How to catch flathead on bait, soft plastics & lures | flathead fishing 

Its wonderful to know that you enjoyed the instructional video Ryan. Make sure sub to the channel as there is plenty of new content that im working on. Best Regards Al from FishingMad

Thanks for the positive comments, hopefully it inspires you to get out and catch a few good flathead. Regards Al from FishingMad

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks David, I really appreciate the comments. I always try to make sure there is plenty of helpful content in the videos so watchers find it valuable and enjoyable. Thanks again !!

Thanks Reilley, This one took a lot of effort, so it's very pleasing that you got some good tips from it. As always ill have more new content soon, back to the drawing board.

Thanks Lincoln, appreciate the kind words mate!!!

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks 👍 Hey Tom, great to hear from you, it sure has been a very long time. I hope you are going well and things have been good for you. For me things are going great, enjoying life and fishing has become a big part of that.

Glad it helped there is always next time you go out. Might be worth having a look at this aswell ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DYtb2fREdac.html cheers

Glad to hear it! Enjoy

Thanks 👍 That's really appreciated !!

Thanks Jacky, I appreciate your positive comments. I have released a few more step by step instructional guides that you might find interesting on the channel aswell, such as this one ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kC52rIBcwic.html Thanks

That's fantastic to hear. PA14 are amazing kayaks youll love it. I hope this tips on this video help you get onto a few good fish. Lure fishing is addictive, the thrill of taking 1 rod and some lures and catching is amazing. Im always out there feel free to send us pics of your adventures ( www.fishingmad.com.au ) and you never know we might bump into each other other there, especially if around Melbourne.

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it

Thanks heaps for the positive comments Darren. I'm glad the channel has inspired you. Fishing with soft plastics is prob my favorite form of fishing, always in contact with the rod and feeling the bites. Those Savage rods are great value for money, But I agree those NS Black hole rods are amazing egi rods. I have one of the 7 foot 8 variations and they are really good quality. Once again thanks for the comments, really glad you are enjoying the content.

Thanks bud it sure was

Glad you liked it! Really appreciate the comment

Thanks Joe, this one took some time to put together so appreciate the positive comments.

Glad to hear it Anthony. Lots of other helpful vids on the channel, so make sure you check them out too.

Thanks Josh. You might enjoy this one as well, a very detailed guide on how to catch whiting ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Q7FH7W83bco.html

@@fishingmad ok thanks for that. I’ll watch it now

Great, hope you enjoyed it

Glad it was helpful! Help for the positive feedback !!

Great vids, get good feedback :)

Much respect, thank you. You might also enjoy my whiting fishing masterclass one of my best informative vids. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Q7FH7W83bco.html Thanks

Thanks Marx, yeah a lot of effort went into this one. Getting lots of positive feedback already which is pleasing. Feel free to share it on your pages. Hope to catch up one day soon.

fishingmad, just got around to sharing it on my FB page. Good vid, big effort, deserves some views. About to head to Canada for 4 months, but for sure we will catch up when I get back.

That's awesome, Genuinely appreciate it. Have a great trip and yes, hope we can catch up on your return. Thanks !!

Hi Les, was filmed around Altona.

Thanks a lot Brice !!!

Thank you !!

Thank you kindly, more content coming soon, so stay tuned

Thanks heaps. Lots of other good videos on the channel too so sub and enjoy !!! Thanks for the positive comment.

Good tip, Thanks Dennis

Thanks, yeah this is one of our older vids haven't used background music for a very long time.

@@fishingmad All good, Just throwing my 2 bobs worth in Cheers Loving the content

Hi Travis, thanks for the positive comments. I did show at the start that I use premade paternoster rigs with small strips of squid. You can buy pre made paternoster rigs at most fishing retailers or online stores. I simply tie it to my main line add a small sinker to the bottom, then 2 pieces of bait such as squid. I then leave it in the rod holder and drift around only grabbing the rod when i get bites. I hope that helps, there is a lot more useful information on our website www,fishingmad.com.au Thanks

Thank you !! Lots of other good stuff on the channel that you might enjoy too.

