Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Saltwater-Estuary » Go Deep for Winter Flathead

Go Deep for Winter Flathead

Across Australia, it'd be hard to find a target species with more universal popularity than dusky flathead. They might not grow the biggest, pull the hardest or be as illusive as other targets, but there is something about the humble flattie that captivates anglers of all experience levels, and keeps us coming back for more time and time again.

For many years, I always enjoyed targeting this species during the spring and summer months, with the onset of warmer conditions invariably firing these fish up and producing long days full of shallow water entertainment. However, in recent times as my passion began to shift towards targeting Mulloway more regularly, I found myself spending more time fishing deeper waters, especially over the cool months in search of my quarry.

Whilst a bit of by-catch is always expected during any type of fishing, I quickly found myself running into surprisingly high numbers of flathead, with plenty in the larger 80+ cm size class that we all love to catch. As I began to reflect, it dawned on me that my winter fishing exploits were generally producing larger fish and more plentiful tallies of flathead than my warm water sessions, all without even targeting them! As a result, I have refined my winter flattie fishing techniques over time, and I can confidently say that with a slight change in tactics, anyone who is keen to rug up and throw on some extra layers can enjoy some of the most productive flathead action the year has to offer.

Locations and Tides

The first and most important step in beginning your winter flattie journey is picking the right location. In general, you can safely do away with shallow sand flats with visible drop off and weed edges that typify summer fishing, and start to look towards deeper waters. Whist flathead still do occupy the shallower locations, the onset of vast schools of cool water baitfish such as whitebait and anchovies seem to lure hungry flatties into deeper water, where these bait schools tend to congregate. In these situations, flathead become far more mobile in their feeding style, and can often be found tailing bait schools very closely.

When setting out to target flathead in this scenario, it goes without saying that having a sounder will greatly improve your chances in locating these bait schools. I usually begin my search around the fringes of deeper holes, paying careful attention for bait schools that are particularly dense around the bottom quarter of the water column. Be sure to look out for any surface feeding pelagics like tailor as well, which will often betray the presence of larger bait schools below the surface. Given the ambush feeding style of flatties, there is no need pursue every bust up you see, however, if pelagics seem to constantly show up in the same general area, this would be a great starting point to begin covering with your sounder.

Once you've picked a location which is holding consistent bait schools, its also worth considering tidal flow. Whist every location will differ depending on the bottom structure in the area, it usually pays to focus your efforts around periods of slightly more flow, provided you are still able to effectively make bottom contact. Personally I have had a lot of success 1-2 hours after or before a tide change, where there is enough flow for ambush feeding flatties to position themselves around moving schools of bait, but not so much that fishing becomes difficult. In saying that, any flow at all will usually be better than a tide change, which gives quite a large fishing window to search for your quarry.

Once you have located an area where bait is holding, it helps to be fairly mobile in your boat positioning, using a drifting boat or an electric motor to pepper the zone with casts. If you are finding the fishing tough but are locating plenty of bait, try moving towards slightly shallower water or any nearby structure, where the bait will often shelter from the brunt of the current and be compressed into a smaller water column, making an easier meal for nearby flathead.

Go-to Lure Options for Winter Flathead

Lure wise, while there are a plethora of productive options on the market, I have had great results by utilising a combination of blade style vibration lures and paddle tail soft plastics depending on the task at hand.

When faced with strong currents during spring tides or fishing mid tide, the TT lures Switchblade has been a stand out. This lure is particularly dense with a small surface area, which is very useful for quickly slicing through heavy current. They have one of the strongest vibrations of any blade I have used, catching the attention of even the most lethargic flathead and triggering a bite. As a general rule, I like to run the 1/2oz model in water under 15 meters, and will step it up to the 1oz in deeper waters, or when the current is running hard.

For paddle tails, it's hard to go past the durability and sheer fish catching ability of the ZMan range. Whilst there is no way to objectively crown a single winner, some of my personal favourites include the 4" and 5" Diezel Minnowz,  and the 4" and 5" Scented Paddlerz. As a rule, I usually start with the 4" sizes in these lures until fish are located, and then move up to the 5" models to try and tempt larger models.

Whilst these lures may not imitate the small and slender profile baitfish winter flathead often feed on, I have found it beneficial to use slightly larger lures that stand out from the bait available, in order catch the eye of opportunistic flathead as well as provide a greater incentive for a large or lethargic fish to strike your lure.

When selecting a jighead, I will reach for a TT Lures HeadlockZ with a 4/0 hook for 4" lures, and a 6/0 for the majority of 5" lures. As a rule of thumb, opting for 1gram of lead per metre of water is a great starting point, working upwards as the current or wind dictates on the day to ensure that the lure can be hopped closely along the bottom. In traditional ounces, having a selection from 3/8oz up to 1oz weights will cover most situations.

Best Gear for Solid Results

Finally, when gearing up to tackle winter flatties, it can pay to err on the heavier side of things in terms of rod rating and line classes, for a variety of reasons. Personally, I like to use 8lb braid with at least a 15lb leader, coupled with a 3-6kg rod and 2500-3000 size spin reel. Whilst you might dampen the fight a little, using this 'heavier' tackle allows for strong hook sets in the bony jaws of large fish, even when contending with heavy current and deep water. Additionally, casting around heavy jigheads is made far more comfortable on this sort of gear; you're far less likely to lose a trophy flattie to a leader bite off; and you will stand a fighting chance against larger by-catch such as kingfish and mulloway that are commonly encountered through the winter months.

Rug Up and Go Deep

All in all, if you are hanging out until next spring to get your flattie fix, why not give the cooler months a try instead? With a slight adjustment in tactics and a few extra layers of clothes, you might be just as surprised at how productive winter can be for flathead.

Gearing up:
ZMan 4" DieZel MinNowZ
ZMan 5" DieZel MinnowZ
ZMan 4" Scented PaddlerZ
ZMan 5" Scented PaddlerZ

TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jigheads

Platypus Pulse X8 and Platypus Pulse X4
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon