Disappearing Flathead

[wazatherfisherman]

Years ago, while on one of many trips to Narooma, the sea got too big to go outside fishing, or usual "plan B" of rock fishing at Mystery Bay. We were pretty keen for a nice feed of fish, so decided that if we wanted to go, it would have to be in Wagonga Inlet at Narooma.

We went to the pub for a counter lunch and got the advice there, that the best approach was to have a go for Flathead around the edges of the main basin. Live Mullet or live prawns were the go if you wanted to get better size fish, lures were regarded as too "hit and miss" (soft plastic lures hadn't been on the market very long and there were only a few styles available in any case). The "advice" were 3 old feller's, also told us there were plenty of nice bait sized Mullet in the 2 lakes just south of the town- Nangudga Lake and the larger Corunna Lake. There were prawns as well they said, should be easy enough to get a few for bait. Try Nangudga they said.

As we were camped at Mystery Bay about 8 km's south of Narooma, we decided to pop in at both lakes on the way back to camp to grab our gear, and decide which looked more promising. We'd get some bait and go for a fish in the Inlet early the next morning. We were in 2 cars (there were six of us) and those in car one knew where to go, as they'd been diving and then fishing Narooma for years and had wandered the area plenty of times.

Nangudga was first lake on the way back and from the highway, there were a couple of options to have a look at. The main body of the lake is located on the western side of the highway and runs under a small bridge that separates it from the eastern side, which was basically just a fairly narrow, shallow channel that snakes around an "S" bend to where the lake usually spilled over the sand of Handkerchief Beach into the ocean. 

Channels are generally easier to prawn than the main bodies of lakes, as there is a concentrated water flow, either in or out from the ocean, bringing the prawns straight to you on the outgoing tide, rather than the stiller water of the main body, so we took the turn off to the eastern side of the highway and drove down to what should have been the entrance of the lake. 

On arrival, instead of finding an entrance to the ocean, we viewed a high sandbar, several feet higher than the channel's water level, there was practically no chance of water moving in or out of the lake. Regardless, we decided to have a scout around this closed off section, to suss out where if anywhere was worth having a fish or a prawn later that night. Besides, that's where the advice told us to go.

Well, we hadn't walked more than about 50 yards from the car, along the sandy edge of this shallow section and I spotted it. Right on the edge, not even a foot from dry sand, in probably 2 inches of water was a really big Flathead! I stopped anyone from getting too close so as not to spook it, while deciding what to do next. As we'd only been to town for a feed and quick beer, we had no fishing gear with us, it was back at the camp. A quick look in the car boot's and the best we could find was a large flat head screwdriver- that'd have to do. Since I spotted it, I got the screwdriver and raced back to where the Flathead was, still sitting right where it had been when sighted. Before anyone objects to this, it was nearly 40 years ago and conservation of large Flathead wasn't even a consideration in those days- it was going to provide a great meal for us that night, if I could get it.

Great! Now to try and stab it with the screwdriver. I had my "going to town" clothes on, so quickly stripped down to underwear (it was bushland and there was nobody else around) and crawled ever so slowly, right up to just behind the Flathead and then pounced! I stabbed the screwdriver down really hard, right into the back of the Flathead's head- those watching reckon the look on my face was priceless, as the screwdriver plunged hard and deep into nothing more than the impression of the fish- it wasn't there at all. I couldn't believe it, the impression was so perfect, so lifelike, how could this not be a fish?

When everyone else stopped laughing, we all marvelled at the now speared impression, after all it had fooled the six of us, so lifelike it was. Then we waded around this shallow closed off section, wouldn't have been any more than thigh deep at the deepest and started to find literally dozens of similar impressions, mostly all close together in groups. These impressions or "lies" (never a truer word for them!) were all throughout this last section and they were all so "undisturbed" they MUST have been just made, surely? There were some other strange looking marks in the sand too, couldn't identify them though.

Other than the "lies", the one thing we noticed was the only life around this section were those small puffer fish, the ones that blow up to about the size of a golf ball when captured. Nothing else. Where were the Flathead? There was a small section of reeds and marginally deeper water where the "S" bend curved around towards the bridge- maybe they were there? After spending a bit of the afternoon mucking around with the "Flathead" we decided to go to Corunna Lake and have a go for Mullet and come back later with the prawning gear, it looked good for prawns but no water flow. Maybe the Flathead only come down to the shallows of a night?

