What's your biggest Flathead ?

[R_K_HILL]

Hi all, was just reading this post ( http://www.ausfish.com.au/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1154301826 ) and saw one of the biggest Flatty's I've ever seen, caught by Greenie's (mistress T) son up Coombabah Creek recently.

Then thought it'd be good to start a topic where you can post your biggest Flathead and how + where + when you caught it!

My biggest doesn't even go close to their's, but I'll put it below anyways.

Time: Easter 2006 Late afternoon
Size of Fish: Unknown (maybe around 80cm)
Location: Mooloolabah (opposite the bowls club)
Bait: Live Herring (about 15cm in size)

[T1]

80cm in 1997 in Lota Creek trolling a hard bodied lure. Will try and find the photo (until then, 'allegedly').

My brother dropped a fish (bit through the leader) at the side of the boat that was around the metre mark at the Pin earlier this year! One of the biggest i have ever seen with my own eyes...

Take Care T

[Jeremy87]

Apparently the large flathead have moved in around the pin and the seaway already. Heres a photo of a 79cm fish caught at the pin in september 2004.

[Jeremy87]

And here's an 86cm fish caught on the same day that we didn't want to handle

[Jeremy87]

The first fish took a 3 inch saltwater assasin in chartuse and the second fish took an unweighted poddy mullet cast into structure and worked slowly out.

[R_K_HILL]

Nice catch. Like your ruler!

[chillihead]

Richmond River Spot X, 80cm model, early morning in June 2006, rainbow in background was just a bonus for the piccy!!

[chillihead]

Sorry forgot to mention, caught on soft plastic, 3 inch minnow smelt scales!!

Here's another picture.

[jackash]

No pic unforunately but my brother (Fritzy) got one on a pilly tail at the mouth of the Mooloolah at christmas... went 96 cm

[matthill80]

92cm in the twed on a manns stretch 20+ banana fish colour

[matthill80]

92cm in the tweed on a manns stretch 20+ banana fish colour

[matthill80]

oops sorry about the double post this one went 90cm in the seaway on a 6"tsunami shad

[Sportfish_5]

Yeah sure ;)

Double post to show off the 6 pack of abs Matty ;D ;D

[land-lubber]

80 odd cm (around 4 of my handspans that are 23cm exactly) on 2 1/2in atomic paddletail in green gord and 1/8 tt jighead. 8lb fireline and 8lb yo-zuri flurocarbon leader at riverheads (h/bay) in 3ft of water fishing parralel to the bank.

[Adamy]

I have "allegedly" caught 1 at 93cms - of course I cant prove it till I find the photo... ;) Caught in the broadwater on a live mullay :P :P hey T1 ;D ;D It was years ago before digital - so I'll dig through and see if I cant find the print and scan it.... till then it's alleged.

One day - my best ever was at the point of caruso - between me and a mate we caught 5 with the smallest at 77cm (we only kept 3) - in those days we didnt take photos of fish - we just ate them... those were also the days when it was OK to take a big female... wouldnt do it now of course.

[Franco]

My best from last sept:
(why does this sorta thing always happen when you fish with Girls??!!)

http://www.ausfish.com.au/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1127969117;start=all

[Jacksta]

Round about Easter time this year, caught on a live Herring wish i could say plastic but i wasnt taken over by the dark side just then ;D anyways was oppisite fisherman's island i think it, in the Maroohcy! went 86cm good fight on the 8lb, even got in the paper for it aswell 8-) :o

Cheers Joel

[Sergio_kutz]

Caught a 73cm model on a trip up to Bundaberg. The pic is dodgy as it was on my phone at about 5am still dark. on a 3 inch berkley minnow in pumpkinseed on 6lb fireline and 8lb vanish leader.

[Got_the_Fever]

These are all good fish. My biggest so far is a 52cm model caught in the Pine 3 weeks ago on a 3" minnow pumpkin seed plastic.

Kel

[R_K_HILL]

Theres some good fish there fellas.. Hope there's more to come!

