Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Saltwater-Estuary » Winter Flathead Tips

Winter Flathead Tips

By Sean Bekkers

As I write this we are heading right into the middle of winter and it's at this time of year that I don't mind chasing a feed of flathead, as do a lot of keen anglers. That being said, finding a feed of winter flathead can be a little difficult as they seem a bit fussier and really want a decent meal if they're going to commit to chasing down a fish or plastic... much like enticing us out of bed when it's cold with a big winter breakfast cook up. I've had to change a couple of things to help me get the bite on the last few trips and in this article I'll talk about areas where I like to target flathead and why, the gear that's getting the bite, things to look out for and of course the changes that have helped me bag a fish or two.

Areas to Target Flathead

It's no secret that I like to target flathead on a dropping tide, usually half tide running down to dead low and there is two good reasons why. First off and the most obvious is that there is less water for the flathead to hide in, meaning as the tide is running down to low flathead naturally get more and more concentrated. The second and probably the best point is that all of the small fish, prawns and other bait gets flushed off the flats and other high tide areas, into the deeper holes, drains and channel edges. As you may have guessed, these areas that concentrate the bait on the dropping tide are also the key spots to target the mighty flathead and are definitely worth some casts.

To make the areas that I have mentioned above even more appealing, patches of weed amongst the sand, or alternatively patches of sand amongst the weed, tend to hold more flathead. These areas provide good coverage for the flathead, while also offering structure for the bait to hold in throughout the deeper sections of the estuary. Keeping with the structure theme, areas that have signs of a shelly or rubbly bottom, a deeper hole or little back eddies, that help to break the tidal flow, are also excellent areas and are likely holding a flathead or two.

All of these areas mentioned above are ideal and it's all well and good if they are present in the stretch of water you're intending to fish. In some estuary systems however you are presented with crystal clear water and no defined structure. When walking or drifting the bank edges in these systems, target the deeper hollows or gullies created by the tide in the sand and mud. These hollows are a great form of structure and worth targeting as the bait gets flush over the top by the tide, allowing the flathead to ambush it from below.

Lure Presentation

So, back in my local chasing flathead of late and I've had to get a little creative to get a consistent bite. After a session chasing flathead around on my go-to presentation, being the ZMan Slim SwimZ, I was rewarded for my efforts with a donut. I went back to the drawing board. Currently there is a fairly large influx of yellowtail pike, mullet and gar, rather than the usual schools of hardy heads, which is likely due to the season. With this in mind I opted for a ZMan 3" MinnowZ and 4" DieZel MinnowZ, which are both proven and very effective presentations, landing a tonne of different species including flathead.

As I alluded to earlier, I really needed to hang it in their face to get the bite so jighead wise I have been selecting a 1/4oz and 3/8oz TT Lures HeadlockZ HD or Big EyeZ jighead, tending to the throw the 1/4oz a lot more often. Running a 1/4oz on the MinnowZ and DieZel allows for a nice slow sink rate of the presentation down through the water column. This means that the paddle tail is pulsating and giving off a great vibration on its descent, ensuring any nearby flathead gets plenty of time to have a good look at the lure on the way down and move in for the kill.

For those of you who have read any of my articles... this next paragraph will come as no surprise. I rarely throw a presentation without a generous smear of Pro-Cure scent. I am totally convinced that lately I've attracted the bite based on the fact that I've used Pro-Cure to complete the presentation... and this leads me to my next little trick.

A long pause between each hop of the plastic has been getting me a better hook up rate. It may sound a little stupid, however my usual pause may last for 1-2 seconds, while on my last few sessions I've been intentionally leaving the lure soak on the bottom for a lot longer, even up to ten seconds in some sessions. Thinking about it, I guess the flathead just has more time to eat their way onto the plastic, rather than it just flicking past them without giving them a good look.

The final consideration is the colour of the plastic and with the water clarity being really good, my colour selection has been either a more natural colour or even a bright colour if I really want to jazz it up. I think colour choice really comes down to what bait you're trying to represent, so my advice here is to look at what is running in your local estuary and 'match the hatch'. I'm sure you can find the perfect colour in the ZMan range as there are tonnes of colours to choose from. All of my go-to colours used of late are listed in my Tackle Box below.

If you're keen to get amongst some winter flathead on plastics and wondering what gear to use, a good 1-3kg or 2-4kg rod will have you covered, matched up with a 3000 size reel. My go-to combos are Okuma Cerros rods, matched up with Okuma Epixor XT 30 reels or Okuma Helios SX rods and reels. Line wise you can't go past 10lb Platypus braid and 10lb Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon leader. If you're fishing heavier structure or are a little worried about getting rubbed off, don't be shy about stepping up to 15lb leader. If the flathead are hungry they will still bite.

So, really the main changes that have worked for me lately include using more natural or bright coloured plastics and I have been fishing a larger profile that matches the current bait holding in my local estuary system. This has been matched up with a lighter jighead that has allowed the plastic more hang time through the water column and I have increased the duration of the pause on the bottom. In a nutshell, I try and choose the lightest jighead for the depth of water that I'm fishing. For example, I've been fishing up to 4-5 metres deep and choosing a 1/4oz or 3/8oz based on the wind and current conditions. 

Hope you're finding a few and if not, I hope this article gets you onto a couple.

Screaming Dragz
Sean

Sean's Tackle Box

Rod and Reels:
Okuma Cerros Spin Rods - CER-S-701L 7' 1-3kg and CER-S-701ML 2-4kg.
Okuma Epixor XT Spin Reels - EPXT-30 reels
Okuma Helios SX Spin Rods - HSX-S-701L 7' 1-3kg and HSX-S-701ML 7' 2-4kg.
Okuma Helios SX Spin Reels - HSX-30

Line & Leader:
Platypus Pulse X4 Braided Fishing Line - 10lb
Platypus Platinum Braided Fishing Line - 10lb
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon leader - 10lb & 15Lb

Jigheads:
TT Lures Headlockz HD 1/4oz & 3/8oz
TT Lures Big EyeZ - 1/4oz and 3/8oz

ZMan 10X Tough ElaZtech Soft Plastics:
ZMan 3" MinnowZ
ZMan 4" DieZel MinnowZ
(Colours - Slam Shady, Green Lantern, Dark N Stormy, Pinfish and Sexy Penny)

Pro-Cure Scent:
Pilchard Super Gel Scent
Saltwater Yabby / Nipper Super Gel Scent