THE dusky flathead has always been a popular species in Australia. Flatties are very accessible, tasty and are considered an “everybody” fish, which is perhaps why captures, stories and photos of monster-size fish are so revered.
At full maturity, flatties are impressive creatures. Featuring a prehistoric looking head, big jaws, tough, leathery skin and impressive markings; it is not surprising big flatties were coined “crocs”. Studying how big flathead sunbake, ambush and attack their prey adds further merit to the all-encompassing moniker, “croc”.
Like many anglers, I cut my teeth with lures while chasing flatties as a kid. Early on, I concentrated my effort fishing the plentiful channels and holes of the Hastings River. I caught stacks of flatties on DOAs, Mister Twisters and Mann’s Stretch divers. While I caught plenty of “croc-size” 80+ centimetre fish over the years this way, the average size was about 40 centimetres or so.
More recently, I’ve been exclusively targeting the bigger models. Early on, I was keen to see how big flathead responded to the new wave of big largemouth bass lures made popular in Australia by some “switched on” Murray cod anglers. I wanted to test out a simple theory or observation I’ve made over the years, that: fish with big gobs eat big lures. Like other fish with big gobs that eat big lures – barra, jewies, Murray cod, kingfish and GTs – flathead are no different!
Why go big?
Flathead respond to a huge variety of lures. Some of the most prolific flattie catching lures are only 2-3 inches long. But there’s no denying big lures are incredibly effective for many trophy-size fish. It makes sense – the bigger the fish, the bigger the appetite. Big lures are also used to weed out smaller fish – a tactic utilised by many anglers the world over.
If, like me, you’ve done a bit of diving in prime flathead territory you would have consistently observed that big (presumably female) flathead are often accompanied by several smaller (presumably male) flatties. Sometimes, there can be several fish laying on top of one another! In this situation, using a big lure might just increase the likelihood of tempting only the biggest fish to bite, leaving the pesky squeakers in their dust.
With the above in mind, it’s not surprising that a pile of big lures have proved effective on crocs for me. Big glidebaits, swimbaits, XL soft plastics and even oversized surface lures are all effective at raising crocs off the bottom.
Where and when
Before diving into lure talk, it’s important to recognise that chasing big flatties with big lures is predominantly a shallow water technique. This is because it can be difficult to fish big, lifelike presentations like glidebaits and swimbaits in current, down deep. Similarly, to fish big 8-12 inch soft plastics in the deep requires a lot of lead and kills the slow, horizontal action that the crocs seem to love. That said, I’m sure fishing oversize lure presentations in the deep for big flatties is something that will become more popular soon enough!
At certain times of the year and in certain conditions, big flatties will venture onto shallow flats and lie-up. Historically, spring and summer is preferred for chasing crocs in the shallows. This time of year coincides with an increase in water temperature along with an increase in crustacean and fish activity on the flats. However, I’ve seen and caught plenty of big flatties in shallow water in all months of the year now.
Interestingly, April through to June has been particularly productive for me while fishing shallow areas lower in the estuary. I’ve often hooked big flatties laying casts in shallow water where schools of spawning mullet travel over at this time of year. When a flattie is nudging a metre long, I guess it’s after a proper feed! Admittedly, the warmer days seem to be the most productive during the winter months.
Knowing the flats where big flatties like to sit in your local system is a critical piece of the big lure, big flattie puzzle. Where I live, on the Mid North Coast of NSW, big flathead are relatively plentiful and I always concentrate on the same areas where big crocs like to sit. Though, this can take some time to learn, as they shift around during the year.
If you’re unsure where to start, wait for a decent low tide and systematically work up river searching exposed sand and mud flats looking for the calling card of a big flattie – the telltale flathead “lie”. The spearhead shaped divot of a flattie that has recently laid in the sand or mud should be relatively easy to identify. This is what makes targeting big flathead in the shallows so effective. Quite often, flathead return to the same spot, tide after tide, day after day. Switching them on with a big lure is the last piece of the puzzle.
If you struggle to find consistent clusters of big flathead lies, try looking around the edges of sand flats where sand meets a mangrove edge or weed bed, patches of isolated mud, or my favourite areas: oyster piles. Oyster piles can develop naturally or grow on old oyster racks and other structures on top of a tidal flat. At high tide, these can be hives of activity for mullet, bream, luderick and whiting. Consequently, crocs lie close by, waiting for an easy meal. In my local waterway, the biggest crocs have all come from flats featuring oyster piles or old oyster encrusted structures.
Once you have a few spots in mind, aim to fish them on the last of the run in tide, the slack and the first couple of hours of the run out. This will give you a few hours to cover water a couple of feet deep, which is about optimal. For narrower, smaller river systems, the fishing “window” is shorter.
Plan your casts
Once you have identified flats where crocs like to frequent, it’s time to put some thought into your approach and lure presentation. Like all shallow water/flats fishing: stealth is key. If you’re in a boat, keep noise to a minimum and set up the drift so as to rely as little as possible on an electric motor. The same stealth approach goes whether you’re fishing out of a kayak or wading.
Depending on the flat and your drift, work out which angle your casts cover the most water. Picture your lure as a minesweeper, the flat as a minefield and the crocs as the mines – try to put a cast over them before you or the boat travel near. Long, well thought out casts are required. Remember, though, covering ground thoroughly comes at a cost of time. Make sure you work with the tide to maximise your fishing “window”.
Lure talk
There’s plenty of big lures that catch flathead. They have a reputation for being aggressive feeders and small fish are often overzealous. Though, this behaviour seems to change when they’ve packed on some size. Big flatties can be painful lure eaters some days; they can shut down completely.
