flattie lures

[Jinx]

G'day everybody, I do a LOT of flathead fishing and, until recently, I do most of it with bait but I'm thinking about giving lures a try. (No mess, no smell and you don't have to keep re-baiting the hook) I've got a fair idea about what kind of lure to use but since lures are not cheap (hard body) I don't want to lay down ten bucks (minimum) for a lure that doesn't work. Could you guys give some pointers about what's good and how to use it. ??? ???
Thanx,
Sean

[Bent]

Hey Jinx,

You didn't say where you are from but on the Gold Coast these techniques seem to work for me.

I stuck with hard body lure fishing for quite a few years, (you didn't mention if you were fishing from the bank or a boat) from a boat I did pretty well, but from the bank a soft plastic is far and away the best option, just the time it allows you to stay in the strike zone is so much better than a hard body in this situation.

I do really well around the storm water drains in the canals plus the fact that good bream and the odd jack hang around here is just a bonus.

In the open areas the weedbeds and dropoffs are always a good option.

Still seem to be a few nice flatties around (plus some really good trevally if your lucky) and plenty of little ones to keep you on your toes.

Good luck

[vertico]

two words

Berkley Dropshots

[last_cast]

Hello Jinx,

I would have to agree with the two posts above, that soft plastics are better than hard bodies from a bank and that the berkley dropshot minnows are very good (I have only used the 3"). Have also had succes with the squidgy wriggler soft plastics (5" in blood worm). The general consensus on using plastics for flathead (and one which I have to agree with) is that they should basically bounce across the bottom as you retrieve them. Do not be afraid of using a heavy jig head to achieve this effect. As well as being great from shore (or boat either stationary or drifting), plastics also have the advantage around weed beds. A hard body lure which seems easy to use and produces results trolling is the Manns stretch 5+ lure. Had success with pink but this is pretty much the only colour I have used (under recommendation). I only use this around drop offs from sand banks with no weed for obvious reasons. Again the lure should be hitting the bottom and digging up some sand. Troll speed of about 3-4 knots depending on current and depth.

[roz]

Hi J,
When fishing for lizards I would use nothing but cotton cordell big 'O' lures, I would love to know how many fish they have caught for me. They are a tight action lure, but being small and light you need to use light line, I go no heavier than 3kg infact 2kg is perfect, you will find a 2kg lizard on 2kg line is very good value, just make sure the drag on your reel is in good nick.
I think I must have fished every inch of the Tweed with these lures and I also found that they worked well for Australian Bass. The colours that seemed to give me the best results were orange/brown.
Best of luck
Roz.