Flathead Frenzy

[DrRaymondSnapper]

After ten days beating the water into foam surfcasting off Grassy Head Beach and no lure action , I decided to head off to my favourite Lake Macquarie sandflats for a session spinning for flathead. A month ago  I had landed my PB flathead there - 80 cm. The conditions were excellent - mid-afternoon , 30 minutes before high tide , bright and sunny and a light offshore breeze. The area that I intended to concentrate on had a nice sandy patch that dropped into a channel about 2 metres deep. There were weed beds dotted around the area that provided cover for fish and predators. Best of all there was nobody else around.                                                       I started off casting around the weed edges but with only a couple of half-hearted lure grabs to show for 45 minutes effort. , I decided to change location. I was using my favourite lure casting combo--7`Shimano T-curve Premium and 2500 Shimano Stella FJ with 10lb Berkley X9 braid and 15lb Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon leader. My go-to lures for flathead at the moment are Zerek Fishtrap 65 mm soft vibes and they have been excellent performers in the past. My most successful  pattern has been the brilliantly named Blended Frog but have also caught fish with Min Min , Green Sunset and Tiger Fish. Blended Frog did the the job on my PB and is usually the vibe that I start with.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              After missing out around the weed beds , I turned my attention to the drop-off.  There was little water movement so I cast out into the deeper water and worked the lure back . After about 3 casts , my vibe got smashed by a solid flathead of 55cm. Two casts later another flattie of 48 cm took a liking to my Blended Frog and was quickly beached. Both fish had engulfed the vibe and were well and truly hooked and must have been hungry. After no more hits , I moved about 20 metres onto a flatter section that gradually shelved into deeper water. This spot yielded 2 more flatties of 45 cm in quick succession. I was very tempted to keep fishing as they were obviously " on the chew " , but with 4 in the bag I had caught enough for the day and it was time to text the wife that I had taken care of dinner for a few nights. And my other fishing mates for bragging rights. Three cheers for Blended Frog !

[TheFishyFisherman]

Nice bag of flatties. That lure looks great for the flathead. 👍

[big Neil]

Great post Dr. Raymond. Are those trebles the originals that those lures (vibes) come with? They look to be good quality and strong. I think that vibes are a very underestimated type of lure. Unique in their style of "whirring, vibrating" retrieve, they certainly get the attention of all types of fish species.

bn

[Little_Flatty]

Quality feed there Raymond. I have to admit, I haven’t yet caught a flathead on a soft vibe!

[Yowie]

Nice bag of flatties, and, no-one else around you to catch your fish. 😂

Sounds like a prime flattie spot, where they sit along the drop offs, near weed beds, waiting for something to eat. Many people cast way out, but the fish are at your feet. At times, and especially night time, the flatties will be in very shallow water.

[Larkin]

Nice flatties, well done finding them!

Very nice combo - I have the same just a larger size reel, love the action of the Tcurve premium especially for soft plastics and vibes. But I have broken 3 of those rods. I broke one, which I thought may have been my fault so I purchased another - that broke too. I gave them into shimano and both were replaced. I broke one of the replacements and now just have the last one left - which I haven’t used. They feel beautiful - my favourite too, but I believe they have a weakness up top. I have since switched to a millerod for my goto - and not had a problem since. Landbased they may be ok, just watch it dragging fish up onto the sand or having the rod anywhere near a high stick position - and if you try rod lifting a fish even a small one you run the risk of snapping it. I think I lifted a 35-40cm snapper and it broke - sad seeing your rod tip slide down your line lol. 
ps. None of my other rods have ever broken on fish - and I have a few.

[DrRaymondSnapper]

2 hours ago, big Neil said:

Great post Dr. Raymond. Are those trebles the originals that those lures (vibes) come with? They look to be good quality and strong. I think that vibes are a very underestimated type of lure. Unique in their style of "whirring, vibrating" retrieve, they certainly get the attention of all types of fish species.

bn

Yes BN , they are the original trebles. Zerek make quality gear and there is no need to switch the trebles out. I find that vibes are very simple to use and very effective on predatory species. Just don`t " overwork " them. The only thing I forgot to add is that I use a bit of S Factor on them. They cost less than $20 too and are far cheaper than Bent Minnows and Double Clutches and Transams [ especially ]. Personally , I think that they are under-rated. Especially on flathead.

[DrRaymondSnapper]

1 hour ago, Larkin said:

Nice flatties, well done finding them!

Very nice combo - I have the same just a larger size reel, love the action of the Tcurve premium especially for soft plastics and vibes. But I have broken 3 of those rods. I broke one, which I thought may have been my fault so I purchased another - that broke too. I gave them into shimano and both were replaced. I broke one of the replacements and now just have the last one left - which I haven’t used. They feel beautiful - my favourite too, but I believe they have a weakness up top. I have since switched to a millerod for my goto - and not had a problem since. Landbased they may be ok, just watch it dragging fish up onto the sand or having the rod anywhere near a high stick position - and if you try rod lifting a fish even a small one you run the risk of snapping it. I think I lifted a 35-40cm snapper and it broke - sad seeing your rod tip slide down your line lol. 
ps. None of my other rods have ever broken on fish - and I have a few.

