LuckyFil Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 Well the flathead seem to have woken up and are enjoying the warm weather and warm water. I went to my usual spots near Hardys Bay and the Ettalong foreshore yesterday arvo armed with the usual plastics (Squidgy wriggler tail 120mm on 1/8th jig head and the Z-Man Diesel Minnow on a 1/4 jig head ), plus some salted pillies. I never opened the bag of pillies as the flathead were more than happy with the SPs. I hooked one on my first cast, not huge but at 42cm a nice eating size. Over the next of couple of hours I landed another 6, 3 were under sized (although one of these was 36 which is way to small I reckon) plus another two at 42cm and saved the best till last at 58cm. All were caught fishing the edges of weed beds near drop offs in 1-2 meters of water. Looking forward to flattie fillets in panko crumbs tonight and sharing the rest with my adult kids. I forgot to take a pic till I was halfway through scaling them so they don't look their best, ha. Cheers Fil 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kantong Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 solid bag of fish there, well done! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 Nice feed of flatties. Flatties are not always hiding in deep water, but quite often in shallow water near weed patches. Something for the younger fishos to consider. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo from Sydney Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 So true 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larkin Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 Nice catch Fil! 👍 Inside seems to be paying off with the flatties lately. you keep the skin on when crumbing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyFil Posted December 12, 2023 Author Share Posted December 12, 2023 1 hour ago, Larkin said: Nice catch Fil! 👍 Inside seems to be paying off with the flatties lately. you keep the skin on when crumbing? No I skin and bone them. Then flour, egg and panko . Lightly fry in rice bran oil. Hard to beat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyFil Posted December 12, 2023 Author Share Posted December 12, 2023 5 hours ago, Yowie said: Nice feed of flatties. Flatties are not always hiding in deep water, but quite often in shallow water near weed patches. Something for the younger fishos to consider. Very true. I’ve caught most but not all in around 1 meter of water so long casts are important so you don’t spook the fish . I try to anchor casting distance from the areas that look promising and cut the motor as early as possible to minimise noise. Drifting can be good but where I fish the current is fast so you move away from the best spots too quickly, hence the need to anchor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_Flatty Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 Great stuff @LuckyFil. Flatty season is my favourite part of the year. But I'm biased 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenno64 Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 Great stuff Fil! Good to see you didn’t need the bait back up as the SPs did the damage in the shallows 👌 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big Neil Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 Nothing wrong with the way they look Fil. Good to see that you got plenty of action on the soft plastics, the Pillies will always come in handy down the track. I would love to have a good feed of Flathead but that's unlikely till I manage to get to Sydney in the next month or so. Tight lines, bn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant fish Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 Yes they have woken upi caught 6or so at patonga on Saturday but only 2 legal so let all go . Pittwater is still dead if you’re going to skin them its easier to leave scales on cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyFil Posted December 12, 2023 Author Share Posted December 12, 2023 2 hours ago, Bryant fish said: Yes they have woken upi caught 6or so at patonga on Saturday but only 2 legal so let all go . Pittwater is still dead if you’re going to skin them its easier to leave scales on cheers True but I leave the skin on till I’m ready to cook them and I get in trouble with scales in the kitchen 😳. I leave the skin on till then as it seems to keep the fillets in better condition, not sure if I’m imagining this though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyFil Posted December 13, 2023 Author Share Posted December 13, 2023 9 hours ago, Bryant fish said: Yes they have woken upi caught 6or so at patonga on Saturday but only 2 legal so let all go . Pittwater is still dead if you’re going to skin them its easier to leave scales on cheers @Bryant fishI haven't fished Pittwater in many years but when I did my old man and I caught many big flathead near the entrance to Careel Bay. There's a mud bank that runs from Stokes Point roughly north west for a hundred meters or so. I fished the drop off of that bank almost mid stream of Pittwater (almost to the old torpedo target, long gone) - which is around 6 meters deep. In those days SPs didn't exist and we caught most fish on yellowtail fillets or half pilchards. For some reason they were mostly big fish in the 60-90cm range very few small ones. Oh and nearly always on the run out tide. From now till Easter was best time of year. Good luck Fil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant fish Posted December 13, 2023 Share Posted December 13, 2023 I only seem to get shovel nose and rays there in the last year but it is my go to spot for squid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corro Posted December 15, 2023 Share Posted December 15, 2023 There seems to be a few flatties around at the moment! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted December 15, 2023 Share Posted December 15, 2023 Nice work Fil, some lovely duckies there👍 would have been more leasant in still water than outside in those winds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyFil Posted December 15, 2023 Author Share Posted December 15, 2023 1 hour ago, Pickles said: Nice work Fil, some lovely duckies there👍 would have been more leasant in still water than outside in those winds. Yes conditions were ideal, the breeze was mild and my expert netter (wife) enjoyed the balmy weather while sipping champagne and reading her book - in between being called on to net my flathead. Ticked lots of boxes. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bessell1955 Posted December 15, 2023 Share Posted December 15, 2023 You have been successful, targeting Flatties. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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