[SimonT]

79cm at the Pin (not hard to tell where) on a 4" drop shot minnow in pearl watermelon on 4lb braid and 8lb leader. Took a mate who also got a 76cm which wasn't bad for a first fish at the Pin. I'm sure I've caught a few bigger when I was younger but with no photos or measurements made, I guess they don't count!!

[Lone_Wolf]

first cast in the Logan last October on a string of fresh greasies, 92cm, unsure of weight as it was released.

[davo]

I had one break the bib off a Halco Scorpion 52mm. It was huge but the best one was down the pin when David Green and his friends were fishing the same bank. As they walked along they caught various fish but one of them as they brought in a smaller flatty had a monster of 90+cm actually eat the smaller one on the way in and at the last moment spat it out leaving a very sharken 35cm fish :o

[JT]

My PB 84cm from the Pin in 2004, fell to a 4 inch Squidgy Neon Fish. Hope to beat this PB this year, during the Classic would be nice ;D ;D

Cheers

John

[theVan]

I have caught one at 96cm off the Kingfisher jetty on a live herring.....
The one in the pic was caught by my boss on 31st July at same spot on live herring

[Petenoosa]

Heres a 79cm from Noosa..... 8-)

[beefaman]

Cant find other pics at the moment, here is one I landed on a white 4" Gulp in a flatty tournament at Caloundra. Went 76cm.

[Slient]

Caught at Seaway early this year...
Regret didn't measure her cos hook nearly swallow and managed unhook and released her quickly after happy snap

Silent

[keen_as_mustard]

This is my best (to date hopefully!) - went 91cm from around the Pin. Caught first week of August 2005.

Marty

[hot_spottie]

Hi all,
I caught this flathead when i was 11. It weighed 11.75 lb(5.200kg).It is still the best fish i have ever caught.


maximus 8-)

[R_K_HILL]

That things a monster!

[Captian_Zero]

81 cm (4.4 kg) in pumicestone passage on a live herring.

[Vic1]

Come on Flickflack, where's your photo's ;)

[Why-ting]

Pin flatty september 03 caught on squidge 100mm shad in green tiger. Watched her come off the bottom to inhale the jig on the drop.

[R_K_HILL]

Bloody hell theres some big flatties ...

[onerabbit]

Posting this one for my youngest boy , he did try before but it didn't go through.

This is Max's best ever fish, 93cm & 5.2 kg.

For those of that think it should have been released ,

(a) at 11 it was the biggest fish he had ever caught! Would you?

(b) Contrary to popular belief, even at that size it was great eating

Muzz

[pjfrad]

Here is one of my best efforts, taken up in Pittwater off a marina.

[Jewmaster]

Don't have a photo. Best ever was about 30cm but was caught in mud in 80+ feet of water fishing on a wreck in Darwin Harbour.

We don't see too many flathead around darwin, but people don't seem to target them. Some of these photos have me interested in trying.

I always believed that they where around sandy and reasonably shallow waters, Are they often caught in depp water, note the Song Siagon wreck has a huge amount of current passing by so I was pretty proud to catch a flathead in those waters, The only other palce I have ever caught them is juveniles while throw netting off the beach around Gunn point which is a large flat bay with large tidal movement, At least 1.5kms to the water at low tide from the high tide mark. Sand than hand ripple mud.

Anyway, What sort of areas should I target. And what bait.

I own a yabbie pump - have pumped tonnes of mud and end up catching really uggly looking bugs and other strange throw backs to the days of dinosaurs. We don;t have many worms on our beachs, only the ones that cover themselves in sea shells and alike, but many have been killed by cars driving below the high tide mark.

I don't think live bait would work too well becuase it would probably end up being a barra or a salmon I hook up.

Oww Well if anyone has any info for chasing flathead in Darwin or sourounds let me know,
Thanks in advance

[land-lubber]

Try soft plastics, most are caught nowdays on these lures and the flatties love em. in fact, if i target flatties, i wont use anything else these days. When fishing for them, find mud/sand around edges of weedbeds or rocks, these fish tend to hold in these areas as well as dropoffs on bars etc. A good plastic to try would b the garry glitter shad squidgy in 3 inch and a jighead that gets the plastic to the bottom. My personal favourite is atomic paddletail in 2 1/2 inch in green gord colour, but hard to find at the moment. Hope that helps
cheers

[Tinlegs]

Here's a nice one I caught on a Manns 5+ at Airlie Beach last October. Very fat and healthy fish, I didn't measure her because I wanted her back in the water.

