Short after work flick

[linewetter]

After a successful day of soft plastics fishing over the weekend, I was excited to get back out on the water having fallen in favor of soft plastics again.  I had enough time for a short 30 min session today and decided to try a new bay I haven't fished before.  While I did take a small hiatus off soft plastics in favor of bread fishing, it didn't stop me from staring at the wall of soft plastics this whole time.  I had picked up a prawn shaped soft plastic yesterday - I have been wanting to buy a prawn shaped one for the longest time lately, but had lost the drive to fish with soft plastics so I could never justify buying something that'd just sit there until now.  

I tied on my Fastach and gave my new lure a go, this was the lure I bought - the Squidgies prawn wriggler.  Something about the orange eyes really won me over.  I also noticed the tail is facing down on these, different than the other curly tail plastics I have.

 

 

 

It was such a nice view that I wasn't really gonna be unhappy if I caught nothing today - just appreciating the sounds of the water hitting the rockwall and the view of the sky was a nice way to end the workday.  On my second cast though, I managed to entice a little flatty:

 

Does anyone have any advice on how to hold the flathead by the way?  I normally grip them between their two side fins because I saw a video that said they really calm down a lot when you grip them in between there.  This one kept slipping out my hands though no matter what I did, including trying to flip it on its back and I was trying to not get spiked.  

Also, I know the flathead have spikes on the side of their face, but is there one at the top as well?  I circled the area I'm questioning...if so I will avoid touching the top of their head as well.  

 

 

Happy with the one catch so far, I kept casting along the shore.  I previously would not have brought out my plastics for such a short 30 min session.  The conditions were pretty dark as well - normally also a deterrent for me to pull out the plastics and keep to using bread.  But now I'm feeling pretty optimistic.  I did switch out from the Squidgies plastic to a Zman plastic though.  The Squidgies are damn good looking but this one had the tail ripped within 5 mins of my session and I didn't want to keep swapping for a new one.  A shame the durability is on the low end to me, because I really like the way their lures look.

 

It wasn't too long after that I got my second flatty!  I could tell based off the headshakes now.

 

 

After the release of this one, and a couple more casts, I ended up getting snagged on something and broken off on.  It was time to go anyway, so I packed up and left after this.  Much much more inclined to just pull out the plastics now after this productive short session.  I know not all short sessions will net me fish but now I have at least proven to myself that it can happen, so won't let a short flick be a deterrent any longer.  

Edited April 8 by linewetter

[Aussiefisherman]

32 minutes ago, linewetter said:

After a successful day of soft plastics fishing over the weekend, I was excited to get back out on the water having fallen in favor of soft plastics again.  I had enough time for a short 30 min session today and decided to try a new bay I haven't fished before.  While I did take a small hiatus off soft plastics in favor of bread fishing, it didn't stop me from staring at the wall of soft plastics this whole time.  I had picked up a prawn shaped soft plastic yesterday - I have been wanting to buy a prawn shaped one for the longest time lately, but had lost the drive to fish with soft plastics so I could never justify buying something that'd just sit there until now.  

I tied on my Fastach and gave my new lure a go, this was the lure I bought - the Squidgies prawn wriggler.  Something about the orange eyes really won me over.  I also noticed the tail is facing down on these, different than the other curly tail plastics I have.

 

 

 

It was such a nice view that I wasn't really gonna be unhappy if I caught nothing today - just appreciating the sounds of the water hitting the rockwall and the view of the sky was a nice way to end the workday.  On my second cast though, I managed to entice a little flatty:

 

Does anyone have any advice on how to hold the flathead by the way?  I normally grip them between their two side fins because I saw a video that said they really calm down a lot when you grip them in between there.  This one kept slipping out my hands though no matter what I did, including trying to flip it on its back and I was trying to not get spiked.  

Also, I know the flathead have spikes on the side of their face, but is there one at the top as well?  I circled the area I'm questioning...if so I will avoid touching the top of their head as well.  

 

 

Happy with the one catch so far, I kept casting along the shore.  I previously would not have brought out my plastics for such a short 30 min session.  The conditions were pretty dark as well - normally also a deterrent for me to pull out the plastics and keep to using bread.  But now I'm feeling pretty optimistic.  I did switch out from the Squidgies plastic to a Zman plastic though.  The Squidgies are damn good looking but this one had the tail ripped within 5 mins of my session and I didn't want to keep swapping for a new one.  A shame the durability is on the low end to me, because I really like the way their lures look.

