Flathead flies

[mmmouse]

I'm very new to fly fishing and have bought a fly outfit at the local opshop for $5. No clue what the rod is but the reel is a daiwa and I think they would be a 3 or 4 wt. It has sinking line and I am really keen to give it a go on flathead. I catch plenty of them up here (Bowen) on plastics but wondering what flies I could try??

[Jack High]

Hi mmmouse, your 4wt is probably too light for saltwater fishing and casting the normal salt water clouser lures will be a problem. For the sake of 5 bucks though I wouldn't let that stop you from having a go.
Ask to see some clousers at your local tackle shop and this will give you some idea of what they should look like and they're not that sophisticated. I reckon you could knock up something similar but lighter fairly easily.
I hope this helps and that you have some fun with it.

[scottar]

Any fish profile or prawn imitation would be a good place to start. Flathead aren't that fussy. You just need to put it in front of them

[Jack High]

Hi mmmouse
if you're interested there is currently an item on ebay that would probably suit your needs.
Check out:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5x-Decive...3D321971748697%3DRIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140212121249%26meid% 3D6c384c56e38a403b8d43dc7d74fa74b6%26pid%3D100102% 26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D321971748697

[chris69]

A pink or chartreuse clouser is the fly to start with but a 6 to 7 wt rod is more suited to those flies and a bit of casting practice aswell.

[mmmouse]

Thanks fellas have bought a couple of small clausers and will give them a crack at the next opportunity

[mmmouse]

So I went fishing over Easter and amongst the muddies, trout and cod I managed to catch my first flathead on fly🙂. It was on a chartreuse clouser and was only a small bar tailed flatly of about 30cm, which, although not the big dusky I was hoping for, gives me plenty of room to move on pb's! I missed a few bites, not sure if you really strike hard with a strip or not but I'll keep learning. I have a question though, I kept tying beautiful and sometimes eccentric granny knots in my leader and I don't know why. All casting I did was head first into a 10/15 kt easterly, and I know my technique needs a lot of work! Any hints would be appreciated. I'm still not sure what weight my gear is but the reel is a daiwa 732 and the rod I'm pretty sure is a snyderglass that resembles a long piece of red spaghetti! Any ideas?

[chris69]

Good one Mouse,watch the back cast unfold before beginning you forwdcast and remember to keep you rodhand parralel to the water that might help with your wind knots, and yes you have a belly in your line so try stripping and a lift of your rod to help set the hook,i hope this helps cheers Chris.

[mmmouse]

Thanks for that👍