Hi Robert, to answer your questions. Yes we were drifting the whole time, yes this is Altona opposite the pier and yes there is ample parking in the whole area. Just in summer time you prob wont get any parking come midday. Thanks for the positive feedback, hopefully you got some useful tips.

ill make sure I get a video together soon, that covers this for you. Some great options out there I have the native watercraft slayer 10. I liked it because 10 foot was easier for me to control and at the time was one of the very few yaks to could go forwards and backwards. They handle very well. I'm also a big fan of the new hobie pro anglers, there brilliantly designed. But of course they are quite expensive. Stay tuned, ill put a video of some tips together soon.

Cheers man. Love your work

Thanks !!!

This session was probably a tie 50/50 on bait and plastics. I find some days on the water soft plastics perform the best and then the next day bait performs the best. I like to use both options but do find catching with soft plastics more fun. I hope that helps answer your question. Best Regards Al from FishingMad

That's awesome Jayden, congrats on the purchase. Hobie Pro Anglers are amazing. Would be happy to catch up, i'm having some time off over the Christmas break. I got myself a small boat recently, but in 2 minds to whether i should have upgraded the kayak.

Yes paddle tails are a dynamite choice on flathead. Especially ones that mimic inured mullet or bait fish in natural colours such as whites, clear and silvers. Your right surprisingly unnatural colors such as greens, blacks, pinks also work really well too. I caught a 70cm flathead on a bright pink flathead a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for your comments.

Your welcome mate

Thanks

Yeah it looks great and is affordable too. Its savage gear HD8 silencer braid. I have it on all my reels.

Thanks Luke, This was top end of Port Phillp Bay

Thanks heaps for the positive comments. !! This is a debate that will go on into the dark ages, half anglers believe it should be up and the others down. Honestly I think both ways work just as well, and try not to overthink it. The tail action on curtails is almost exactly the same regardless of which they are rigged and thats what the flathead will be looking for. Hope this helps. best Regards Al

fishingmad awesome, great to hear, thanks again.

No problems, anytime

Something like a 1/8 hook size 2/0 should work great

Have the bait rod on which ever side the current is pushing the bait, that way you can flick plastics on the other side and the line will always stay out of the way and not snag up

Hey Glen, maybe give circle hooks a go if your bait fishing. Flathead have big mouths and swallow baits and plastics so it can take some work to carefully get the hooks out.

Thanks Daniel. Budget is an interesting question when it comes to kayaks. Entry level kayaks start around $600 and then they can go all the way up to $4500. I have mates who have purchased the Dragon Kayaks from BCF fro around $600 and they love them. They are paddle kayaks. Then there's the top end kayaks like the hobie pro anglers and native watercraft's. These have full pedal systems, stability control, rudders, storage, elevated seats. It all depends on your budget. Your height wont matter to much. Smaller kayaks are 9 foot and 10 foot and the bigger ones are 12 and 14 foot. If your taller then maybe going for one of the bigger kayaks, especially one with adjustable seat. If your just starting id look at seeing if you can go out with someone and try thier yak. My first yak i bought a cheap and nasty one. I felt unstable, I spent the whole time paddling and could hardly fish. I gave it away and came back to it years later after buying a good quality one and loved it. I hope this info helps, please feel free to message me if you need any more assistance.

@@fishingmad thanks for the info mate it is a great help cheers

Your very welcome,

In close, was only 4 meters deep most of the time. Also make sure you have a good look at the Hobies, Ive been used a PA14 for the last few years.

Thank you, there are many educational technique and rigging videos on the channel so do make sure you browse through the content. I always use 1 rod length of flurocarbon leader. You may also want to look at our members area as we do frequent fishing workshops, q&a sessions which may really help fast track you fishing knowledge and also cool monthly giveaways fishingmad.com.au/member hope that helps

@@fishingmad Thank you, I will check out your website!

Yeah hoping to get out some content covering exactly that shortly.

Thank you 🙏

Yes that's correct. Either small strips of the hood or tentacles. Lots of other baits that work really well aswell such as pilchards, prawns etc. I hope that helps.

Hi Joe, nah this was Altona Millers road about 300 meters from the pier. Hope that helps.

