Flats fishing
Submitted by sheldoncy23 on Thu, 2014-01-30 21:13
Hi lads
im interested in fishing some flats for whatever lurks around whether it's flattys or whiting I don't mind! Anyways I'm looking for some tips in lures and techniques and if anyone knows of some good flats SOR near rockingham/mandurah area and how to get to them as I have the directional skills of a 7 year old. I am willing to travel just not a trek away as I'm in Baldivis.
any info
mcgoo
Posts: 69
Date Joined: 15/12/09
PM sent
PM sent
thefishwrangler
Posts: 83
Date Joined: 28/01/14
mate i'm in albany so no
mate i'm in albany so no fattys or yellowfin whiting down here but you should get bream up there. in summer surface lures work very well a "walk the dog" retrieve works well with floating stickbaits
and a small popper with a chugging retrieve apparently work like dinamite on flattys and whiting
shallow divers with a twitch and pause retrieve works for all the likely targets
and finally soft plastics are so effective on all species most of the time it can be like using bait.
pm me and i will give you a list of lures and details for the retrieves and tackle;)
CityFlicker
Posts: 524
Date Joined: 31/01/13
It's great that you want to
It's great that you want to help a fellow fisho out but I don't think it's wise for you to offer advice on fishing that you have clearly never done yourself, especially seeing as you don't even know there's heaps of whiting & flathead to be had down around Albany. Just because it's in a magazine doesn't mean it applies or is even correct.
Sheldoncy - I don't fish much south of the river so the only place I really know of flats wise down that way is Point Peron. There's plenty of territory there that has produced flatties & whiting for me in the past. Working small stickbaits in the shallows can be very effective on the whiting. The likes of the Atomic stickbait (can't remember it's name) & the Berkley Sub Dog will work well as will various other tiny poppers & stickbaits. Clear or close to clear lures have been my most successfull. You should use a constant retrieve while jiggling the rod tip to make the lure skip & dart across the surface the idea being to imitate a fleeing prawn. Do not pause the lure when whiting fishing, they lose all interest the moment the lure stops moving.
Almost any lure will work on flathead but targeting them on surface lures is hard work. They will eat them but your not going to get too many usually. They are more of the occasional bycatch when surface fishing for whiting. Small diving minnows or soft plastics are far more effective. They are not too fussy usually so choose your lure based on the depth of the water your fishing. You want that lure to be no more than 15cm off the bottom & it's best if the lure is actually bumping along the bottom kicking up a trail behind it. The likes of the Atomic Shad 50mm, Cranka Shad & Halco Scorpion 52mm will serve you well. A slow roll (constant steady wind) will prove the undoing of many fish. If they are being a bit fussy try throwing in a few twitches & pauses or really speed that retrieve right up. A fast retrieve with a couple of big twitches occasionally can make the difference. Soft placcies are best when your fishing in deeper water or smaller holes where a hardbody just won't get to the bottom. They really are not fussy so pretty much any grub tail or shad style placcy will work well. Let them sink to the bottom & again use a constant retrieve to keep them skipping across the sand or give them a couple of quick lifts & then allow them to sink back to the bottom & pause there for a few seconds before giving another couple of lifts.
Just because I smile & nod does not mean I believe the crap coming out of your mouth.
All people have the right to stupidity but some abuse the privilege.
thefishwrangler
Posts: 83
Date Joined: 28/01/14
mate i've been fishing the
mate i've been fishing the flats for years and its one of my favorite styles. and have not caught one flatty on the flats heaps of flounder but no flattys were i fis. heaps on the beaches though and as for whiting loads of kgs down here but their not as aggressive as the yellow fin you get in perth shame though maybe with global warming going the way it is we might get a few turning up down here same with the bartail. but as for bream iv caught millions of the buggers and know for a fact that flattys and whiting take the same lures and retrieves as i have inside info from a friend up there
CityFlicker
Posts: 524
Date Joined: 31/01/13
Your 17 so years to you
Your 17 so years to you isn't very long to those of us that barely remember our teens. Your the one that said there's no flatties or whiting, I simply pointed out that there is. Flats are in the ocean to & that is exactly the kind of territory we're discussing here, not rivers. As for your lack of success down there on surface whiting, keep trying. They are a bit more timid down there but I've fished down there a fair bit & have had good success on both flat ties & whiting on lures. Perhaps you just need to change something slightly to enjoy some more success. Try the inside of the peninsula or between the rock walls on Cunningham St. Both have produced well for me over the years.
Just because I smile & nod does not mean I believe the crap coming out of your mouth.
All people have the right to stupidity but some abuse the privilege.
thefishwrangler
Posts: 83
Date Joined: 28/01/14
if you say their are
if you say their are flattys there i'll give it a go, as for whiting had a fair bit of success on the kgs on surface actually. are you refering to blue spot flattys? and sorry sheldoncy23 ignore my comment about flattys on surface lures it was a typo but it is possible but like city flicker said hard work, i was referring to surface being an effective way of catching whiting on surface when their in the mood. the lures city flicker suggested work well, so give them a try. stick to shallow divers and small plastics and you should be a way.
let us know how you go, good luck mate:)