fishinaddiction Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Hi guys, I'm new to fishraider so forgive me if I make any newbie mistakes Just wondering if anyone trolls for Flathead in and around Sydney or Central coast What lures do you guys use? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaClH2OK9 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 (edited) Trolling implies pulling lures for top or mid water fish. Flathead are ambush predators on the bottom. Just drift over them. Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk Edited May 30, 2016 by NaClH2OK9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefish Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 (edited) Flatz rat has worked for me. Or a SP on an overweight jig head Edited May 30, 2016 by stevefish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankS Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Trolling for Flathead is a very productive way of fishing, a few trips back I decided to try something I have never done before and that was to adapt my Eucumbene trout method of lead core line and tazzie devils. Well I picked a likely spot and trolled up and down one of the beached in Botany Bay using 3-4 different patterns of devils, I found 0.8 miles per hour the best speed for results and got fish from 36 to 65cm 5 all up with 2 of the patterns proving the most popular. I have had many successful sessions trolling for the Flats and this method proved it's worth. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ribs Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Flicking plastics on the drift is usually more productive however trolling lures over drop offs and channels or even just exploring is a lot more relaxing! But does get boring I reckon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Trolling for Flathead is a very effective way of targeting them, for many years the prestigious Gold Coast Flathead Classic was won by trolling deep diving minnows. You need to ensure your lure is contacting the bottom, hence the need for deep diving lures. The best one I have used is the old classic Manns Stretch series (5+ and 10+ are classics), Downunder Boomerangs have also been very successful for me over the years too. I normally like to troll parallel to a drop-off and it can pay to 'tune' the lure closest to the drop-off to swim into the sand of the drop-off itself. Trolling over sand flats can be very effective too as can trolling past the mouths of creeks and drains where Flatties will setup for ambush. Haven't done a lot of trolling for Flathead in the Sydney region, preferring to cast but I have had limited success trolling for them in the Lane Cove River up from the Fig Tree Bridge. There are some nice drop-offs and sand edges to run here. Having said all of that, flicking plastics, vibes and hard body minnows is a much more effective approach. Cheers Windy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishwithme Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Yes trolling can be very effective in creeks and estuaries I use ecogear sx40 lures and they work really well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinaddiction Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Thanks for the info everyone I do drift for flatties Just looking at different ways of targeting them I was thinking of trolling at the entrance with some lures along the drop offs It seems like a very flathead looking area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDory Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 What Matt said !!!! Gold Coast Flathead Classic was won by trolling deep diving minnows BIG TIME. BORING as bat shit, but it works. Been there a few times to watch the classic top fishos do it! JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinaddiction Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 What Matt said !!!! Gold Coast Flathead Classic was won by trolling deep diving minnows BIG TIME. BORING as bat shit, but it works. Been there a few times to watch the classic top fishos do it! JD I enjoy trolling You cover a lot of ground over a short period of time Never know what your going to hookup But I can see how it can get boring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ribs Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Hey there Matt and JD, at the gcfc do they use electric motors to troll for that stealth approach or just the outboard at very slow idle? I fish the Georges river specifically for big flattys and once the water cools they are hard to find, trolling may be more effective as u do cover a lot more ground however in 2-3 metres I'm not sure if the engine noise is a deterrent? Thoughts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Heya Ribs, I don't really know what they used to troll with to be honest. I get the feeling it would be on outboards before electric became common place in Aus? I do know that for the vast majority of trolling I do, whether its Flathead through to Trout is with the electric. Much easier to control speed with and get down to lower speeds for big, deep diving lures. Windy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ribs Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Hey there Matt and JD, at the gcfc do they use electric motors to troll for that stealth approach or just the outboard at very slow idle? I fish the Georges river specifically for big flattys and once the water cools they are hard to find, trolling may be more effective as u do cover a lot more ground however in 2-3 metres I'm not sure if the engine noise is a deterrent? Thoughts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ribs Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Sorry duplicate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsy91 Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 I've actually caught my biggest flattys trolling with 38mm crankbaits. Mainly in around 1.5m of water with shallow divers but the deeo divers in the same size around the boat moorings and weedbeds/smaller drops have also produced. I'm referring to areas where the water doesn't really get much deeper than 4m. When I go for jewies in the deeper whater I will troll natural coloured minnows in the deepest diving profile I can find and make sure I can feel the bib hitting the bottom once a while. If you use the floating ones you can just drop the rod tip if the lure catches but generally I'm talking about sandy structureless areas. Have you tried the small soft vibes at the Entrance for flattys before? Very very productive and you will get the odd whiting and good sized bream as by-catch there...this time of year probably some silver trevally and estuary perch too (which must go back from now till August due to closed season). Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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