Yeah I always use 1 rod length of leader. The knot typically sits just above the reel. Or at very least between the reel and the first eye on the rod. I generally use a double uni or slim beauty and never have any issues with the knot touching the eyes or guides. The knot is thin and doesn’t cause to many issues. I have a couple of really light bream rods that are 1-3 kilo with small eyes and they are fine with the knot aswell. I hope that helps, let me know if there are any other questions you have. Best Regards Al from FishingMad

@@fishingmad I usually try and keep my questions related to the videos you post mate, so I'm sure there'll be more haha. I really appreciate the time you take out of your day to answer them :)

Never a problem, your very welcome. Always happy to help and share some knowledge.

@@fishingmad Cheers Al, appreciate it :) I've picked up a few Savage Gear items now - the Black Spinning Reel 2000 and a Finezze 6'4 rod. I didn't know if you had an affiliate link for BCF or not, but you should get some recognition for the sales! Whats your preference for braid? I think in the vid you say 7 and 8lb are your go-to, but when shopping around it seems most braid line class are targeted at the higher end and not so many stores stock the sub-10lb versions. Do you use a backing line too, or just spool the whole thing up with 300y of the stuff?

Hi Scott. Thanks heaps for the message. I have been exclusively sponsored by Savage Gear now since 2017. I have a great relationship with those guys. There products are only exclusively sold via BCF so in time I have also developed a pretty good relationship with BCF. Always happy to do my bit to look after both, but in saying that would only ever recommend things to others where I have first hand used something and thought it was good value and good product. With the reel I tend to spool the whole thing with braid. Thats fine with a 2000 size. Bigger size reels then I might use some cheaper mono as back fill first. My flathead combo currently is a 1dfr 3/5 kilo with a stealth 2000 I currently have it spooled with 9 pound braid. historically I would have used 6 to 8 pound braid but have had no issues moving up to 9. There are many good brands of braid but they come at very different price points. Savage have adrenaline braid in 5.3, 7.3 & 9.1 I believe. again I have been using 9 pound for flathead and 5 pound for bream. There are also other branded versions of braid on the market with thinner diameter that are awesome but they can get quite expensive. Eg my mate bought 10 pound braid the other day the diameter was so thin it was crazy good but quite expensive. Other affordable braid options under 10 pound include Daiwa J-Braid, sunline PE, Fins evolve, Gosen if you can find it is supposed to be amazing stuff bit a bit pricey. I hope that helps answer your questions. Trust me you will find many braid options under 10 pound and dont be afraid to ask the shop that your buying from the spool the reel for you with there machines, as it is always nicer to use that way.

This was filmed several years ago I was using a native watercraft slayer these days I go around in my Hobie Pro Angler. Many go cheap with kayaks and later regret it. For one simple reason stability, many of the entry level kayaks ( despite what they may advertise ) are not stable and anglers dont feel safe on them. The higher end ones are far superior in stability and that makes a world of difference. I also much prefer foot peddle kayak and not paddle as its so much easier to fish in. This article I wrote may be helpful for you fishingmad.com.au/article/fishing-kayak-buyers-guide-2022

Appreciate the reply mate. I understand the vid was older, however I've only recently discovered your awesome videos as I've recently taken up fishing for recreation, though figured with your years of experience that you'd be able to point me in the right direction. You'll start to see heaps of likes and "newbie comments". I've yet to check out your website and become a member. I'll check out the link. I'd love a Hobie PA, though may need a cheaper alternative 😪

Thanks John, Id strongly suggest jump on places like Gumtree, eBay and Facebook marketplace and see if there are any Hobie Pro anglers, Hobie Outbacks or Native Watercrafts being sold 2nd hand at a bargain price that's often the best way as you can get them much cheaper then retail price plus they are generally already fitted with accessories. Otherwise next best things might be something like the kayaks2fish Nextgen yaks but they are nowhere near as stable as the hobies or native watercrafts but much cheaper and fine in the right conditions. Hope that help,s our members area is fishingmad.com.au/member which may be of some further help. Look foward to your comments on the channel and hope you enjoy the content.

Hi Jack, ill have another vid in a few weeks thats explains all of this so stay tuned. typically in warmer weather we find them in closer around 6 meters deep, in colder months they go deeper and i target them around 12 meters deep.

@@fishingmad Thank you mate. We love the content. Cheers.

