quite a bit), does anyone else have the same issue or any suggestions?

Ideally would like to release my fish back into the water in the best condition possible.

 

Thanks & tight lines

[Little_Flatty]

I’ve encountered this problem myself.  My favourite fishing is done on flats, and this really limits what you can carry. It can be difficult to land fish when you are waist deep in water! It’s not like you can carry a full enviro net/brag mat etc when you are wading.

In the end, I purchased a trout landing net (short handled) that just hangs off my wading bag with a clip. You can get varieties that harm the fish less.

Alternatively, maybe a set of boga grips might be better? I’ve never used them, but maybe they might help you handle the fish and unhook them while they are still in the water? That’s even more compact. Come to think of it, maybe I might get myself a set next summer.

[Green Hornet]

Firstly, if you can manage to keep the flathead's head under the water surface. it will thrash around a whole lot less.

Aside from a small net like mentioned above you can grab the fish with a bit of thick towel or a a heavy duty garden or riggers glove. The problem with this is you then have to carry something wet around with you for the rest of the trip.

If you go for lip grips, I strongly recommend the wider plastic ones like Hobie produce. They don't tear the thin membrane of the fish's lower jaw like the metal ones and will give it a far better chance of survival after releasing.

[Berrero]

2 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

I’ve encountered this problem myself.  My favourite fishing is done on flats, and this really limits what you can carry. It can be difficult to land fish when you are waist deep in water! It’s not like you can carry a full enviro net/brag mat etc when you are wading.

In the end, I purchased a trout landing net (short handled) that just hangs off my wading bag with a clip. You can get varieties that harm the fish less.

Alternatively, maybe a set of boga grips might be better? I’ve never used them, but maybe they might help you handle the fish and unhook them while they are still in the water? That’s even more compact. Come to think of it, maybe I might get myself a set next summer.

 

I actually own a pair of these, bought them for this exact reason & they're still clipped on the side of my fishing backpack. Unfortunately the first few times I used them I found it hard to control the flathead and ended up punching through the bottom of their mouth. Haven't really used them since for this reason.

2 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

Firstly, if you can manage to keep the flathead's head under the water surface. it will thrash around a whole lot less.

Aside from a small net like mentioned above you can grab the fish with a bit of thick towel or a a heavy duty garden or riggers glove. The problem with this is you then have to carry something wet around with you for the rest of the trip.

If you go for lip grips, I strongly recommend the wider plastic ones like Hobie produce. They don't tear the thin membrane of the fish's lower jaw like the metal ones and will give it a far better chance of survival after releasing.

Yep, found that the case with the metal grips. I also own a pair of the plastic soft ones but found that it's a bit awkward trying to use them with a flathead hooked up free to run around in the water. Additionally sometimes their mouth gets pinned shut by the trebles or wrapped in line from barrelrolls.. thought that sometimes I was doing a bit more damage than good

 

Thanks for your responses so far

[61 crusher]

Since you’re using hard bodies most nets including enviro ones tend to get trebles stuck in them

I’ve found the rubber nets tend not to have issues with trebles & have a more calming affect on the fish once they’ve settled, there is a short handled version but would pose a problem with a big girl, if you can pick them up place one finger on the bum hole they do tend to stop shaking around 

[Hooked-Up]

lose the trebles, trebles are a nightmare on fish that swallow prey whole.

definately not good for C and R IMO.

get some single hooks, a wading net and some forceps for hook removal.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Hooked-Up

[Leon C]

Just a thought - what sort of hooks are you using? Barbed trebles are pretty difficult at the best of times. De-barbed singles would help a lot.

Edit: ^what he said.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Leon C

[joshGTV]

1 hour ago, Hooked-Up said:

lose the trebles, trebles are a nightmare on fish that swallow prey whole.

definately not good for C and R IMO.

get some single hooks, a wading net and some forceps for hook removal.

Yep, what he said. I swapped out the trebles for singles on all of my metal  slices, didn't affect my success rate and doesn't mangle the fish's mouth. I only use trebles when chasing fish destined for the table.

[kingie chaser]

Get yourself a kayak net like this Berkley one-

 

Small(size of a tennis racquet just shorter) , light, clip the end to a small loop of rope on  your belt  

Edited April 29, 2020 by kingie chaser

[61 crusher]

13 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

 

Get yourself a kayak net like this Berkley one-

 

Small(size of a tennis racquet just shorter) , light, clip the end to a small loop of rope on  your belt  

 

Thanks KC that’s the type I was referring to

[PaddyT]

just carry a microfibre cloth on your belt and use it (wet) to grab the fish, they are light, cheap and wont damage you or the flattie. Boga grips are only good for fish you want to kill. The rubber nets are great but a PITA when walking or wading.

[JimT]

and if you get spiked by the spines near the gills of flathead rub the affected area with the slime on the flatheads belly area.....don't know why but it relieves the sting/pain somewhat...

Jim

[Yowie]

I have grabbed flatties under the head while wading about, though be prepared to get spiked occasionally by the head spikes. It is not an easy thing to do, you need to grab the flattie in the right place. (practice on a dead one first)

Once the flatties are nearing, or over, 60cms, the risk of a severe spiking increases quite a bit.

[kingie chaser]

2 hours ago, Yowie said:

though be prepared to get spiked occasionally by the head spikes. 

Once the flatties are nearing, or over, 60cms, the risk of a severe spiking increases quite a bit.

Your are a braver man than me Yowie 😅

[JamoDamo]

I just hold the flathead behind the second fins closest to the tail you get a good grip on the fish whilst being able to not get spiked as much.

[seasponge]

On ‎4‎/‎30‎/‎2020 at 1:16 PM, Yowie said:

I have grabbed flatties under the head while wading about, though be prepared to get spiked occasionally by the head spikes. It is not an easy thing to do, you need to grab the flattie in the right place. (practice on a dead one first)

Once the flatties are nearing, or over, 60cms, the risk of a severe spiking increases quite a bit.

They make it look so easy on the fishing shows!

[Berrero]

Hi all,

Thanks for the very informative help. I've decided best route would probably be to swap out trebles for singles. Have placed an order from local tackle shop and just waiting for them to arrive to swap over.

 

This had me thinking. Single hook on rear would act similar to stinger hooks, has anyone ever meddled around with them on mid sized hardbodies? Did they affect the action in a significant manner? And this lead me to another thought of possibly running a set of stinger hooks alongside the single hook on the rear, possibly one either side, to increase hookup. I'm more than happy to experiment for myself but just thought I'd ask here if anyone has tried before and had any recommendations?

 

I have no problem handling flatheads and have hand released 80cm+ models before, just near impossible to get a decent grip on them while they are darting around your feet in the shallows.

 

Regardless of outcome I'll be sure to touch back and let you all know how I went.

 

Tight lines and thanks again

Chris

[lastworm]

Keep a glove on you and just thumb grip them on the lower lip. You can keep them in the water while you do it and they thrash less.

[blaxland]

I fish from a boat but have a towel of some sort handy like a golfers ball cleaner or a tea towel. If I dont get spiked at least once I wasnt targeting flathead.