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Five Favourite Flathead Lures
By Justin Willmer
There's something pretty special about flathead and I'm happy to admit that I am probably a flathead addict. I caught them on bait when I was a kid, caught my first flathead on a lure over 30 years ago and would have no idea how many I have caught since... a lot. They are a cool fish for so many reasons... accessibility, aggressiveness, willingness to eat lures, their speed and power in shallow water, especially when up against light gear, and finally, you have the chance of encountering a trophy flathead, regardless of age and even skill level or how flash your gear is... and it could be land based right next to the boat ramp. I love flathead...
I often hear how easy flathead are to catch and yet when it comes to flathead fishing tournaments or attempting to catch numbers of flathead, it's amazing how all of a sudden these fish are incredibly difficult to find and to get to eat your lure. There are definitely lures that seem to catch them more consistently, along with a few tips that seem to produce numbers of fish, along with larger models.
Before outlining the five lures that have been the most consistent producers for me, here's five tips to keep in mind when targeting flathead -
- Cover ground - flathead are a schooling fish, so cover plenty of water until you find them.
- Mix up your retrieve - slow roll, hopping, burn and kill... until you find what they want.
- Scent up - it's amazing how often I think 'should add some scent' and then fish on!
- Weedless - try weedless rigged plastics so that you can fish where others won't.
- Colour - carry a natural / light colour for clear water and bright conditions, a darker / silhouette colour for low light and dirty water, and a bright colour in case the other two aren't working.
Alright, let's get rigged and into a few flat fish!
ZMan 3" MinnowZ
The number one flathead plastic for me would have to be the ZMan 3" MinnowZ, the perfect baitfish. It also appeals to so many other species, hence the massive colour range, leading to plenty of quality by-catch, such as trevally, mulloway, mangrove jack, barramundi, snapper and more. The profile and action is proven and if I could only carry one plastic for flathead, this would be it.
It can be rigged light on a 1/8oz or 1/6oz jighead and slow rolled across the shallows, weighted heavier with a 1/4oz or 3/8oz for hopping down channel edges and then on a 1/2oz for fishing deeper structure. I generally rig it on a 3/0 TT Lures HeadlockZ jighead in a Finesse version for open water and light line or a HD version for heavier structure and areas where larger flathead and more powerful by-catch are more common. You can also mix things up with a DemonZ or Big EyeZ painted jighead or a RevlockZ underspin style bladed jighead, again all in a 3/0 size.
The 3" MinnowZ is also deadly when weedless rigged to fish weed beds and structure for flathead. Again I rig it on a 3/0, utilising a TT Lures ChinlockZ SWS for super-shallow water and a SnakelockZ when fishing more run, deeper flats and into deeper water. When fishing weedless I tend to keep the lure moving more to ensure a solid hook set when the fish strikes. It doesn't have to be a faster retrieve, I will still fish slowly and just keep the pauses shorter so that when the fish strikes I am likely to be moving the lure away from the fish.
As mentioned previously I scent up my plastics and Pro-Cure Super Gel in Mullet, Inshore Saltwater and Pilchard are my go-to flavours for flathead. Scent helps to mask foreign scents, such as fuel and sunscreen, attracts fish, triggers strikes and makes fish hold on longer, giving you more time to set the hook.
Go-to colours for me in the ZMan 3" MinnowZ -
Light / Natural - Opening Night, Green Lantern, Pinfish.
Dark / Sihouette - Gold Rush, Motor Oil, Midnight Oil, The Wright Stuff.
Fluoro - Glow Chartreuse, Electric Chicken, Sexy Mullet.
ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ
The jelly bean... the tiny baitfish that nothing can resist and big flathead love to eat. It's amazing how many different species will eat this little paddle, from bream, bass and flathead, to grunter, trevally and even mangrove jack and barramundi. The addition of the 3" model in the Slim SwimZ has made this plastic even more popular and it too is a great flathead plastic. I will focus on the 2.5" model though as I believe it has revolutionised small paddle tail plastics, with both its under hooked paddle tail design and super-soft and flexible ZMan 10X Tough ElaZtech construction bringing it to life in the water. Previously small paddle tails had little action due to the stiffness of the plastic or were extremely fragile from making tail shafts and tails so thin in an attempt to get action out of the plastic.
In the last couple of years the bulk of my 70cm+ flathead have eaten this little plastic and maybe it's because of how and where I fish it. This is my go-to presentation for fishing the flats and especially for picking the sand pockets amongst broken weed beds. I generally fish it with a slow roll (slow wind) just above the bottom or a standard double hop and pause retrieve.