 

It wasn't too long after that I got my second flatty!  I could tell based off the headshakes now.

 

 

After the release of this one, and a couple more casts, I ended up getting snagged on something and broken off on.  It was time to go anyway, so I packed up and left after this.  Much much more inclined to just pull out the plastics now after this productive short session.  I know not all short sessions will net me fish but now I have at least proven to myself that it can happen, so won't let a short flick be a deterrent any longer.  

Another quality report @linewetter

Heres my method of holding flathead, between the 2 rows of top fins 

Also if u do get spiked rub the wound on the belly of the flathead to help stop the bleeding 

[linewetter]

17 minutes ago, Aussiefisherman said:

Another quality report @linewetter

Heres my method of holding flathead, between the 2 rows of top fins 

Also if u do get spiked rub the wound on the belly of the flathead to help stop the bleeding 

Interesting I will have to give that a go next time.  I do notice their top fins don't seem to be as susceptible to poking me unlike other fish like bream, kinda seems a little more "soft" (maybe just has less spines over a larger fin area in comparison) so am less afraid of trying to hold them like you have in the pic.  At least my hands would be much further away from the spikes near their face using your method.

Have you tried that rubbing wound on belly method before?  I heard that once before and have been hit a few times but didn't know if rubbing it on their belly would actually work or if it would give me an infection so I never tried it.  It seemed too silly to be true at the time 🤣  But might have to actually keep the tip handy if it does work.

[Aussiefisherman]

56 minutes ago, linewetter said:

Interesting I will have to give that a go next time.  I do notice their top fins don't seem to be as susceptible to poking me unlike other fish like bream, kinda seems a little more "soft" (maybe just has less spines over a larger fin area in comparison) so am less afraid of trying to hold them like you have in the pic.  At least my hands would be much further away from the spikes near their face using your method.

Have you tried that rubbing wound on belly method before?  I heard that once before and have been hit a few times but didn't know if rubbing it on their belly would actually work or if it would give me an infection so I never tried it.  It seemed too silly to be true at the time 🤣  But might have to actually keep the tip handy if it does work.

Yeah bream can also be a pain to handle

I'm unsure, but someone could back me up on this but I'm pretty sure the spines contain a chemical called anticoagulant which acts as a blood thinner and the antidote is the mucous linning on the belly of the fish. Similar to a snake bite and it's antivenmon. A more senior member would be able to help with the proper explanation 👍 

[Yowie]

12 hours ago, Aussiefisherman said:

 

Heres my method of holding flathead, between the 2 rows of top fins 

Also if u do get spiked rub the wound on the belly of the flathead to help stop the bleeding 

That will work for a smaller flattie, however, one at the 60, 70cm mark or bigger is a different thing. An angry fish is what you have with the larger flatties, just wanting to swing that head, and the head spikes will rip and tear if they make contact with you.

Extreme caution needed with a large flattie when the head is swinging, especially in the confines of a kayak.

There are various grips to hold one. Practice a grip first on a dead one, then imagine the swinging head of a live one with the grip you are using, and where the head spikes will end up in your hand, arm, feet.

Edited April 8 by Yowie

[DrRaymondSnapper]

Flathead spines do not function to inject venom and are not coated with any biologically active compound that causes coagulation problems. The danger from the spines lies in their ability to cause significant soft tissue injury which can lead to severe pain and potential infection. The excessive bleeding that results from flathead injury is also due to the traumatic damage from the spikes. It is unknown why some people report improvement in symptoms after rubbing the infected area on the the fish`s belly. There is no scientific basis to this theory and it has the potential to make infection more likely if the wound is large. I suspect it is an example of the placebo effect but research continues on the subject  I am sure that many Fishraiders can comment on the procedure and some will swear by its efficacy but , personally ,  I have found it to be a waste of time [ or slime ]. Standard first aid measures apply - clean the wound / pain relief / monitor for infection etc. 

[Koalaboi]

I usually use a microfibre cloth to hold flathead. I find that gripping them so that you can place a bit of pressure on the cloaca or just in front of that keeps them pretty still. It also pays to play the fish till it’s quiet before handling them.

KB

[Little_Flatty]

Nice report @linewetter. Never forego a session because you only have a short length of time!

