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Morning adventures at Meadowbank

Little_Flatty
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Little_Flatty DOGTOOTH TUNA

Little_Flatty

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Hi Raiders,

Been fishing a lot of late, but I've been struggling to turn a scale. Mostly it's because I only have time to fish locally and I haven't quite cracked the code for locating fish at low tide in my area. To counter this, I've been consistently fishing different locations on all tides AND recording my success, or lack thereof (more on this in a later post on fishing data collection - some major developments in the past month thanks to an enlightening Doclures webinar). This year I'm also resolving to fish solidly through winter, as historically I've slowed down in the colder months, sleeping in or riding my bike more instead. It will be interesting to see if there are any change in results.

Spurred along by @wazatherfisherman, I'm continuing on my big lure experiment, casting 5 and 7 inch jerk shads in the Parra and seeing what bites. Lately, my setup has been a 3-5kg Soft Plastic Flathead Raider, a 2500 sized reel (Piscifun Carbon X 2000 - actually closer to a 2500 or 3000 Shimano), 8lb braid and 20lb leader. A secondary setup for heavier lures was a baitcasting outfit - an ABU Rayrex 'Corker' with a Piscifun Carbon XCS baitcaster. As a side note I've been fishing a little with Chinese reels, with a little bit of discernment and research, there are some good performing outfits to be found at a reasonable - but not necessarily dirt cheap - price. The baitcaster I spooled with 16lb braid with a 20lb leader. Lures have been mostly gulp jerk shads in 5 and 7 inch configurations, but @wazatherfisherman's garfish imitations are starting to get a gurnsey now I have a new tube of gulp gel. I barely know myself these days; all of the hooks in my tackle pack are 3/0 to 10/0 and 15lb is the lightest leader I carry! The past me thought 1/0 hooks and a 4-inch offerings were far too big for anything I was likely to catch, and 10lb leader would frighten off a Great White!🤣

Surprisingly - holding all other conditions equal - I'm not getting any fewer hits from small flathead; I'm getting attention from as many undersized fish as I was when I was fishing smaller/lighter.  Little flatties have eyes bigger than their stomachs, as I'm finding. However, I do notice I'm not catching any more bream! I miss them, but will take a break from them while I hunt for a Parra river monster.

What is new however, is the experience of getting smoked on slightly heavier gear! The past couple of weeks, I've lost two decent fish, and I also dropped a 60+cm flatty that I got sight of. One of these was at almost dead low tide, where I found a number of fish hanging deep under a nasty snag (old wharf foundations?) that shredded my leader after each hookup! After that, I did away with my 12lb leader and upped it to 20lb.

My latest capture was this morning: a reasonable flathead that took off like a steam train, starting a decent run before I fully realised I was on. Not used to flatties doing that! Being dead low tide, I was grateful for the help of a kind bystander who helped me land the fish. Slippery rocks, a net in one hand and a rod in the other, it was all just a bit much for clumsy old me.

A quick happy snap and the flatty was sent on his way, with an invitation to meet me again in another 25cm's time.

image.png.7f2fe1f30a1ba219125f9dee373ad206.png 

I'm looking forward to finding out what those lost monsters of the shallows were! Only one way to find out! As @Scratchie always says, JUST KEEP CASTING!

Thanks for reading 😎

 

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Little_Flatty DOGTOOTH TUNA

Little_Flatty

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7 hours ago, wazatherfisherman said:

Good stuff Mike! Glad to see you sticking with the bigger lures- you don't want those pesky Bream from up there anyway😄

Thanks Waza for getting me to change things up a bit! It’s been a lot of walking and casting practice, both of which are good for me and fun.

1 hour ago, Green Hornet said:

Great report Mike. Stick with it and that shovel headed flatly will come sooner or later, they don’t get to grow big by being stupid. The spot around the wharf ruins sounds promising.

Thanks Pete. There’s two lotteries there; one to find the fish, another to land it!🤣

19 minutes ago, Isaac Ct said:

Nice flattie Mike, hopefully, the flatties get bigger and bigger. Might come across a kingfish as well.

Thanks Isaac. Here’s to hoping! Haven’t seen a kingie up this far the river (though a friend of mine has seen them in Putney, just a stone’s throw downstream), but there’s a good chance of a mulloway!