After Mullet fishing at Corunna Lake (we only managed a few poddies) we went back to camp for a feed, grabbed the prawning gear and the torches and returned to the "Flathead" spot. We all agreed that we'd most likely spot at least some Flathead. 

After covering the whole section, neither a Flathead or prawn was sighted, should have been smarter regarding the prawns and known they prefer water movement. The only things we saw were heaps of toads and a fair few of those skinny sand eels, which would just "dive" into the sand and be pretty much buried in an instant. Mission failed, back to camp to get ready for the next morning.

A big southerly blew up in the early hours of the morning, so fishing was canned. Back to the pub at midday for another tasty counter lunch.

Same 3 old feller's were there again and they asked how we got on. They let us tell the story of the Flathead, eels etc and then burst out laughing. 

Turned out they were professional fishermen and had "got" the Flathead a few days earlier. The buggers got us a beauty, got to love the Aussie sense of humour. They did offer us some more "serious" fishing "advice" but we weren't game to try it!

 

[big Neil]

Great story Wazza. It's always a bit hit and miss whether the local info is reliable or not, eh? I remember when we first moved here and people were guarded about passing info to "blow-ins". I always checked out any info the locals gave me but it was all useless. They thought it was great fun sending you off on some wild goose chase. Actually it's part of Australian culture to take the mickey out of people. You've just got to play along. After 20 years they still come up with totally unbelievable answers, not that it matters anymore. Cheers, bn

[masterfisho7]

that's one top report 

[JonD]

Think they are much like us and don't simply feed all day, the fact you only saw toads didn't mean there wearnt plenty of flathead still among the ribbon weed. My daughter spear fishes a few whiting as well as does surveys in the inlet and always comments on the amount of very big flathead she always sees. 

The inlet is fishing very well but those doing best are very skilled in soft plastic style fishing. The lads from the local tackle store post regular reports weekly of their captures, in fact they managed two good jews last week among there dusky catch and release session.  

There are a few legal kings also regularly getting hooked which most light plastic anglers don't stand a chance against.

On the downside, we do have a growing number of seals in the river now but most stay around the entrance and hunt outside the river.

 

[Yowie]

6 hours ago, wazatherfisherman said:

 

Other than the "lies",

 

Waza, I have always called them "lays".

[wazatherfisherman]

6 minutes ago, Yowie said:

Waza, I have always called them "lays".

Hi Yowie, that is probably a better word than lies!

[Green Hornet]

Stabbing flathead through the head with a screwdriver eh Waza. Who would've thought you'd be a pioneer in iki jime?

We get big flathead coming up onto the St Georges Basin flats of a night chasing prawns. Targeting them with lures at dawn, around the gaps in the ribbon weed beds by the drop off is always productive.

[wazatherfisherman]

6 hours ago, big Neil said:

Great story Wazza. It's always a bit hit and miss whether the local info is reliable or not, eh? I remember when we first moved here and people were guarded about passing info to "blow-ins". I always checked out any info the locals gave me but it was all useless. They thought it was great fun sending you off on some wild goose chase. Actually it's part of Australian culture to take the mickey out of people. You've just got to play along. After 20 years they still come up with totally unbelievable answers, not that it matters anymore. Cheers, bn

Hi Neil as we were "tourists" we had to see the funny side, bet they were laughing about it for years.

[wazatherfisherman]

4 hours ago, JonD said:

Think they are much like us and don't simply feed all day, the fact you only saw toads didn't mean there wearnt plenty of flathead still among the ribbon weed. My daughter spear fishes a few whiting as well as does surveys in the inlet and always comments on the amount of very big flathead she always sees. 

The inlet is fishing very well but those doing best are very skilled in soft plastic style fishing. The lads from the local tackle store post regular reports weekly of their captures, in fact they managed two good jews last week among there dusky catch and release session.  

There are a few legal kings also regularly getting hooked which most light plastic anglers don't stand a chance against.

On the downside, we do have a growing number of seals in the river now but most stay around the entrance and hunt outside the river.

 

Hi JonD you certainly live in a beaut part of the country I reckon. The strange marks on the bottom in Nangudga were probably from a net of sorts, but they knew that the majority of fish were gone. Like I said, we didn't see any signs of them but concede they could well have been a few there somewhere.

[wazatherfisherman]

1 hour ago, Green Hornet said:

Stabbing flathead through the head with a screwdriver eh Waza. Who would've thought you'd be a pioneer in iki jime?

We get big flathead coming up onto the St Georges Basin flats of a night chasing prawns. Targeting them with lures at dawn, around the gaps in the ribbon weed beds by the drop off is always productive.

