Fishing for the mighty flathead

I always walk the sand flats at low tide looking for where flathead have been laying at high tide and getting a measure of what size fish are around. Rising tides tend to be best-suited for chasing flathead in shallow water.

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Flick soft plastics around to see if you can hook a lizard – the nickname given to larger flatties. Cast in every direction to cover as much ground as possible. Be sure to change the colour plastic you are fishing with, as this can make a big difference on the day. Pink and green colours tend to work for me.

Flathead are a lazy species and will lay buried in the sand as they wait for the food to come to them. To make them move and strike, you really need to impress them.

I find a slow to mid-pace retrieve with a couple of rod tip flicks every few winds is dynamite on this species.

Wind up your slack line fast when retrieving plastics, as flathead are known to hit them on the way down. If the line is not tight and ready for a hook-up they tend to just bite off the tail.

Jig head sizes depends on the depth fished, but I mostly chase flathead from land using a 1/8 head weight and size 3/0 hook. I swap to a 1/4 weight jighead if fishing a deeper drop-off.

Flathead love hanging in and around weed beds, and if weed is interfering with your jighead try rigging plastics on a weedless hook such as the Gamakatsu EWG.

I find adding fish attractant to the plastics can be very effective.

What do I throw the plastics with? I use a Samurai Reaction 4-10lb rod for chasing flathead paired with a 2500-size reel.

It is an ideal setup as an all-round estuary rod suitable for throwing hard-bodied lures and plastics. Heavier outfits will leave you struggling to throw them a decent distance.

But a rod like this also is good for targeting flatties on bait.

Flathead will feed on prawns and worms, with live herring good for targeting the bigger fish.

I jig for herring under bridge or jetty pylons using a small jig with size 10 hooks. Attaching a sinker to the bottom of the jig and performing a medium-pace retrieve with pauses and ‘jigging’ should land you a bucketful. Remember, different baits require different size and shape hooks, and anything from a 1/0 up to a 3/0 size will generally catch flathead.

Gently pulling them up onto the sand is the best way to land flathead safely. Use lip grips or a landing net if fishing off rocks or a boat.

Flathead shake their head like a wet dog as soon as they feel pressure, increasing the risk of losing them. Nothing feels as bad as watching one away without the prized photo.

They have a set of gill spikes on the back of their heads, so be careful handling them and if you’re smart, use spike protection gloves. Release the big girls, with the blokes measuring around 40cm making the best eating.

As always, respect local size and bag limits.