Point taken. I haven`t run into any dramas yet but will heed your advice. I`ve tried a few rods but I love the T-Curve`s action. Its my go-to rod for vibes. I have a couple of Zodias too but always grab the T-Curve for using vibes. The T-Curve handled the 80 cm flathead without any trouble and that was a good test for the rig. Lots of big head shakes and a couple of runs but the rod handled it easily. I really only fish land based mainly so would never lift a fish into a boat with it. That would an insult to it. I haven`t tried any Millerods but I hear that they are quality outfits. Something to bear in mind if I need a new rod or feel like a change but , at the moment , the T-Curve rules.

[DrRaymondSnapper]

1 hour ago, Yowie said:

Nice bag of flatties, and, no-one else around you to catch your fish. 😂

Sounds like a prime flattie spot, where they sit along the drop offs, near weed beds, waiting for something to eat. Many people cast way out, but the fish are at your feet. At times, and especially night time, the flatties will be in very shallow water.

Yes , its a great day when you have the place to yourself. A rare thing these days. The only drawback is the lack of admiring spectators but I can handle that. It is a great spot for walking and casting. A lot of different habitats to try and the fish will use them all. You just have to find them.

[DrRaymondSnapper]

3 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Quality feed there Raymond. I have to admit, I haven’t yet caught a flathead on a soft vibe!

I think its time for a visit to the tackle shop Little_Flatty  At less than $20 , grab a 65cm Blended Frog and give it a try. If you like them , then try a few different patterns and colours.  I bet it works on a lot of different species. They come in bigger sizes but 65 cm is perfect for general use. You can tell when they are not running well or fouled by weed too. I think that they are irresistible to some species. 

[DrRaymondSnapper]

11 hours ago, TheFishyFisherman said:

Nice bag of flatties. That lure looks great for the flathead. 👍

They are great lures and definitely worth a go. I even felt like biting one. I got three good feeds for the wife and I so I`m a hero at home for a change. The price of seafood being what it is then they pay for themselves over and over. Plus the enjoyment of feeling a fish grabbing your lure.

[Larkin]

51 minutes ago, DrRaymondSnapper said:

Point taken. I haven`t run into any dramas yet but will heed your advice. I`ve tried a few rods but I love the T-Curve`s action. Its my go-to rod for vibes. I have a couple of Zodias too but always grab the T-Curve for using vibes. The T-Curve handled the 80 cm flathead without any trouble and that was a good test for the rig. Lots of big head shakes and a couple of runs but the rod handled it easily. I really only fish land based mainly so would never lift a fish into a boat with it. That would an insult to it. I haven`t tried any Millerods but I hear that they are quality outfits. Something to bear in mind if I need a new rod or feel like a change but , at the moment , the T-Curve rules.

The model i have is the heavy spin 6-12kg line class - used it for snapper.

yep - i love the feel of it too. Has a beautiful action eh 

I have a few Zodias too. Issue with the tcurve may have been specific to the model I have - and I think shimano know about it, which is why I believe they replaced two of them for me.

I have also noticed they’re no longer available.

[DrRaymondSnapper]

1 hour ago, Larkin said:

The model i have is the heavy spin 6-12kg line class - used it for snapper.

yep - i love the feel of it too. Has a beautiful action eh 

I have a few Zodias too. Issue with the tcurve may have been specific to the model I have - and I think shimano know about it, which is why I believe they replaced two of them for me.

I have also noticed they’re no longer available.

That`s right . You can`t get T-Curve Premium any more but I noticed on the Shimano website that they have released a new version called 24Tcurve which looks like an upgrade. Where`s my credit card ?

[jenno64]

Top session Raymond, sounds like you found a good spot to return to! Congrats on the PB!

[DrRaymondSnapper]

1 hour ago, jenno64 said:

Top session Raymond, sounds like you found a good spot to return to! Congrats on the PB!

Thanks jenno , that PB had me buzzing for hours. It is a good spot and fairly reliable flathead country. I picked up a 65 cm fish a week after the 80cm one. The big one had a head like a shovel. It was awesome to see it gliding off into deep water. Memory of a lifetime. Now for a 1 metre lizard !

[kantong]

great session there and well done on landing some quality fish. I love my T-curve, although would love a Stella one day!

[DrRaymondSnapper]

On 9/13/2024 at 3:53 PM, kantong said:

great session there and well done on landing some quality fish. I love my T-curve, although would love a Stella one day!

Thanks kantong , T-curves are great rods aren`t they ? Any good reel works with them. Definitely one of Shimano`s better offerings. They make you look like a better angler than you are.