5 minutes ago, Larkin said:

Good size flatty mike!
Only a matter of time before you hook up to a croc!

Thanks Chris. Seems like there’s some decent fish swimming about!

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XD351 MAKO

XD351

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Nice flattie and great report Mike! I just watched the latest video from Windsor bait and tackle on YouTube - he had trouble getting a flathead but did manage a nice bream up near silverwater bridge ( probably filmed in the last week or so )he did mention that over the next few weeks that the big blue nose bream should start to show up but I always remember the bream starting to put some bulk on ready for the run to the river mouth or harbour to breed .

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Green Hornet KINGFISH

Green Hornet

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6 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Thanks Pete. There’s two lotteries there; one to find the fish, another to land it!🤣

Hook 'em up first and worry about landing them later is my motto Mike. Some of my best catches and most memorable wipeouts have come from adopting that attitude, although it can get expensive at times haha.

Edited by Green Hornet
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XD351 MAKO

XD351

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Just had a look on google maps and google earth , looks like some likely flathead haunts in the back of the bays around putney and a mudflat drain at the end of majors bay but I couldn’t say how soft or deep the mud is there - gotta be careful walking around in the mud in the parra there are hard spots and bogs and if you hit one of these you could find yourself stuck up to your thighs  - don’t ask how I know this I just do 😂

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Pickles BLUE MARLIN

Pickles

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Way to go Mike, isn’t it great to catch a fish on “home made” tackle (even if it was legend @wazatherfisherman and not your work), great when mates help out and don’t know about you, but Flatties fight better on lures and plastics on light gear than on bait - more fun too.

Edited by Pickles
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Little_Flatty DOGTOOTH TUNA

Little_Flatty

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15 hours ago, kantong said:

great stuff mate and that is a solid looking flatty. You've got me re-thinking the light combo now.

It’s worth a try! I got a little flatty this morning that was barely 30cm on a 5inch lure this morning!

15 hours ago, XD351 said:

Just had a look on google maps and google earth , looks like some likely flathead haunts in the back of the bays around putney and a mudflat drain at the end of majors bay but I couldn’t say how soft or deep the mud is there - gotta be careful walking around in the mud in the parra there are hard spots and bogs and if you hit one of these you could find yourself stuck up to your thighs  - don’t ask how I know this I just do 😂

I somehow know about that thigh-deep mud as well, I wonder how🤔 These days in my old age I just don’t go there🤣 I do know those spots though!

11 hours ago, ireallylovefishies22 said:

Lost one of me crocs while wading on the big flat under the bridge. was stuck up to my waist and i stunk like hell after coming out. 😂

Shame about the croc. There’s a few around!

4 hours ago, Pickles said:

Way to go Mike, isn’t it great to catch a fish on “home made” tackle (even if it was legend @wazatherfisherman and not your work), great when mates help out and don’t know about you, but Flatties fight better on lures and plastics on light gear than on bait - more fun too.

It sure is Bob! Had a few good thumps this morning on Waza’s garfish but no cigar. Got to refine my rigging as the fish sure do like them but it can be hard for them to find the hook.

1 hour ago, Yowie said:

Dusky flatties can be surprising with their speed in shallow water, more so than deeper water fish. Nice work.

They sure are Dave! I have a feeling I may get a topwater flathead on the right tides here one day soon. Now that will be a story to tell😎

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big Neil DOGTOOTH TUNA

big Neil

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What an interesting read Mike. The tackle, apart from the rod, is unusual and the lines used even more so. I have found that if you think of fishing from the fish's "point of perspective", the results can improve. Here's a scenario.

The Flathead is laying motionless buried in the bottom. It picks up movement, and vibration...via its lateral line. Moments later something appears and it readies itself to attack. It attacks! At no point does the scenario change to this... "I sense movement, dinner is on the way. Oh bugger, it's one of those 5 inch red/green soft plastics with a 1/4 oz jighead, on the end of 20lb leader fastened to 16lb braid with an FG knot".

Sure the purists on Fishraider will jump onboard with an argument to support lighter gear, an invisible line, and a $1000 rod and reel. Lucky the fish can't access this site and read the content, hey Mike?

bn

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