Drifting technique with SPs

[the gecko]

If your drifting with SPs and the current and the breeze are both going in the same direction, then your lures gonna be hanging out behind the boat.

Would you
A- use enough wieght on the jighead, so you can stay connected with the bottom and just give it the occaisional lift ?

or
B- cast ahead of the drift, and wind the reel a bit quicker to stay connected?

Im drifting in the broadwater at 12-15ft depth, using a 1/2oz jig and 6" Atomic shad, looking for flatheads. Ive also had success drifting with 1/4oz jigs and 3" SPs. I usually let it run behind the boat when I drift, but Im just curious as to how others do it on the drift.

cheers
Andrew

[bayfisher]

How about and option c "both"

Have one in the rod holder drifting behind the boat and work the other by casting ahead.

Cheers Chris

[Horse]

I'm with Chris on this one. I may even have two in holders just deadsticking

[Gill]

When I think about the best flathead session I’ve had it has been with hard bodied lures on an out going tide, trolling with the tide on the drop-offs of banks. Always caught more going with the tide than going against the tide. I think you are in with a better chance going with the tide than against for flathead. But if you are just sitting there dead sticking as you call it, its not going to hurt to be doing some flicking. TWO BIRDS ONE STONE.

GILL

[the gecko]

Thanks guys. I think I'll work it both ways from now on.

Andrew

[jackextracter]

B cast ahead and pop it back towards you.

[ffejsmada]

Andrew, I'm having good success using the leccy motoring slowly against the current and casting ahead.
We all know Flathead sit on the bottom and face into the current picking off morsels that come by.
For me, by fishing this way, my SP is cast ahead and wound back to the fish facing up current.
By fishing this way they haven't been scared away as the boat drifts over them in shallow water as the area the boat is drifting over has already been probed with my SP.......

I'd prefer the SP to startle the fish rather than the boat drifting over them.

Jeff.

[jackextracter]

Andrew, I'm having good success using the leccy motoring slowly against the current and casting ahead.
We all know Flathead sit on the bottom and face into the current picking off morsels that come by.
For me, by fishing this way, my SP is cast ahead and wound back to the fish facing up current.
By fishing this way they haven't been scared away as the boat drifts over them in shallow water as the area the boat is drifting over has already been probed with my SP.......

I'd prefer the SP to startle the fish rather than the boat drifting over them.

Jeff.

I fish like that when you find a patch of fish or your working some good ground and want to sit almost on top and keep working it.

[the gecko]

Yes, thanks jeff and JE, thats what Id been doin, but the current is strong and the leccy wont hold in the broadwater. It was a full moon big tide. Id cast in front of the drift, and Im getting 3 bounces and Im on top of it in a few secs. Also winding constantly, and feeling like its too fast a wind on the reel to get a proper lure action.

Casting ahead should work well in areas of less current. I ended up moving spots after a while, but i was curious about deadsticking vs. casting ahead for very short retrieve times.

Should the same techniques work equally well for jew? Would boat disturbance be less of an issue at night?

cheers
Andrew

[Franco]

Andrew,

Good post. Boat position is a hard one to get right sometimes and just as important as lure choice, action, location etc etc. Recently trying to learn this lure fishing for bream finesse bullshit has taught me that!!

For flatties, I use either a drift anchor or the leccy to slow the drift, or both if the wind / current combo is tricky. The drift anchor allows for more time concentrating on the fishing and less time screwing around on the leccy trying to get a good position.

When fishing for flatties some simple logic goes a long way, which took me a long time to appreciate & learn!

More often than not the fish are facing the direction where the food is coming from ie towards the shallows and into the current. I can testify to seeing this many times when spearfishing for them, and it makes sense really. So I usually cast towards the shallow water, up into the current, obliquely from the position of the boat. Then I work it back off the drop off and with the current. This also makes it easier to keep the lure on the bottom (which is the biggest mistake most flatty jigging newbies make).

So the end result is my lure hopefully appearing as natural as the food source they're eating, approaching the flatty from the same direction as a confused and wounded baitfish would. Simple!! Actually it can be quite difficult if the tide and wind are from the same direction. That's exactly when I use the dirft anchor.
I personally don't worry too much about spooking the fish under the boat so long as depth is 10ft or more and the water isn't gin clear. Have caught plenty of stonkers straight under the boat in that scenario. Of course if its shallow and /or clear then its a different story - then it's time for long casts ahead of the boat.

Hope that helps buddy. Ciao.

[kind_cir]

I have 2 lines set deadsticking for the flatties bouncing off the bottom out the back. I then cast and retrive a 3rd line paralell slightly ahead of the boat toward structure. with a plastic for brem and such, weighted to slowly sink and look natural on the way down. I work this third plastic till it reaches the bottom. Bounce it along till it angles toward the back, and then start over. You must keep this line with no slack and be aware of any changes that may indicate a fish has hold of it.
I have had tripple hook ups, 2 flatties and a bream doing this. also had 3 flatties at once. The third line I have had everyting from bream, trevally, cod, small jacks ect and also flatties. While the deadsticks I have only had lizzards.
The wife and/ or daughter usually join us to keep a lid on the action. They love the dead sticks as the drag is set light and when a flattie grabs the plastic, line slowly peels off. They then open the bail arm and count to 10 slowly, tighten the drag slightly and engage the bail arm, lift and see if there on.
The wife reads a book and the kid does what kids do in between the action.
This is the only way I get em on the boat as they don't have to do much and are always on to a few fish.