[a]

on a cold night off military jetty caloundra went 86cm but shhhhh slab of fresh mullet

[R_K_HILL]

Hey Tinlegs, I go up to Airlie all the time. Was that one caught directly out the front of the main street?

[swano]

got this one on a 4"powerbait glow minnow last year hayes inlet , took a foto with me mate brett holding it , can you guess the size ;) brett is around 6'2"

[R_K_HILL]

90cm Maybe, but a nice fish anyways..

I have some tsunami 4' shads, red head, with reflecter stuff in the middle of them that I picked up from Kmart. Yet to try them.. But how would they go?

Maybe going to try them tomorrow when I go to Bribie with the family. Was just going to wind in slowly constantly bumbing it along the bottom...

Havn't had much plastics experience!!

[Mullet_Musketeer]

This is mine - 30 July 2006 off the bank just inside the Luggage Point sunken rockwall on the Brisbane River on a Pumpkinseed GULP 3" minnow grub. Like towing in a tyre on 4lb Fireline and 10lb leader.

[2fishy]

not my biggest, this is my biggest on a SP going 68cm (average for the spot), my biggest was off kingfisher jetty and went 91cm and the picture vanished >:(

[R_K_HILL]

Never caught one on a SP actually, tried yesterday up the pine for about an hour or so.. I'll keep going til I get one ;)

[Dr_Pod]

87cm Flatty from the Pin, cought on a Mann's 5+ in gost gray. (By far my most used hardbody lure!)

[Mullet_Musketeer]

Here is mine 68 cm - Luggage Point - sunken Rockwall - Brisbane River - a couple of weeks ago on a 3" Minnow Grub Soft Plastic

[Pitsta]

Queens birthday weekend 2006 .Got a big girl at mud. Went 89 cm 4.5 kg's

[Smailesy]

3.1kg on 1kg pretest at labrador ipswich comp 1984

[fishbrain]

Caught & Released Brunswick River couple of years ago on 3" smelt powerbaits I think it was around 84cm mark.Cheers Fishbrain

[Dunks]

80 cms caught today 14/08/06 on a 3" pumpkinseed minnow, 6lb fireline, 10lb vanish leader. Caught from my Viking Espri kayak.

[2fishy]

nice lizard, bet the fight was fun from the kayak

[stonecold]

This ones up on several other threads but hey its a nice fish and I gotta give the young bloke credit where its due. 106cm and at a guess 6.5+kg on a hot pink manns 10+

[R_K_HILL]

Yeah its a bloody monster - well done again ;)

[mjc85]

98cm, no picture but caught in the Noosa river on a live whiting.

[Mullet_Musketeer]

Here is mine 68 cm - Luggage Point - sunken Rockwall - Brisbane River - a couple of weeks ago on a 3" Minnow Grub Soft Plastic ( PICTURE INCLUDED THIS TIME)

[serene_lady]

This is the largest Ihave caught since owning a dig camera. Yesterday Mary river, mullet fillet bait, 81 cm. Bob.

[R_K_HILL]

Nice fish Fellas ;)

[nathan_fishing]

here a flat head it was 76cm on a 2 inch powerbait on 4ld braid and 6 pound leader go fight! on the gold coast/currimbin creek.

all good fish guys.

nathan

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

the lone wolf mustn't be watching or he'd have put this monster up by now - (its been up before)


representing the logan river ......

