Harry caught this flathead while using hard-body lures on the flats with the author.
The author with a solid flathead caught in the Nerang River.
Flathead trolling tips
H
I everyone, can you believe it… June already,
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Page 26 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing June 2022
Broadwater Guide by CLINT ANSELL
This month I’ll focus on some flathead trolling tips. Flathead are a fish we never tire of catching – they can be lazy fish to fight but so often their strike is ferocious. We catch a lot of flathead on vibe lures and soft plastics, but there are times when trolling hard-body minnow lures will outfish everything else – on windy days when it’s hard to cast as an example. Brad Smith has long been a master of estuary trolling and has taught me everything I know, but we both learn new things all the time. To troll for flathead, you’ll ideally need a 6'6", 2-4kg spinning or baitcast rod and reel – 2500 size spinning reels do the job well. We use about 100m of monofilament line backing, then top shot with PE 0.6 8-strand braided line. The Japanese multicoloured ones are the best for trolling, as you
can easily measure how far you want the lure out. Seaguar is a brand we prefer and use a lot for trolling. You then need to tie on about 1m of 6-8lb fluorocarbon leader to the end of the braid with an improved Albright knot, then tie the lure on directly, with no swivel clip. We have tried and tested many lures over the years and rounded them down to a few favourites. Pontoon 21 Crackjack 48mm SP DR These little beauties swim to about 1.8m deep, making them ideal for shallower flats. They catch a lot of flathead big and small, and all sorts of bycatch. Brad’s favourite ever lure. Comes in a range of dynamic colours. The best colours are Bloody Tiger Prawn, Spanish Red, Green Tiger Prawn, Ghost continued P27
www.bnbfishing.com. au