I really like my squidgy prawns, it's one of my go-to plastics and caught me my PB flathead.

As far as holding flathead are concerned, for the small ones I use the 'thumb on bum' technique as shown in this video:

 

[linewetter]

10 hours ago, Yowie said:

That will work for a smaller flattie, however, one at the 60, 70cm mark or bigger is a different thing. An angry fish is what you have with the larger flatties, just wanting to swing that head, and the head spikes will rip and tear if they make contact with you.

Extreme caution needed with a large flattie when the head is swinging, especially in the confines of a kayak.

There are various grips to hold one. Practice a grip first on a dead one, then imagine the swinging head of a live one with the grip you are using, and where the head spikes with end up in your hand, arm, feet.

I’ve only been catch and release so far, so the next time I decide to keep one to take home I’ll try that out, a good strategy. I’ve also luckily (or unluckily) have only caught smaller ones that are easier to handle so far - waiting on the big ones to come into my hands one day 😁

[linewetter]

2 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Nice report @linewetter. Never forego a session because you only have a short length of time!

I really like my squidgy prawns, it's one of my go-to plastics and caught me my PB flathead.

As far as holding flathead are concerned, for the small ones I use the 'thumb on bum' technique as shown in this video:

 

I’ve heard of the thumb on bum technique. I think the hardest part for me is getting them upside down in the first place then gripping them there. Them being upside down seems to calm them too but they really don’t like it it seems and always seem to manage to flip right side up again so quickly. I will just have to keep trying and put together all the techniques everyone’s shared with me - I think tiring them out is probably the one part I need to do more of because I reel them in quite quickly being nervous of them cutting me off on my light leader. And yet at the same time I don’t want to go heavier because I feel as though you should be able to bring in most fish on light line with the proper technique and want to build on those skills. 

[faker]

I kinda of always bring a flathead rag all the time. It's kinda of a must when fishing 

[Aussie_fisher]

Awesome report @linewetter Squidgie prawn wrigglers are one of my favourite soft plastics especially in the whitebait and estuary prawn colour. My dad once got spiked badly by a flattie. The wound got infected and it was not a good sight. always carry a rag or a lip gripper when going for flathead not worth the risk.

[linewetter]

3 minutes ago, Aussie_fisher said:

Awesome report @linewetter Squidgie prawn wrigglers are one of my favourite soft plastics especially in the whitebait and estuary prawn colour. My dad once got spiked badly by a flattie. The wound got infected and it was not a good sight. always carry a rag or a lip gripper when going for flathead not worth the risk.

I love the whitebait color.  I read somewhere that the lures with red gill rakes painted on can trigger fish to attack because it can trick it into thinking it's a wounded fish.  I don't know where I read it, but the whitebait lure is one of the few I noticed had that red gill painted on, so really like those ones.  I'll have to give estuary prawn a go too though - did not notice that one but looking at the photos, it looks like a good all rounder color similar to a motor oil.

[Aussie_fisher]

Ye that’s a pretty good observation you might be onto something. Prawn wrigglers are very difficult to get your hands onto compared to other squidgies like wrigglers which can be found almost anywhere 

[R E G I C Y C L E]

22 hours ago, linewetter said:

Does anyone have any advice on how to hold the flathead by the way?

I usually lip them and suffer the consequences. And yeah my thumb has a few scars, before you ask 😆

In all seriousness a pair of lip grips (plastic to protect the fish) helps a lot for handling flatties.

[Marky mark]

Just a quick one one the lure clip thingy, I'm not much of a fan. Search and practice tying a "Lefty's Loop" and use that instead, its a super quick, easy knot that gives you a nice loop to enhance the lure's movement without adding weight or another point of failure, I use it for all light tackle lure fishing. Flatties are wriggly, spiky buggers and I either forget a rag and end up thumb gripping them and getting my thumb worn off or use a rag and be happy.  

[thatdan1000]

For anyone using a rag (or glove) to hold their fish, please make sure you wet it first!! Anything we use to handle our fish should be wet to help protect their slime layer. This layer is important for the fish's health, so keeping it intact and on the fish (and not on our dry rag) is a must when catch and release fishing. 

Obviously if you're keeping a fish for a feed keeping the slime layer intact isn't so important so go nuts 😂

[lhan]

another crack session @linewetter! As for the squidgies, I found them a lot less durable than Zman/Rapala ones. Many of mine won't last more than 1 catch till they're ripped or tails bitten off.