Your very welcome, I have always done better with flathead landbased an hour each side of low tide. I find they come in close during low tide to feed and there generally pretty active during these times. that being said I have caught them during all times and tides, but would do that as a starting point.

Awesome thanks bro !

No problems

Hi James, yeah my go to for the last few months has been the Savage Black 4-6 kilo rod. You'll see me feature it in nearly all of my recent vids so do check them out. Its 6 foot 6 and surprisingly lighter and thinner than the 3-5 kilo version. The combo ive been using is a Savage Black 4-6 / Stealth 3000 / 14 pound braid. This way I can handle some bigger fish aswell the odd snapper. I'll let you in on a little secret there is some new Savage rod series on the way. I believe they will be available around October. Pretty sure there will be a Black series 2 rod. That might help you with the decision making process.

@@fishingmad Much appreciated for your input, mate. In that case, I would probably wait a bit further for the new version and decide if I go for the new one or get a clearance deal on the current model - LOL. Because I only do land-based fishing, I might stick to the 7 footer for the longer casting distance though.

For land base 100% the Black 3-5 kilo 7 foot 2 lengths is the go. I use that with a stealth 2000 with 12 pound braid as my goto setup for landbase flathead and freshwater fishing

@@fishingmad Thanks, Allan. I will wait for the release/sale. Haha...

Yes 100% I find in winter you only get them in deeper waters, in summer they fire up and come into shallow waters. Usually between Nov and Feb you catch plenty of them

Yep, there also very good for targeting flatties. If your using them and not getting bites then just go back to something a little smaller such as a 2.5 plastic like a zman grub, slim swimz or Savage pro grub

what colour works with the slim swimz?

They all work good, id generally start with motor oil then try golden flick, purple haze. They all work really well. Pick something that imitate the colour of a natural bait fish,

Thanks! Ive also heard that the streakz 3.75 work good on the salmon as well as pinkies and flatties. Is this true?

Yep very true. when im fishing I like to use plastics that allow you to target multiple species at once. Eg a Savage pro grub, berkley turleback worm, or zman slim slim, Streakz or grubz will all work fine for flathead, pinkies, salmon, whiting and so on allowing you to target many different fish at the same time.

Planning to put a video together for bream in the not to distant future. It does take a bit of time to piece together all the content and footage but stay tuned. Regards Al from FishingMad

Exactly the same method. Cast and give the soft plastic about 7 seconds to sink to the bottom. Then do a couple of lifts then let it sink back to the bottom, repeat this over and over until the plastic is back near the boat. I have caught hundreds of flathead and other species like pinkies doing this. I generally fish Port Phillip bay between 5-8 meters so I know this method works very well. Hope that helps, plenty of other vids on the channel that might help too.

thanks mate i’ll try it out tomorrow 🤙🏼

No worries, good luck

Hi Adrian, My kayak at the time was a Native watercraft slayer propel 10. Great little kayak. I have since upgraded to a Hobie pro angler 14 ( which you will see in action on my recent videos ). My mate in the video was using a dragon fish pro which retail around $600 from BCF. I hope that helps. Let us know if you have any further questions.

fishingmad Thanks a lot mate, appreciate the quick response.

Anytime !!! - There is heaps of recent content that you should also find helpful.

Generally size 1/0 Thanks

Yeah the Savage Gear Aus website is still some time away. Most of the MMP2 rods were 2-4 or 3-5 kilo rods. The ones I used in the vid were 3-5 kilo versions. I now have been using the Savage 1DRF rods instead. Cheers if you need more info let me know

@@fishingmad Thanks for your reply, Fishmad. I was actually asking about the ideal lure casting weight for the 3-5 kg rod in the video (eg, 5-15 gram? ) I saw you had quite a few savage rods and thought you might know. Cheers.

Yeah I have many of their rods for many years. I agree that anything over 20 grams is probably the max that it could handle. ill have a chat to the savage Gear marketing team and see if they have any official documentation that I can share with you. What were you looking to cast with it. For most SP's and hard bodies would be no issue. metal slugs might be a bit heavy

@@fishingmad Yeah, that was exactly why I asked this question - to see whether i can occasionally cast light metal slugs (up to 20 grams) with it. I assume it should be OK. Like you said, anything over 20 grams will be struggling in my mind. Anyway, much appreciated for your time and reply. Hopefully Savage guys have an answer for this. Alan, right? Thanks again.

