Flathead
Hi guys,
Apart from some offshore species, the next
fish I would like to target (and am yet to catch here) is flathead.
I've been down to the claremont jetty twice at dawn on a rising tide
but didnt have much luck (as well as loosing my lure last time 
). Also tried around canning bridge twice just before high tide (around dawn and around dusk) and again, no luck.
I'm using a rio prawn, 13gm, casting it out and retreiving it in a
'hopping motion'. I.e. lift rod, wind in, let drop for a second or
three then repeat.
I'm guessing I should be casting
downstream most of the time and retrieving back. I.e. because the tide
is coming in, i'm going with the tide, as I assume the flatties will be
facing that direction, waiting for something to float by.
Wednesday morning is looking good as theres high tide around 9:30am, so
I figure i'll probably fish around 6-8:30am or so, or would this be
cutting it short? I could stick around later, but then i'd want to
start later.
Can anyone recommend some spots where I might
actually have a chance of catching some flathead and not some weed
instead? Alternatively, if anyone wants to go with me, i'm sure that'd
help a lot more (but I wont hold my breath 
)
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
The flats
near the Fremantle traffic bridge is a pretty good spot.
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till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Can't really say I know my
Can't really say I know my way around the bottom of all the river, but I did see a couple decent ones between sea scouts and the matilda bay restaurant, lots of bream amongst all the pylons as well.
You might need a kayak to get access though, so combine it with the next demo day on the weekend, they launch right there =)
till
hlokk
Posts: 4293
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Somewhere mentioned "one
Somewhere mentioned "one hour into the rising tide". Is that one hour after low tide? If thats the case then tue morning seems like a better option?
I'm guessing you fish from the north side of the traffic bridge and wade around to cover ground? Also, casting downstream or upstream, or i guess towards the middle of the river (to cover the droppoffs)
Up to that jetty/boat anchoring place (name??) or not even that far you need to walk (or further?)
http://maps.google.com.au/?ie=UTF8&ll=-32.040304,115.754689&spn=0.002019,0.005021&t=h&z=18
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Always interested in someone to go fishing with
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
North side
it is. Casto to the drop off and bring your lure, plastic, prawn star or bait back with a flick and drop action over the flats.
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Dean
Posts: 1943
Date Joined: 23/02/07
try point walter
try point walter
hlokk
Posts: 4293
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Wont blowies destroy my soft
Wont blowies destroy my soft plastics? Also, is it worth trying for anything else if the flatheads arent biting? A twisty might be quite versatile. Guessing there would be tailor, tarwhine and whiting also there. I doubt whiting will take a lure. Tailor will, (either the twisty, or a crystal minnow i have), but will they be there in the morning. I dont know what tarwhine would go for.
Guessing to park at west endish of doepel street? (might try pt walter next time)
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Always interested in someone to go fishing with
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
Tarwhine
will eat anything a bream will eat. Whiting can be caught on small minnows. The blowies will eat your soft plastics, you just have to hope a flathead gets there first. That is why a prawnstar is normally a better bet or a minnow.
Keep an eye out for birds working, that should tell you if there are tailor about. But if you really want to catch a flathead, get yourself a prawnstar.
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till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
How deep was that side? Its
How deep was that side? Its pretty steep down to the river where the old CSR was.
hlokk
Posts: 4293
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Tried down at the freo
Tried down at the freo traffic bridge early this morning. Walked to the limestone wall near the bridge and cast out a prawn lure. I got a bite right on the drop, but no hookup unfortunately
.
Kept trying for an hour and a half but no other bites. A small flounder did follow my lure though.
The ground was quite rubbly and I kept getting snagged, but because it was only knee deep I didnt loose the lure. I'm not sure whether the flathead would be lying in the rocky areas? They'd blend in, and i'm sure they'd pass through at least, but I figure sandy areas near weed would be best so they can bury themselves and wait.
Futher away from the bridges I kept catching weed, but some of it was that leavy oval shaped stuff which I hear flatheads like to hand around (but not the lighter green slimey stuff). Did get maybe 5-10m before hitting the weed though, but couldnt cast downstream (to work with the current). There was one nice sandy passage, but I walked along it and didnt see anything
Might try point walter tomorrow if its not raining in the morning (had to get back early, so couldnt make it today)
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Always interested in someone to go fishing with
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
Keep on perservering
You will get them. It sounds like you might have been close.
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hlokk
Posts: 4293
Date Joined: 04/04/08
I'm going to run out of
I'm going to run out of fingers soon to count the number of times I've seen baitfish jumping around, fish swirls, or a single hit on my line with no fish :p (and i've only been fishing for 2 months or so).
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Always interested in someone to go fishing with
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
It is all part of fishing
At least you are seeing some action. Maybe you could try experimenting with your retrieve. Sometimes it only needs a slight change to have that fish that has been following your lure, grab it.
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ody
Posts: 581
Date Joined: 30/12/06
Hi Ya, Places I've tried
Hi Ya,
Places I've tried with succeess on Prawn Stars and HB's are Point Walter all along the sand spit both sides, further towards Fremantle on the same side of the river immediately upriver of Blackall Reach, along the flats around the Red Herring, Point Resolution, Point Roe, on the north side of the river east of Freo Traffic Bridge.
Places I haven't tried but have read reports about are flats along the Kwinana Freeway South Perth, Canning River (both sides) east of the Canning Bridge, flats around Burswood (and probably further upriver).
Thise that know what they are doing rather than chuck and hope like me, say that a rising tide is best and fish the dropoffs. Apaprently they hide on the dropoff waiting for the meal to come along. I have also read that Prawnstars need to be retrieved really slow.
Cheers.
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