And not many of us are using Daiwa fuego here I just noticed - it's such a nice reel but I found the bail arm is a bit clunky or even self open under heavy load (when I tried flip the line trying to save a snag, but I never had a big fish giving this sudden big drag). Still I feels the drag is MUCH MUCH MORE linear and smooth than shimano low end reels

[linewetter]

4 hours ago, lhan said:

another crack session @linewetter! As for the squidgies, I found them a lot less durable than Zman/Rapala ones. Many of mine won't last more than 1 catch till they're ripped or tails bitten off.

And not many of us are using Daiwa fuego here I just noticed - it's such a nice reel but I found the bail arm is a bit clunky or even self open under heavy load (when I tried flip the line trying to save a snag, but I never had a big fish giving this sudden big drag). Still I feels the drag is MUCH MUCH MORE linear and smooth than shimano low end reels

I completely agree - I'm blown away by the Daiwa Fuego.  I got it online shipped from a different country for around $90AUD and it blows away anything at the same price point.  I have a Okuma Ceymar that was around $95AUD and it's not nearly as nice.  Great value reel considering it is also sealed at least - though maybe not fully sealed from what little I've read, just parts of the reel are sealed, still better than nothing.  The bail arm is a little clunky I do agree.  Also some people seem to have issues with line laying down equivalently across the spool, but I didn't have that issue.  I found out after googling what the extra plastic washers in the box was for.  The drag is definitely the highlight though especially for finesse fishing.  So easy to dial in without overdoing it and skull dragging the fish in.

[lhan]

2 hours ago, linewetter said:

I completely agree - I'm blown away by the Daiwa Fuego.  I got it online shipped from a different country for around $90AUD and it blows away anything at the same price point.  I have a Okuma Ceymar that was around $95AUD and it's not nearly as nice.  Great value reel considering it is also sealed at least - though maybe not fully sealed from what little I've read, just parts of the reel are sealed, still better than nothing.  The bail arm is a little clunky I do agree.  Also some people seem to have issues with line laying down equivalently across the spool, but I didn't have that issue.  I found out after googling what the extra plastic washers in the box was for.  The drag is definitely the highlight though especially for finesse fishing.  So easy to dial in without overdoing it and skull dragging the fish in.

And it is LIGHT, my C3000 is only 220g with braid. Not Vanford level but better than Shimano non-CI4 offerings. And I believe it at least feels more rigid compared to CI4 reels.

I love the idea of magseal - perfect for estuary fishing at least. I also learned the tiny bit heavier crank feeling is from the thickened magseal grease (Daiwa Japan has a service to remove magseal or ST series for high end finesse reels). On the other hand, I heard some heavy inshore/offshore people actually hate it due to needs of Daiwa exclusive maintainance. Not bothering me since it's relatively cheap, I just enjoy it as consumables.

[linewetter]

14 minutes ago, lhan said:

And it is LIGHT, my C3000 is only 220g with braid. Not Vanford level but better than Shimano non-CI4 offerings. And I believe it at least feels more rigid compared to CI4 reels.

I love the idea of magseal - perfect for estuary fishing at least. I also learned the tiny bit heavier crank feeling is from the thickened magseal grease (Daiwa Japan has a service to remove magseal or ST series for high end finesse reels). On the other hand, I heard some heavy inshore/offshore people actually hate it due to needs of Daiwa exclusive maintainance. Not bothering me since it's relatively cheap, I just enjoy it as consumables.

Yes the weight is another big pro!  Very light reel.  I also like that it comes in shallow spool variants - eliminates the need for backing on even very low PE braid and can just have a perfect spool of 150m braid.  

I'm the same way as you too regarding the magseal.  I have heard it makes maintenance a pain and you have to send it into Daiwa for service, though I thought I read they sell the magseal oil now and don't hold it exclusively to themselves anymore.  But at the price point it's at, I'm sort of like....ehhh if it comes to the point where I have to send it in for service, at the price I paid, I'll probably just buy another Fuego rather than pay for the servicing that'll probably cost nearly half the reel's worth.  

On another note too, I really like the sound of the drag too on the reel.  It's such a minor thing that makes no difference but one of the criteria when I was purchasing a new reel was how the drag sounded too 😅