In terms of rigging I again fish it predominantly on a TT Lures HeadlockZ jighead in a 1/0 size and a Finesse version for open water and light line and a HD version for heavier applications. It also looks really good rigged on a 1/0 DemonZ, especially when slow rolling shallow flats. Other options for rigging include a size 1 or 1/0 RevlockZ if you wish to add flash and vibration to your presentation, along with the size 1 NedlockZ (mushroom style) jighead which creates a rapid stand up presentation that has produced some quality flathead while working the sand patches on the weed flats.
When it comes to jighead weight, a 1/8oz or 1/6oz is perfect across the shallow flats to around 1.2m deep, although I commonly fish a 1/4oz in this situation as I fish fast and make long casts to cover ground. A 1/4oz is also ideal for fishing the edges for flathead as the plastic is small, so you don't need additional weight to counteract the natural buoyancy of the ElaZtech material.
This little paddle tail is also an excellent weedless option, rigged on a size 2 TT Lures SnakelockZ Finesse jighead.
Go-to colours for me in the ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ -
Light / Natural - Opening Night, Greasy Prawn, Bad Shad.
Dark / Silhouette - Green Pumpkin, Motor Oil, Midnight Oil.
Fluoro - Pink Glow, Electric Chicken, Space Guppy.
ZMan 4" Scented Jerk ShadZ
When the 4" model was added to the ZMan Scented Jerk ShadZ range I was absolutely pumped! For me this is the perfect river, estuary and inshore pelagic size jerkbait profile and it's 10X Tough, so it cops a flogging from random species that can often be found where I fish these and they tear plastics up. The StreakZ 3.75" has been an excellent flathead plastic for me also and is a great crossover plastic for bream, so I am likely to still fish this in some of my shallow water applications, however the 4" Scented Jerk ShadZ will dominate my deeper flathead work around structure, in four to nine metres of water.
The design of this plastic, with minimal built in action, means it sinks faster on the equivalent weight jighead when compared with paddle or curl tail plastics. Alternatively it can be fished lighter for a natural sink and glide in both shallow and deeper water. This allows you to get the plastic down deeper, faster, especially in current and effectively get down where flathead are holding on the bottom where structure breaks up the current flow. An added bonus of this is that snapper, mulloway, trevally and other predators that like eating plastics, also like eating this plastic.
I rig and fish this plastic on a 4/0 TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jighead and again you can weight it lightly for fishing the shallows, with a 1/8oz or 1/6oz jighead, on a 1/4oz for fishing drop offs and a 3/8oz or 1/2oz for targeting structure in deeper water, such as bridges, ledges, rubble patches and so forth. I generally fish it with a standard two hop and pause retrieve, however it can be fished more erratically to fire the fish up. It can also be fished vertically with a hopping and pause retrieve, where it is important to try and stay directly above the lure to maintain contact.
The ZMan 4" Scented Jerk ShadZ can also be rigged and fished weedless on a 3/0 or 4/0 TT Lures ChinlockZ, ChinlockZ SWS or SnakelockZ jighead. In the shallows it can be walked and paused on a ChinlockZ SWS, which looks really cool, allows you to fish shallow broken weed beds without fouling and attracts some brutal strikes. For deeper weed drop offs and structure a TT Lures SnakelockZ jighead is the go.
Go-to colours for me in the ZMan 4" Scented Jerk ShadZ -
Light / Natural - Shiner, Bad Shad, Pearl.
Dark / Silhouette - The Deal, New Penny, Redbone (Glow).
Fluoro - Atomic Sunrise, Nuked Chicken Glow, Sexy Penny.
ZMan 4" StreakZ Curly TailZ
After watching a mate bring a 93cm shovel-headed flathead onto the deck on this plastic during the Gold Coast Flathead Classic, I always have a few in my kit. The great thing about this plastic is that it has a long curly tail made from super-soft and flexible 10X Tough ElaZtech material, so in turn it has loads of action... action on the drop, the retrieve, any rod movement, water movement... this plastic is alive in the water. This also makes the ZMan 4" StreakZ Curly TailZ a great option for those getting into soft plastics fishing and deadly in the hands of experienced soft plastics fishos.
I am a self-confessed paddle tail addict, however you cannot always rely on a single model or style of plastic to produce every session and hence this list of five favourites. I have had some memorable sessions on this plastic including a couple of kayak sessions with mates, pulling 50+ flathead off a single stretch of bank in an afternoon. The fish were schooled, aggressive and this long, lively paddle tail fired them up more than any other plastic. We fished the StreakZ Curly TailZ with a sharp hop, hop and pause retrieve and the flathead nailed it.
