Useful tips on catching flathead

Flathead are on the chew in an estuary near you right now. This is the time of year that big fish move in from the deep water into rivers, estuaries and lakes to gorge on the abundance of food available as the water warms up.

The waterways along the NSW south coast to SE Queensland are producing some nice lizards, from wigglers to huge shovel-headed monsters. The largest fish are always female, and releasing these big girls unharmed is a good idea. They are the ones that will populate the estuary for you and everyone else in the future, provided they don't end up in a net!

WHEN TO GO
One of the prime times to look for flathead is on a falling tide. The ideal scenario is to find a big sandflat with plenty of seagrass scattered around on the bottom with gutters leading off the flat into a deeper channel.

The reason falling tides are the best times to try for flathead is the fish are chased from the shallows by the falling water and into the deeper gutters at low tide.

These fish will lie in wait for prey to spill out of the shallows, sometimes remaining in quite shallow water. Favourite ambush locations are at the mouths of gutters ? the baitifsh highways of the draining sandflats.

It's a good idea to scope the flats from a boat at high tide, keeping an eye out for holes, gutters and channels that drain the flats as the tide falls. Good locations can be committed to memory and revisited when the tide begins to fall. Care should be taken to exit the sandflat over the shallow areas and not over the channels you plan to fish.

If you arrive at a gutter during a falling tide, approach quietly and anchor within casting distance directly out from the channel. Pick a spot that allows you to fish the waters upstream, downstream and in the gutter itself. Fanning your casts around these promising areas allows you to cover more ground and find more fish.

WHERE TO GO
The mouths of these drains and gutters will often spit out a muddy delta of sand, sticks, mud and silt. These are prime areas to look for flathead.

As a rule, a fast flowing gutter will have a larger delta at its mouth, provided the main channel it is flowing into is not a roaring torrent, sweeping the suspended sand and mud away.

Flathead are the southern lure caster's staple fish. Anglers up and down the eastern seaboard that enjoy fishing with lures can latch onto this species using all manner of wooden, plastic and feather creations.

Flathead tend to bury themselves up to their eyes on the sandy bottom, and remain there for relatively long periods. As such, its often necessary to put your lures very close to the fish to induce a strike, especially in dirty water. In faster flowing, murky water, lead head jigs and soft plastics often produce the best results. The main idea is to bounce your jig across the bottom, stopping and starting and jerking it up and down erratically.

WHAT TO DO
Most small diving lures will catch estuary flathead. Kokoda's Barra Assassins are just as effective in flathead country as they are in a tropical barra river (although they catch flathead there, too). Another top flathead lure is Kokoda's 'wobbling jig-head'. They ski across the bottom with the flat bib on the jig head imparting a wiggling action to its soft plastic tail.

Attracting as much attention as possible is the name of the game, so lures that are dragged, thumped and bumped over the sandy bottom usually catch more fish. Unfortunately, they also catch the bottom, so 'snag free' lures are generally favoured.

Hard-bodied lures that swim with a 'head down, bum up' attitude help keep the trebles from snagging on underwater structure. Whether you are using soft plastics or minnows, getting the lure onto the bottom and keeping it there for as long as possible is the name of the game.

WHAT BAIT?
While lures are probably most popular with dedicated flathead anglers, it's difficult to beat a well presented, fresh bait.

Live herring and poddy mullet are deadly on larger fish, and should be rigged on a hook that is tied direct to the main line with the lightest possible running sinker.

To avoid using a trace, which can hamper the bait's movement, use a long shank hook such as Mustad's 4540 or 3191. These hooks have a half-inch or longer shank, which reduces the need for a heavy mono or wire trace. Livies are best lightly hooked through the back between the dorsal fin and the tail.

A variety of dead baits can be tried if you can't get your hands on some livies. Strips of fish, trailing squid tentacles and blue or white pilchards make great baits, especially when drift fishing. The squid is especially durable and will stay on the hook despite the best efforts of the pickers.

A Paternoster rig with two hooks is just as good as any for drifting for flathead. A heavy, angular sinker such as a star sinker is ideal, as it will kick up sand as it bumps across the bottom, attracting the attention of the fish. The baited hooks will do the rest.

TAKE CARE
For novice anglers that have had little experience with these fish, they have some nasty attributes that you need to be aware of. The spines behind their gillplates, which carry a mild poison, will open your fingers up like a jam tin and the rows of rough teeth in their mouths are just as bad. A pair of fish claspers or a thick towel should be used when handling these guys if you are keeping them for the table.

If you've caught enough for tea and are fishing for fun, barbless hooks allow you shake them off over the side of the boat without having to touch them at all.

So if you fancy tangling with some flathead this summer, look for channels, gutters and drains around the sandbars, try to cover as much ground as you can with your baits and lures and fish the run-out tides. Just remember to avoid those spines!