Hi Pete LOL iki jime! It wasn't conventional but was looking like dinner for six had it been real!

[Rebel]

Super Story again You should be writing for a fishing mag. You tell better stories than they do.

[wazatherfisherman]

15 minutes ago, Rebel said:

Super Story again You should be writing for a fishing mag. You tell better stories than they do.

Hi Rebel and thanks! Fishraider is my fishing mag. Just trying to put some things on to help entertain members while we're all in lock-down. I know I've strayed a bit from actually catching fish, but as long as readers enjoy what I've been posting, I'll keep it up.

Thanks again 

Edited April 22, 2020 by wazatherfisherman
spelling mistake!

[JonD]

These fishing stories are simply so good they should be in a book 🙂

[wazatherfisherman]

36 minutes ago, JonD said:

These fishing stories are simply so good they should be in a book 🙂

Hi JonD  and thanks, glad you are enjoying them. It's funny how by reading other folks posts, different things "open-up" in the memory bank, a few times, I've not set out to do a story, but it's ended up that way!

[bessell1955]

Hey, waza.  I agree that you should be publishing these articles.  Not in a fishing magazine, but you should publish a book, which contain all your yarns  You write in a similar style to "Swamy" Marsh.  He is a very successful writer and I have purchased and read innumerable  yarns of his.  Think about it. every time you post one of your stories, how many viewers and replies are there?  People want to read and engage in your stories.

[61 crusher]

21 minutes ago, bessell1955 said:

Hey, waza.  I agree that you should be publishing these articles.  Not in a fishing magazine, but you should publish a book, which contain all your yarns  You write in a similar style to "Swamy" Marsh.  He is a very successful writer and I have purchased and read innumerable  yarns of his.  Think about it. every time you post one of your stories, how many viewers and replies are there?  People want to read and engage in your stories.

Hi Waza another great read & you must’ve been pretty impressed getting so close with your stalking skills on that big ghost flathead 😁 I totally agree with what @bessell1955 has said & if you ever happen to publish a book I’d happily buy it, autographed of course 😎

[wazatherfisherman]

28 minutes ago, bessell1955 said:

Hey, waza.  I agree that you should be publishing these articles.  Not in a fishing magazine, but you should publish a book, which contain all your yarns  You write in a similar style to "Swamy" Marsh.  He is a very successful writer and I have purchased and read innumerable  yarns of his.  Think about it. every time you post one of your stories, how many viewers and replies are there?  People want to read and engage in your stories.

Hi Bessell1955 thank you, that's high praise indeed. I'll give it some thought, I do have heaps of yarns, as you'd expect from a lifetime of fishing/camping/hiking.

I'm just happy that others are enjoying them at the moment, I have some serious medical problems and am staying pretty much in "lock-down" as like most others am worried. Typing these out is giving me something positive to work on, bringing back great times to myself as well.

[wazatherfisherman]

2 minutes ago, 61 crusher said:

Hi Waza another great read & you must’ve been pretty impressed getting so close with your stalking skills on that big ghost flathead 😁 I totally agree with what @bessell1955 has said & if you ever happen to publish a book I’d happily buy it, autographed of course 😎

Hi Dieter and thanks! It was more like Flathead crawling skills, I've seen countless flattie impressions since then, and even though plenty have had great definition, none have fooled me as much as that one did- maybe "once bitten twice shy?"

 

 

[bessell1955]

I do hope your health issue is not insurmountable and you are on the road to recovery.  Your writing paints such vivid word pictures in ones' mind that when I read the word I can see in my minds eye exactly what you are doing.  I get transferred to the place that you are writing about.  That is the mark of a good author.  Get a number of stories together and approach some publishers.  You may well get a number of knock backs, but remain persistent. I do wish you all the very best with your health and writing is  very good therapy!

[wazatherfisherman]

1 hour ago, bessell1955 said:

I do hope your health issue is not insurmountable and you are on the road to recovery.  Your writing paints such vivid word pictures in ones' mind that when I read the word I can see in my minds eye exactly what you are doing.  I get transferred to the place that you are writing about.  That is the mark of a good author.  Get a number of stories together and approach some publishers.  You may well get a number of knock backs, but remain persistent. I do wish you all the very best with your health and writing is  very good therapy!

Thanks for the good wishes, I'm OK, the road to recovery is just really long, but far from insurmountable. I'm not in any serious trouble, especially at home and I'm also enjoying the writing side of this