No work on Tuesday and despite the wind and rain decided on a short two hour session with the Plastics in the passage. I was not all that confident as a trip the previous Sunday came up empty handed. Got down the boat ramp about 9am and just about turned around as the 5 minute trip from home saw the wind jump from about 10-15 knots to gusting 25 odd knots. Decided I had gone this far may as well have a go.
With the tide just on the make I worked one bank of a small channel. After 15 casts came up empty so moved to the other bank. Second cast and up came a 55cm Flathead. The wind picked up again and had to put in double the cranks just to come up tight on the plastic. Tied a bucket to the anchor rope to try and slow the drift (no elec motor). Two casts later and another 55cm Flatty. By this time I had drifted a 100 mtrs or so so motored back up and started the drift again. As I was working my second cast I was looking at the bank and all the elongated holes in the mud and was just thinking there must be some good flathead working these banks, and I'm on, felt the weight and headshakes of a good Flathead. Had a hard time trying to net this fish with the wind and current working together to try and send the fish under the boat. After a couple of minutes I managed to lead it into the net. 64cm and I was stoked as it had been a while since I caught a good sized Flatty. Another motor back up and 5 casts later another Flathead around the 50cm mark followed by another two in quick succession. After this the area died down despite working different banks around the same area. I had four fish in the esky as I had promised some friends a feed to take home with them the next day.
Was heading back to the boat ramp when I decided on a little detour to a spot I had caught my PB 78cm Flathead in Dec last year and only my fourth Flathead on lures/plastics (yes I was a late starter). I was on my second cast and released a 50cm version. Wind had pushed me into less than a foot of water but chose to have one more cast as there were good patches of weed around. Lift up and... damn big clump of weed. Now I have learnt in the past that big Flathead often feel like you have snagged a lump of weed but keep the pressure on, dont wind and often the weed will get a little bump to it. Well thats what happened again this time. The weed started to bump then move off with speed. This was a good fish, I could feel the weight, the run then the headshakes soon followed. I could not see the fish yet but I could see the puffs of mud each time it went on another of it's runs. Finally I had it near the boat but after 7 attempts it simply would not find it's way into the net. It would see it then off again. Finally it was in the net and went 70cm. By this time I was now only in about 6" of water and the outboard was truely stuck in the mud. 20 minutes of pushing mud with an oar against the wind and current I was on my way home absolutly stoked. Got to the boat ramp as the rain started to come down.
I have caught Marlin and love my Game fishing but man I really do enjoy small tinnies, light line and the thrill of lures. For those of you who have tried plastics many times without success, keep trying as one day it will all click and you will get your first then it wont just be the fish that are hooked.
Couldn't agree more. Offshore is great, but nothing like a great session on the SPs for lizards, or catching big 'ting on light line at night in a foot or two of water.
And just quietly, these estuary species are every bit as good on the plate as the most sought after reefies, in my humble opinion!
Well done, you nailed some great fish, and had a top session on the water!
Cheers
ML
Note to self: Don't argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience....
thanks for the report, and nice fish
Yeah the weather has been so off putting for a while, my boat hasn't touched the water for too long. Wind drops next week, looks like the rain will be gone too. Might be an excuse to go up the passage and chase some lizards !
Great stuff mate. I assume you were at the sthn end of passage? They seem to be firing down that end and not so much Caloundra end.
Enjoy them fillets
thanks for your encouraging post Internut,, as i am heading there to chase some lizards in the next couple wks and what a nice feed,great catch for tough conditions
Dean
Yes Funchy down the sthn end. We had a good couple of weeks towards the end of June just prior to this rain starting. Snapper to 57cm plus some school & legal Jew but the rain has slowed it all down again. I have never kept my bag limit of Flatties other than this one time but like Moonlighter, reckon they taste pretty darn good.
Some nice fish there. Well done buddy.
Cheers, Doug.
Love to use Preditek or Kingfisher lures or Viva Lures when I am out fishing.
Great report mate, thanks for sharing
Very nice session internut well done, and good sizes as well, sadly i find that only 1 in a hundred flathead i catch in the passage is over 65 cm, even a 55 cm model is a rarity the last few years..
Great session and great report, really enjoyed reading it, and couldn't agree more about the joy of estuary fishing, light line and jubes
Tim and Trace
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