When fishing this plastic I rig it on a 3/0 size hook in a TT Lures HeadlockZ jighead, again a Finesse version for open water and light gear and a HD version if I require more stopping power. Other options include the TT Lures DemonZ or Big EyeZ if you are after a painted version with 3D eyes to match the plastic or match the hatch (what the fish are feeding on). Painted jigheads come into their own in pressured systems and when the bite is tough. If you wish to add flash and vibration to your presentation then the TT Lures RevlockZ is an underspin style jighead with a blade underneath that spins to add attraction to your presentation.
Weedless rigging is also an option and I will fish the ZMan 4" StreakZ Curly TailZ on a 3/0 TT Lures SnakelockZ jighead when fishing heavily weeded areas and heavy structure. Being buoyant, when the presentation is at rest on the bottom the head of the SnakelockZ will lay on the bottom while the hook and plastic float up vertically, creating a pretty visible and attractive presentation, with the wafting tail attracting fish and triggering strikes. Again, when fishing weedless, I will keep my pauses shorter and keep the plastic moving, even slowly, to ensure a solid hook set. Weedless rigging often sees the fish hooked securely in the jaw hinge, lessening the chance of losing the fish.
Go-to colours for me in the ZMan 4" StreakZ Curly TailZ -
Light / Natural - Opening Night, Bad Shad, Pinfish.
Dark / Silhouette - Red Shad, Motor Oil, Midnight Oil.
Fluoro - Electric Chicken, Pink Glow, Space Guppy.
ZMan 2.5" TRD CrawZ
We are covered for paddle tails, curl tails and jerk baits, however we need something different to show the fish when the bite is really tough, there's little tidal movement, it's the day after the full moon and some of those other times when they just won't eat. For me the change up plastic is the ZMan 2.5" TRD CrawZ. I love this little plastic and it is pretty versatile in terms of how it can be fished, while also appealing to almost every fish that swims with flathead, including bream, grunter, trevally, tailor, mangrove jack... fish love eating prawns, yabbies and crabs and this plastic does a great job of representing these prey items.
I generally fish fairly quickly and this is my go-to plastic when I want to slow things down and thoroughly work sandy pockets on the flats, smaller drains, mangrove edges, smaller yabby beds and other more concentrated areas where flathead hold out, sunbake and wait for a feed. The 'claws up' pose when at rest, thanks to the buoyancy of the ZMan's ElaZtech material, brings this little crustacean to life in the water and drives fish crazy. Shake and drag it like a crab or yabby moving along the bottom and then on the pause the claws are up in a defensive pose that attracts the attention of the fish, looks natural and triggers strikes. Alternatively you can hop it more aggressively and pause it or shake it and roll it over the top of the weed. Regardless of the retrieve, its biological realism ensure it's on the menu.
I often rig the TRD CrawZ on a size 1 TT Lures HeadlockZ Finesse or HD jighead, however my favourite way to fish it is as part of the Ned Rig system, rigged on a TT Lures NedlockZ jighead. This accentuates the rapid hinging between the plastic fleeing and standing up in a defensive pose, ensuring that it is always attracting fish. When fishing shallow flats and drains I rig on the 1/10oz size 1 NedlockZ jighead and when working edges I fish the 1/6oz or 1/5oz size 1.
You can also weedless rig the TRD CrawZ for heavily weeded areas and other structure, such as mangroves, with their annoying spikes that grab lures. In this instance I fish them on a TT Lures SnakelockZ Finesse weedless jighead in a size 2 or 1.
I have really enjoyed fishing this little plastic and caught a bunch of different species on it, so if there are crabs, prawns or yabbies in your system and you too have those times when the bite is tough and you need to slow things down, then it might be worth having a packet in your kit.
Go-to colours for me in the ZMan 2.5" TRD CrawZ -
Light / Natural - Greasy Prawn & Bloodwrom.
Dark / Silhouette - Drew's Craw & Motor Oil.
Fluoro - Hot Craw.
So there you go, there's a snapshot of my current five favourite flathead lures and how I rig and fish them. They also appeal to a wide range of other species and the by-catch is a good bonus. Some will be asking where is the ZMan 2.5" GrubZ, 3.5" Trick SwimZ, 4" DieZel MinnowZ or 5" DieZel MinnowZ and that's the trouble with selecting a favourite five of anything... everyone is different and that keeps things interesting and keeps us all learning. For those in smaller systems or where the bait is smaller, the 2.5" GrubZ may be the go-to, while for those fishing deep water for big fish it may be the 5" Scented Jerk ShadZ or 5" DieZel MinnowZ. For me the tricky one to leave out was the ZMan Trick ShotZ... but that's another article in itself. I hope this article has given you a starting point for flathead in your area or a couple of tips that get you hooked up to a few more.
See you on the water...
Justin Willmer