flathead on soft plastics

[binzzy]

ok so this is the main species im aiming for with soft plastics and most of the time im land based is there any retrieving techniques or weights, hooks, and plastics that will help me. im using a low stretch flurocarbon line 1/8jighead and size 2 hook with a pumpkin seed 3inch minowi. i got one about 2 weeks ago and i wanna make it more often i get one. and would using a bigger jig and plastics help get a bigger flatty

[Surfingant]

G'day mate welcome to the site, Flathead have got to be the easiest fish to catch on plastics because they'll attack just about anything this side of a rock thats in their zone. Anything 3-5 inch will do the job and with jigheads use just enough weight to get the lure down there on the bottom with any hook size from 2 to 1/0, don't be afraid to go a little bigger with flathead as they have big bucket mouths and even a relatively small one will engulf a 3-5 inch plastic. For technique slow rolling with a couple of pauses and hops should see you snaring them. There's plenty of info on this site as well as places like youtube to gather information, just don't forget to put a report up here and let us all know how you got on.

Cheers Anthony.

[BassTracker]

You dont want a wieght thats so heavy that it stops you from giving the plastic a natural movement and fishing for flaties your not going to be in deep water too often, more around drop offs, edges of channels and weed beds. They are probably the best fish to make a start with plastics, the are not too fussy, unlike bream. I'd go with a plastic at least 50mm (2 inch) in length. Try Squidgys in 65 & 75 mm length or 2 or 3 inch shads. If you use smaller you'll get tones of little ones. but i've found you pretty much cant go too big with flatties. I use standard 3 kilo platypus platinum just make sure on that line you keep the flaties head down under the water and it'll hold. I'd go the falling tide (my preference) Flatties almost always face into the current so you need to retrieve your plastic in the same direction as the flow of the current. I'd be using the smallest jig head that will get you to the bottm. Thats my 2 bob :cheer:

[binzzy]

thanks guys yer i had a little luck the other day wit them and then i went away for a week and the day i came back me and my mate had a chracker night on soft plastics and now i dont want to stop using them. so far ive only caught on small flatty about 30cm i think and i put him back but the other night my mate pulled up a nice 45 cm one. in the pictures our catch from the other night the cod and slatty bream are mine and the flattys my mates.