# Whats the best Lure for Flatheads ???



## JAX (Aug 22, 2007)

G/day

I am getting sick of using smelly baits when i go fishing, so i thought i would try some Lures.

But i have not idea what to use. I know Narrabeen Bait & Tackle has a big range of Lures so thats where i will be buying from.

So i am in need of a Lure for Flatheads, can anyone help we with what i should buy. I will be fishing in the Hawkesbury/Pittwater area.

Thanks, John.


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## Garfish (Jun 2, 2006)

Any decent sized soft plastic usually does the trick for flathead... just make sure your jig head is heavy enough to hit the bottom and stir up a bit of sand.... they're not too picky.

Good luck.

FYI - You would do no wrong by starting with the Berkley Gulp range of plastics in pumpkinseed or natural colours... try sandworm, minnow grub or stick bait styles. Basically anything. Size wise, try 3 - 4 inch.


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

Mostly agree with garfish for flatties go for the sp's they love them.

I like the squidgy wrigglers in 70 or 100mm size and prefer the jelly prawn colour.

Cheers dave


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## johnny (Aug 12, 2007)

Jax,
Lures must hit or run near the gravel...mann's 5 plus pink...scorpion pink...gold versions too of these...a willow bladed jighead with 4"plastic ala August NSW fishing monthly's Jamie Robley...nilsmaster pink 2"...attack lures in pink with gray back...any long bodied 2-3"japanese trout lures in gold or pink.[daiwa,smith etc are dear but good]..chinese lures can be poorly swimming or not durable options...clear yabby shaped lures.....or my sister's nightclub clothes will get any flathead!
Regards,
johnny


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## Garfish (Jun 2, 2006)

The benefits of the larger shad styles is that they fall through the water column more slowly due to the resistence of the paddle tail... hence it will flutter nicely on the drop.

Always be ready to strike on the drop, as more often than not you'll find that when you're drifting you will drop straight on to one.


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## Guest (Aug 29, 2007)

One easy answer to this one.

Berkley Gulp Minnow 3" or 4 " in Nuclear Chicken.

Works everytime for me.

Cheers


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## Jeffo (Sep 10, 2006)

flatty are a great fish to use lures on, they eat just about anything I reckon.

For SP's = 3 inch gulp in pumpkinseed.
For hard bodies = most bib minnow style that go close to the bottom, just need to adjust the lure to suit the water depth. Dare I say it, SX 40's have worked best for me & micro mullets


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Like the last time someone asked this question the thread went for pages and there were plenty of different opinions. The truth is on the day any of the sugestions will work. My opinion is get a few different types and sizes, and if one colour or size isn't working on the day try another.

Also its worth a look at low tide on the drying flats to see where the flatties are sitting. You can often see the tear drop indentations in the sand and mud of where they have been waiting. Usually they dont stray far and comeback to the same spot.


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## Geoff (May 29, 2007)

I have a couple of different soft plastics I like to use for flatties. Currently my favourite is the squidgy stealth prawn. It comes witha ressin jighead and is heavy enough to get to the bottom, but light enough to drift down slowly through the strike zone. It doesn't have any action like other plastics but I have had some good success with the stealth prawn recently and intend to give it a good bash in the comming months.


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## Biggera Yakker (Jan 25, 2007)

I've heard that husky jerks are good for flatties.


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

Ive had most success with 4" gulp minnows in smelt and nuclear chicken and Gulp 4"shads.


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## rawprawn (Aug 31, 2005)

Depends how deep your fishing. I only use HB lures. HB lures I have had luck with Flatheads in shallow water; Scorpions and Orgy littlr Rippers. SX40s also do ok. I have found that Flathead will hit almost anything in shallow water that moves.


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## devo (Sep 12, 2006)

Gday John ,

The rapala shad rap 5 is also a decent hard-body lure for flatties. It dives to around 10-15 feet so perfect for when you are in a bit deeper water. 
It has a long broad bib on it , so as you are trolling and it hits a sandy bottom , the shad really digs up the dirt mimicking a foraging fish .
I have also caught bream and a squid on the shad rap and in my opinion its a great lure to have in the tackle box.
cheers
Devo


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## JAX (Aug 22, 2007)

Thanks for all your advise Guys 

Looks like its going to be a nice weekend for a fish tomorrow, so i will hit the tackle shop then the water & try some of the lures you guys have suggested.

Thanks again.

John.


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## Gigantor (Jun 27, 2006)

Jax,

Everything mentioned so far is essentially correct. Key point I think is bouncing the bottom, which creates puffs of mud/sand which will bring the lizards in. Personally, I started out using hardbody bidded lures like surecatch in about 4 inch length. I then moved to bigger sizes around 6 inch. Colours don't seem to mean too much - lizards seem to hit anything if it's put in front of them. Dark greens, natural colours (amber/brown etc.) and pinks became my preferred colours here (otherwise I'd need 10 lure boxes).

In the past few years I've successfuly tried soft plastics. Again I started small (2 inch) and have slowly moved up to 6 inch. Again colours don't seem to mean much, though once you start catching lots of fish on certain colours you can't help but stay with them. In SP's I tend to use similar colours to hard bodys (pink, dark green, natural etc.). If trolling I've been getting good success with larger (80mm and 100mm) paddletail squidgies in the gold/black colour on a 1/2oz jig head. In terms of casting, smaller versions of the same Squidgie work well also. I tend to use 1/8oz to 1/4oz jig heads for casting. Have also had good fun on 4 inch Saltwater Assassin paddletails in pink/diamond. Killer Tomato Squidgie Fish in 50mm are great as well - these would be a must have for all situations. Have caught lizards, bream in the salt and tilapia (freshwater) on these. Note: If you intend to target Bream you'll need to use minimal weight on the jighead. weedless-style hook with no lead to 1/8oz maximum and retreive real slow.

In the end, I think the way you present the Soft Plastic lure is the key. Holding the rod horizontal to the water surface, then a couple of quick upward jerks (2 or 3 - alternate) with the rod tip, then lower the rod tip down to the horizontal reeling in the slack, pause for 2 or 3 seconds, and then repeat.

Good luck. Let us know how you go.

Cheers,

Pete


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## rawprawn (Aug 31, 2005)

Hi-Yo said:


> Gigantor said:
> 
> 
> > Jax,
> ...


Not sure they must be bumping the bottom. Most of my FH catches on HB are not bumping but they are a sailing close to the bottom. Some of the creeks I fish are shallow and we fish the edges just deep enough so the lure is not getting fowled on the weed on the bottom. A bit of noise and action will get their attention without hitting the bottom. I think it depend on where you fish.


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Gigantor (Jun 27, 2006)

JAX,

Whether the lure is hitting the bottom or not - I think the key is that the lure needs to be very active in it's movement.

Yesterday arvo I popped down to the Pine River on the western side of the Hornibrook Bridge at Sandgate (Brisbane) and walked the sand banks casting soft plastics on the dropping tide. Got a couple of small lizards. I started using a Squidgie Prawn (pink/clear) got one hit but pulled it out of the mouth of a larger fish - then nothing after that. Then changed lure to a black/gold Squidgie paddletail (50mm) - got no hits. Then changed to my favourite Saltwater Assassin 4 inch paddletail (Pink/Diamond) on a TT 1/8 jig head and landed the 2 small lizards (pic attached).

Cheers,

Pete


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