That said, there’s definitely lures that perform better than others in certain conditions. Over the years, I’ve narrowed my big lure arsenal down to three presentations and will usually use a couple of these during every session.
Unweighted soft plastics
Best suited to a medium sized spin outfit. I use these lures with a 3000 size spin reel with 15lb braid and 15-20lb fluorocarbon leader on a 7-7’6” spin rod rated 5-10kg. These lures are easy to use, but can take some time to rig correctly.
- Slug-Go 9 or 12 inch – rigged unweighted with a size 8/0-10/0 screw in weedless G hook with treble “stinger”. This lure is best suited for fishing in water up to about a metre in depth. Use long casts and work the lure back with plenty of twitches and pauses. Ideally, you want the lure to rise, glide and kick before sinking slowly and resting on the bottom before moving it again. When rigged correctly, these big plastics are deadly and the hook up rate is also quite good.
- Keitech Easy Shiner 8 inch – rigged unweighted with a size 8/0 screw in weedless G hook with treble stinger. Use long casts and retrieve with a slow roll. This lure also works well with plenty of twitches and pauses. When rigged correctly it will swim straight and true and it will work deeper when allowed to sink.
- Pro Lure XL Shad – rigged unweighted with a size 8/0 – 10/0 screw in weedless hook with treble “stinger”. This is a big lure and works best with a very slow roll. It has a thumping paddle tail that works well in shallow water.
Glidebaits/swimbaits
Best suited to a medium “swimbait” outfit. I use the below lures with a 150 size baitcaster reel with 20lb braid and 20lb nylon mono leader on 7’6” swimbait rod rated 6-12kg. These rather peculiar lures can take a while to get used to. They have a very subtle action and you can feel very little “feedback” through the rod on the retrieve. The realistic look and action of the glidebaits seem to trigger a bite when the crocs are rather lethargic.
- Shimano BT Sraptor 182 (adjustable floating/sinking) – the Sraptor can be used as a floating, suspending or slow sinking glidebait thanks to an adjustable tungsten weight system. It’s very easy to use and a slow wind will produce a lifelike swimming action that will get bites. The Bantam Sraptor can also be manipulated with the rod tip for a more aggressive jerk and pause, side-to-side action. It’s a very versatile glidebait.
- Gancraft Jointed Claw 178SS (slow sinking) – this is a slow sinking glidebait that produces a lifelike swimming action that will get bites from big fish. This lure can be used in water up to about two metres deep. It has a very lifelike profile and finish.
- Fish Arrow Glide Jack 180F (floating/suspending) – This is a floating glidebait but it will swim subsurface by fitting it with bigger, thicker gauge trebles. It’s an awesome glidebait for skinny water and can be manipulated with the rod tip for a more aggressive jerk and pause, walk-the-dog action.
Topwater
Best suited to a medium sized spin outfit. I use these lures with a 3000 size spin reel with 15lb braid and 15-20lb fluorocarbon on a 7-7’6” spin rod rated 5-10kg. These are effective lures when fishing skinny water during low light periods or when surface activity is high.
- Bassday Sugarpen 120 – these lures can be effective for flatties in knee to ankle deep water using a variety of retrieves. I like to use them with a constant walk-the-dog retrieve and occasional pauses. This is a great lure to imitate a baitfish or leader prawn on its last legs.
- OSP Bent Minnow 130 – work the bent minnow with plenty of rod work or a “twitch, twitch, pause” technique where it will dart subsurface like a jerkbait. Works best with a nylon monofilament leader.
- Crossfire 195 – this is a big, bent surface lure and can be surprisingly effective for big flathead. It works best with some wind and chop and plenty of rodwork. This lure works best with fluorocarbon leader as it will pull the lure underwater for a better action.
Most often, the strike from a big flathead – on all lure types – will come on the pause. If you’re spooking flathead and you suspect your lure has travelled over them, then it’s time to try a different lure and/or mix up the retrieve.
The bite and fight
The bite from an 80cm+ croc in shallow water is aggressive and fast. React too slowly, and you will miss bites. A firm initial strike followed by a relatively light drag setting during the fight has landed me most fish. Fast action rods – like that used for casting plastics for snapper and jewies – at least 2m in length and capable of casting weighty lures, is ideal.
Despite what some might say, big flathead will put up a decent fight in the shallows. Quite often, big fish will thrash around on the surface and occasionally jump out of the water upon hook up. Some of these big girls can get up and scream across the flats! I prefer using 15-20lb fluorocarbon leader in “gin” clear water, but occasionally step this up to 30lb fluoro when fishing around oyster piles and racks. Buoyant, nylon monofilament leader is sometimes preferred when trying to slow the sink rate of lures or fishing topwater.
Big crocs in the spotlight
NSW DPI Fisheries research suggests female dusky flathead can produce about 700 eggs per gram of body weight. Interestingly, fisheries says this ratio doesn’t appear to change with body size indicating even very large female duskies remain viable breeders.
Dusky flathead are known as “multiple batch spawners” and it’s believed they have the capacity to spawn up to five times annually if environmental conditions are favourable
Using the eggs per gram of body weight ratio, an 80 centimetre fish – conservatively estimated at weighing 4 kilograms – could produce 2.8 million eggs per spawning event. Under favourable conditions, this fish could have up to five spawning events a year, which could potentially result in the production of about 14 million eggs annually!
If 0.1% of these survive year on year, this single flathead has the capacity to produce 14,000-plus flatties each year. It is clear to see why the species will benefit from a slot limit.
Patrick Linehan is a professional fishing guide at Castaway Estuary Fishing Charters based in Port Macquarie, NSW. Get in touch here: www.castawayfishing.com.au.
