Up until very recently, 99 per cent of my flathead fishing has centred on the run-out tide – and I reckon most estuary anglers are in the same boat.
If you try to think like a fish, targeting flatties on the ebb tide – especially the last hour or two – makes sense.
It stands to reason that a bottom-dwelling opportunistic feeder like the humble lizard will spend the majority of its time waiting in holes and channels to ambush prey carried its way as the estuary empties. And that’s exactly what they do.
But flathead fishing on the flood tide can be just as – or even more – productive.
I have just spent a season lure fishing for flathead almost exclusively on the top of the tide – and the results have been impressive to say the least.
While I knew that flatties were an option in my local estuaries on the making tide, I never really bothered dedicating any time or effort to fishing in this fashion.
In terms of numbers and average sizes, low tide was where all the action was … or so I thought!
I sort of stumbled across the potential of flood tide flathead fishing by accident. A couple of the systems I regularly fish on the NSW Far South Coast were copping a flogging in the lower reaches, especially during holiday periods and across long weekends.
After a couple of fruitless sessions fishing the lower reaches at the bottom of the tide, I needed a “Plan B”.
Using a particularly “high” high tide one day, I took my little V-nose punt upstream to a stretch of water only fishable at high water.
The initial plan was to simply get away from the fishing pressure and boat traffic that was quickly putting the fish off the bite at the other end of the river.
But the surprising fishing I discovered changed the way I think about luring estuary duskies.
Right from the outset, flathead were literally everywhere in the upper reaches. They were using the flood tide to get into areas rich in food – weedbeds, sandflats and mangroves.
Working small soft plastics and hard-bodies on light gear in around this terrain – in water often less than 50cm deep – produced a steady stream of dusky flathead, ranging from runts under legal size to lovely fish pushing 70cm.
Ensuing trips on the flood tide into the same areas produced similar results. In fact, the fishing was amazingly consistent.
As soon as I pushed into areas that most anglers either couldn’t get to – or couldn’t be bothered getting to – the action increased.
Over the course of spring and summer I ended up catching literally hundreds of flathead in this manner. The quality of fish was a real eye-opener. While I didn’t land any true crocs, I caught more 60cm-plus duskies than previous seasons. Meanwhile, my counterparts fishing the opposite end of the system on the ebb tide struggled.
High points
Timing your flathead fishing trips with the high tide has a number of advantages. Firstly, I found it allows you to push into areas that are off limits to most anglers (unless they have a small boat or kayak).
This can really make a difference to your catch rate, especially in crowded estuaries with heavy boat traffic, or in peak holiday periods.
Secondly, and this is most pronounced on spring tides (the highest of high tides), it allows fish, including flathead, to access areas of the river or lake where they rarely venture.
These areas are rich in food. Flathead venture there for one reason – to feed – and that makes these great places to cast a lure.
Flood tide tactics
Techniques used for luring flathead from deeper holes on the bottom of the tide can be employed successfully on flood tide fish – with a few minor adjustments.
I find that, when fishing the flood tide, you are generally casting lures into the shallows rather than working them around drop-offs and channels. As a result, lure choice and set-up changes a little.
If you’re flicking soft plastics into water less than a metre deep, you can get away with smaller lures on lighter jig-heads. Squidgy Wrigglers (80mm and 100mm) and two-inch Gulp Shrimps are pretty effective plastics.
I’ve also been impressed recently by the new Z-Man three-inch Shrimps. Their durability on toothy fish like flathead is outstanding. I have hooked a dozen flathead in succession on the Z-Mans and they still don’t exhibit signs of wear and tear. They’ll even survive a hot tailor bite!
Jig-heads between 2 and 3.5 grams are generally the best for targeting the shallows.
Similarly, when selecting hard-bodies, shallow-diving models that swim at depths of between half-a-metre and one metre are ideal.
An array of makes and models work, but I like Ecogear SX-40s, Pontoon 21 48mm Crackjacks, Berkley Scum Dogs and Bushy’s Stiffy Poppers.
As anglers fishing the flood tide are often faced with clear, shallow water, long casts and long, light leaders are essential.
Drifting upstream with the making tide, I fire long casts in front of the boat, landing the lures in the shallows and working it back into slightly deeper water.
In particular, I look for holes or “pockets” in between weeds or rocks. Feeding flatties often sit in or adjacent to these areas, waiting for an opportune time to pounce.
Expect plenty of strikes just as the lure lands. Under these conditions, flatties are often sitting right up on the flats or in the seagrass in just a few centimetres of water.
And don’t be afraid to target ridiculously shallow water. Spring tides encourage hungry fish, including flatties, to venture into water barely deep enough to cover their dorsal fins!
Hook-ups will also happen as you bounce or crank your lure back into the depths. As anyone who’s chased them before know, flathead are renowned for following lures right to your feet, smacking them directly under your nose.
Planning ahead
Check out a tide chart and you will quickly notice that high tides aren’t always “high”. That’s why a bit of research and forward planning helps immensely in this form of fishing.
Being able to time your fishing sessions to coincide with periods of above average high tides will improve your results.
I find the best bites occur on the highest of high tides, otherwise known as “spring” tides, which occur during a full moon and a new moon.
Fish seem to react really positively when the water levels rise to rare levels, allowing them to mooch over territory that they only have access to once or twice a month.
Spring tides also allow anglers in kayaks and small boats to poke into hidden or hard to access areas – and that’s always going to produce better than average fishing.
In saying that, don’t discount the smaller “neap” tides, which occur during and around the half-moon. Flatties will still use the high water during these periods to patrol the shallows and the fishing can still be very productive.
By-catch
A great fringe benefit of this style of fishing is the other species you’ll encounter. Depending on the estuary you’re fishing, you’re very likely to encounter bream and whiting in the shallows at the top of the tide.
They’re doing exactly what their “flat” cousins are doing – using this small window of opportunity to stuff themselves.
Other likely by-catch species include tailor, trevally, EPs and even the occasional blackfish!
This story was first published in the Fishing World September 2013 issue.
