Croc Hunting Big Flathead in Skinny Water
//FABULOUS FLATTIES Flathead of one sort or another consistently place in any top five listing of Australia’s favourite recreational fishing targets. This is especially true along the eastern seaboard: from Queensland to Tasmania.
SPOOLED MAGAZINE
While there are multiple species of flathead living in these waters, it’s the dusky flathead (Platycephalus fuscus) that’s king along the east coast, and with good reason. Duskies are not only abundant and widespread — ranging from the tropics to Bass Strait — they’re also the largest members of the 10 clan. Furthermore, they can be caught on everything from a simple handline baited with a frozen prawn to the most sophisticated of lure and fly gear. In this feature I want to look specifically at targeting bigger flathead — those “crocodiles” well over 70 centimetres long — while casting lures in shallow water. To me, this is the most exciting form of flathead fishing, and it tends to be at its best from spring through into mid-summer. Exactly when the action peaks depends a bit on where you’re fishing, with the best of it happening earlier in the north and later in the south.
These fish are a lot faster and more powerful than most people realise, especially in skinny water.
www.spooledmagazine.com.au