[straddy77]

some real nice fish in amongst that lot! mines 97 from the surf beach at sandy cape, on the northern tip of fraser island

[whykickacatalong]

My PB was yesterday. 95cm on a 5inch Gulp and rev head jig. 1-3kg Bass rod and 1000 Stradic. No net on board so we had to bogga grip her from the water (tense moments :o) Another spot X on the Richmond ;)

[Archer]

.....and what a fine job on the boga grips i did. ;D
Was a good evening Alistair will have to do it again soon. Minus the wind though. ::)

[whykickacatalong]

Yes full credit to the Decky Archer ;) I honestly did not think we were going to boat her with no net. Can you email those pics off your camera to me when you get a chance. Pm you the addy.

Need a good jack pic now :)

[R_K_HILL]

Haven't been on for a few weeks... nice fish 'whykickacatalong'

[JT]

New PB, 88cm caught 2 weeks ago up at the Pin in less than a metre of gin clear water, watched the big girl take the lure. :o

Cheers

John

[flickflack]

92cm caught on monday

[richieboy]

Yeh 80 something cm's caught this year at my local creek. No pic here but I'd put up the report (with pic) a few months ago. 8lb braid, 10lb leader on atomic 4" paddletail.

Richie

[blue-mako]

Got my PB today :) . 76cms. Trolled at about 1000 miles an hour as I was in a hurry since I was late. Was very surprised that something jumped over the 100mm Squidgey Wriggler at that pace. On my kayaks maiden voyage as well! ;D

Troy

[SnodgerHunter]

61cm caught on flesh bait, taken from just to the right of Dave's Rock (in the bay)

[mistress_T]

Hi Flathead anglers-

I'm after a pic of a grander- that is a definite 1000mm lizard photographed on a ruler prior to release. This is for a news item in Fishing World magazine. They are very rare fish. There are over 20000 lizards in the flathead classic data now- not one over a metre. I've never caught one- best is 984mm.
Over the years I've followed up a few stories but was very disappointed when the 'metre flatties' were all probably 80-95cm, or a figment of the angler's vivid imagination. The definites I know of were Brad Smith's fish from the hole near Seaworld about 8 years ago, and a couple of old stuffed ones from Yamba (on the wall in the BP garage, or used to be).
So I want a definite documented 1000mm fish where the 0 and 100cm mark of the ruler/brag mat are clearly covered by the fish rather than anecdotal measurement without photography. It would be a great story, especially to promote the slot size limits to try and get NSW to do the same.

Thanks a lot,

Greenie

[Loco_Pez]

Here's mine. 83cm caught on a live pike about 25cm long in the seaway.

[Loco_Pez]

. . . and my largest landbased, 73cm, caught on a Berkeley mullet in Currumbin Creek.

(BTW that's not my stubby but I took it home anyway.)

[R_K_HILL]

Have Been out of Action for a few months. Thanks to all who posted their prize catches here!

[maxwellson]

this is my latest big girl that was released in excellent condition 87 cm

regards paul

[stonecold]

Nice fish Paul

Good to catch up before xmas, no doubt we'll chat again

Regards Mark

[maxwellson]

yes mark it was great to meet you also...

hows muzzas back ??

chers paul

[locked_up]

This flathead was caught in the bad old days when a flathead over the 10 pound mark was the holy grail and was promptly donged on the head. I have never caught a 10 pounder but was showed up by my wife with this 13 pounder on the old sand mining jetty at the bottom end of Fraser Island (since demolished) in the early eighties.

[gotya]

Sorry no pic's but 40 years ago i caught 10 & 3/4lb lizzard. At the age of 10 i s--t :o myself when it came out of the murky brown waters of the Sussex Singlet river. Caught on a live pody which was caught in a oyster bottle with bread ( that was fun in those days) i thought it was a snag and on a 2$ rod and a bakerlite reel i was king of the kids in the caravan park. Got my photo in the local rag and that was big news back then ..............oh the Memories ::) :D

[stonecold]

Paul,

Havnt spoken to Muzz for a coulpe of weeks. I'll try and get down to the westie on Friday arv 4 beer oclock and catch him then.

There still seems to be a zillion little tackers 4 every reasonable lizard in the lower river

Cheers Mark

[bream_boy]

i think thats a good idea i will be sure to put mine up when i catch my first one lol. i have not caught one yet and im 14 but my time will come. congrats to all the people that have posted there flaties.