No problems, ill let you know if I find out anything further. For throwing metals I have been using there 9 foot 1dfr rod which works really well.

Nah I use braid on the majority of my outfits and setup, just make sure that your using about a rod length of fluorocarbon leader.

Ok Thanks.

Always go with a rod thats more suited for flicking plastics. the logic is you can use a soft plastics rod with bait but you usually cant use a bait rod for soft plastics. The rods I used in the video were just a Savage Black spin 2-4 kilo rod and a Mpp2 rod. Both work quite well for plastics and bait and are cheap outfits.

fishingmad, thanks so much manit means a lot, I was about to buy a bait rod today think the other way round, appreciate it a lot❤️

No worries your very welcome. If you need any suggestions let me know. Lately I have been using the Savage 1DFR 3-5 kilo spin rod and its been great for both plastics and bait

fishingmad I was looking at the rod but it is alittle out of my range in price wise and it also not a 2 piece which is a bummer

Have a look at the Savage Manic spin combo. www.bcf.com.au/p/savage-manic--spinning-combo/M564950.html there on special regularly aswell

In that video no sounder, just a portable device that told you the depth. I now have a Lowrance Hook 2 4x which is an entry level sounder. Looking to move up to something a bit better soon. Flathead dont generally come up on the sounder, so just drifting around would be fine.

I actually got it at the Melb 4x4 fishing show a couple of years ago. I now use the berkley collapsible fishing net and love it.

@@fishingmad Many thx love your vids

Any time, thanks for the positive feedback !!

Its been a little tough lately because the small pinkies are in plague proportion in Port Phillip Bay. I went fishing yesterday morning around werribee and caught an avalanche of small pinkies in the first hour. I then switched across to curl tail soft plastics in motor oil and black and immediately caught 3 flathead and 2 massive snook. I was still catching pinkies on the plastics but also managed to find other good fish. ill have a video of this next week. Which part of PPB were you fishing and were you using bait or soft plastics ?

Its been a little tough lately because the small pinkies are in plague proportion in Port Phillip Bay. I went fishing yesterday morning around werribee and caught an avalanche of small pinkies in the first hour. I then switched across to curl tail soft plastics in motor oil and black and immediately caught 3 flathead and 2 massive snook. I was still catching pinkies on the plastics but also managed to find other good fish. ill have a video of this next week. Which part of PPB were you fishing and were you using bait or soft plastics ?

fishingmad I was using pippies and squid and fishing down near frankston I also have green motor oil paddle tails would they work for flathead

Yep green tails are a great choice for flathead. Keep persisting looks like your doing many things correct. Just need a little luck. If your in a spot where your getting heaps of small pinkies, just move on to another spot.

20 pound is a little heavy, but it would still work OK.

At the end of every video I put some information on location, amount of fish caught gear used etc. In 3 hours we caught 18 Flathead and countless toad fish. Got a few between 50-60cm but most between 35-45cm. Kept a couple returned the rest. Previous trip out there managed a couple on the 60's. Regards Al from FishingMad

Ocean, Port Phillip Bay

Yep they sure do. Maybe not my first choice of bait. Just make sure you put them on the hook correctly so the main part of the hook is completely exposed. Hope that helps.

You dont need to use heavy line for flathead, nothing over 15lb

@@fishingmad thanks man, i usually just have heavy line in case of a snag but i think im gonna change it

Thats fantastic. Congrats on the purchase. Hobies are amazing im sure you will love it. I have a PA 14 and thinks its awesome. There is heaps of new vids on the channel, how to vids, kayaking vids and boating vids just go here ru-vid.com and check the content and subscribe. Cheers

Agreed, I have seen this a few times now. I caught a massive lizard a few weeks back doing this.

Thanks !! appreciate the feedback. All of our vids since this release have zero background music as we agree it got a bit too much.

@@fishingmad Cheers dude.Just saying good show sub me.

yep even caught them with a hook and nothing on it

@@fishingmad lol. the flathead out here are desperate

Yeah, Thanks