# Flickin Plastics Help



## bildad (Jun 20, 2011)

:twisted:


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## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

Hi mate, with bream i like light heads, with flathead i like heavier heads as i like a puff of sand to be visible when the plastic hits the bottom. I believe this attracts the flat chaps as it looks like a small whiting ect foraging along the bottom.


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## punchanello (Oct 6, 2011)

For flathead I find a slowish retrieve with fairly aggressive lifts works well.

Don't be afraid give heavier jigheads a go either to make sure you keep hitting the bottom and cause some agitation.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

You can still "troll" with plastics, maybe not as fast depending on how heavy they are but you can definitely still do it. Think of it as casting but your kayak is doing the retrieving and the lure never reaches the rod tip and you don't need to keep casting it out again.


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## Jenko (Jan 31, 2010)

1. When drift fishing for flathead I usually use gulp pumpkinseed swimming mullet in 3inch, flatties love them.
2. When trawling on the Oasis, I usually get the front person to not peddle and I peddle very slowly.
3. When anchored I cast, let it sink to the bottom and then lift quick to 11-12 o'clock, this lifts the plastic up high enough for the flatty to see it. Remember a flathead is an ambush predator that waits on the bottom for something to swim past, so if you don't lift high enough to get their attention, you could go past one 4 foot away. Paul Worstling described the technique best on one of his Ifish programs.


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## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

Bildad, there is no one response that is guaranteed to be the bee's knees in all circumstances. There are several methods and they all have their place but the most common would be what I call "lift and wind", "slow roll" and one where the line is ripped or jerked rapidly 2 or 3 times...

Lift and wind is just a slow raising of the rod tip which makes the lure swim up and then drop the tip and wind in the slack before allowing the lure to find the bottom again. For flathead this can be repeated after a brief pause but for bream the pause can be extended out to 30seconds or a minute. Repeat all the way in.

The slow roll is very slowly retrieving the lure and keeping the line tight but still keeping contact with the bottom. Variation is achieved by subtle flicks with the tip of the rod.

For jerk shads and paddle tails allow the lure to find the bottom and then give the rod 2 or 3 fairly violent and rapid jerks before allowing the lure to again sink to the bottom and repeat after a pause.

Your question was based around flathead which is why I have specified bottom contact. There are loads of variations and some suit specific styles of plastics better than others but the thinner curly type tails will wriggle well with a slow lift while the shads and paddle tails shine with a faster, jerkier movement. The flick baits are different again and need to be constantly agitated by short sharp movements of the rod tip. Like most parts of this sport continued practice will help you find what works best for your own needs and once you get the plastics working for you you will be surprised at how effective and easy it is to use them...

cheers

John


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## burnsie8495 (Sep 11, 2012)

Im not going to reinstate everything everyone has said, but if you like fishing light (especially for bream) give TT lures hidden weight system a shot, The leads built along the shaft and sits inside the body, this makes sure theres no chunky unnatural metal sitting out the front, your plastic will look fatter and sinks more natural, from memory the heaviest they come is a 1/8 ounce, worth a look anyway.


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## bildad (Jun 20, 2011)

Thanks for the advice, I think I may have been fishing too light so my SP was only down on the bottom for the first couple of hops.
I'll try some of the techniques John316 has outlined.
I hear you Jenko about the front person not pedalling, I have found the person in the front has a hard time not pedalling.
Sometimes we turn the front pedals around the opposite way so we have reverse which helps position the Yak in different conditions.


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

Not sure about your tides, but I need to fish 3/8 ounce just to stay in contact with the bottom up here.


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## shabby (Mar 24, 2011)

"whipping" technique as described above works well on the flatties especially in the shallower water....but what works for me won't always work for you!

good luck mate


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