Maniac Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Went for a flick the other day chasing a big flathead, I have been throwing a 120mm sugapen in the hope of beating my PB of 70cm, with no luck, later that day ended up heading down the beach with the kids to land a few whiting later in the day, on beach worm which was great! Got 4 up to 40cm. If anyone has any tips with chasing big flathead let us know, I’m thinking of throwing some swim baits. here’s a link to a flathead session I had a couple of months back if your board in this weather…. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazatherfisherman Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Nice video and well done on the safe release. Tasty Whiting too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaxland Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Nice catch of whiting very good eating. My two biggest flathead have been caught using live bait. Also its a myth that flathead change sex as they grow older. Fact is females grow larger than males. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Flathead are way better during the summer, there's still some good ones around, but, warm water gets them going, nice Whiting, I had some last night. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Some nice whiting Manic - bet the kids had a ball 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterfisho7 Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Well done there some nice whiting also love your video 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bessell1955 Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Wow, whiting, my favorite eating fish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 Great video. Nice Whiting. Young lady looks happy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GordoRetired Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 Great video and nice fish 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XD351 Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 Nice fish ! Never really fished lake Illawarra, looks like some nice territory there ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 Lake Illawarra still fishes surprisingly good for the "thinking" fisho who is prepared to put in some effort, considering the amount of "tourist" people who fish there, you would think there would be nothing left, but with some time and effort, you can still do OK. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenno64 Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Great vid and nice release....green with envy atm! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsswordfisherman Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Very nice video edit there and the music choice was perfect for the setting👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koalaboi Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Hi, For chasing and landing big flathead I have done far better using live poddies and wide gape hooks than I have using SPs. In fact for all flathead fishing, I have found live poddies to be far more reliable. The only trouble is that getting the poddies can sometimes involve a fair bit of time and effort. KB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seasponge Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 Great video maniac! 9 hours ago, Koalaboi said: For chasing and landing big flathead I have done far better using live poddies and wide gape hooks than I have using SPs. In fact for all flathead fishing, I have found live poddies to be far more reliable. How do you rig them? Whenever i've tried live poddies targetting flathead, i just keep getting smashed by tailor biting the poddies in half, and no hook ups. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koalaboi Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 Hi seasponge, I hook them through the lips from the lower jaw and run them under a float on the moving tide near the mouth of the estuary in the summer months. I always used to fish the runout but this year fished the run in with great success. For more see here: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koalaboi Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 (edited) Hi, If choppers are around they do smash the poddies but also smash the plastics too. Small bream can also be a problem. If there are too many about it may be better to try somewhere else or just give up. An occasional by catch can be long toms and Australian salmon which can certainly provide some thrilling action! KB Edited June 23, 2021 by Koalaboi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
campr Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 I usually only chase the big duskies during ANSA comps and leave them alone at other times. I find the big girls are fairly predictable and have been lucky enough to win more than my fair share of comps. I keep the smaller ones caught in comps for a few feeds but normally if I need a feed I go outside for blue spots. I fished for them with jigs tied with feathers before softies were available and a bloke I fished with at Swansea was one of the 1st to import the Mr Twisters which were a revelation. I have fished softies for a long time, but to consistently catch (and hopefully release) the big girls live bait is the way to go. Best baits are yellowtail, mullet and slimies but any live bait will do with trumpeter being a personal favorite alternative bait. I put a 1/0 or 2/0 Kale (big mouth) hook in through their mouth and out through top of head just before their eyes. If you want to catch a big one don't be afraid of using big baits I have caught an 83cm one on a mullet about 35cm long when fishing for Jew and dropped one next to the boat well over a metre long when about to net one as she spat out a 40cm flathead that I had hooked. I'm a fair judge of her size as I had caught my equal best flathead of 97cm and 5.64kg the day before at the same spot. They get a bit lethargic as the water cools at this time of year and you need a big bait to make it worth their while to get off their spot and chase it, as well as giving them some time to eat it. All my comp fishing I do is done with 1kg pretest line with a 15lb flurocarbon trace to hook. All big ones were released except one at Nowra that wouldn't revive. Attached photo is 97cm one described above from the Hacking that beat my previous pb by 200 grams but same length caught at Sussex Inlet a couple of weeks earlier. You can see 1200cm tank in photo behind me I use to keep them alive to weigh and then release. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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