Photo Event.This week(13/7-19/7) its "FLATHEAD"

[nofrills]

a flattie taken and released at night in about 1 ft of water on a floated pillie.
im not unhappy just frozen

[craigie]

Rob,

A DK minature you say, might have to add one or two of them to my lure collection. Any lure that outfishes a Mann's Stretch 5 on lizards is worth having
Might have to line you up for a Lizard trip to the "Pin" in September to chase the big muthers out of the Cyclone/from the bank. Got a spot down there that has produced dozens of 70cm + specimens over the last few years. Here are a few more from spot X that were caught just before the new regs came in.

Cheers
Craig

[mackmauler]

Hey Craig, its got that original spoonbill shaped bib... could sense the potential before it even swam sits well between the mullet and manns, definitely a light tackle lure...look forward to getting my hair slicked back in the cyclone some time

[craigie]

Rob,

Yes mate, it looks a treat, should work well in the areas I troll. Also noted the quality VMC trebles I'ts on my shopping list when I next get over to The Tackle Whorehouse
Cyclone is heading for the Pin in September so strap yourself in, She's not an ocean racer but it's nudging up to 40 Knots on a good day, I have to remember the heavy duty velcro for my toupee

Cheers
Craig.

[mackmauler]

Craig, I picked them up from (a) mart ill check the forecasts for cyclones

[Reefmaster]

well your all winners this week. so many to choose from

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

A DK minature you say, might have to add one or two of them to my lure collection. Any lure that outfishes a Mann's Stretch 5 on lizards is worth having #

My figures would #put my pink Tilsan Bass at no.1, Gold Bomber with the longer bib no.2 & the manns at no.3.

I pulled a green & pink wasp for ages with the only fish taken a whiting ! i couldn't understand it - beautiful crisp action on the lure -
at least I know NOW it was just my ability not the lures fault ! ???

Admittedly since I #sols the 12footer I've done bugger all flathead trolling.

If i could own one lure only it would be that bomber, its caught everything from lizards & bream to macks in the Rainbow - on its 4th paintjob now

[craigie]

Chris,

Thanks for the reminder about the "Pink Tilsan Minnow', has been a highly successfull lure for me and my crew as well. The first couple I had have now been retired due to the destruction of their bibbs. I've noticed with the version 2, is the pink is a different shade (a lot darker) and has yet to achieve the strike rate of version 1
What are your thoughts on this ?

We find with the Wasps that just the straight Pale Pink works as good as any. My fishing buddy Andy, pulled an 85 cm snodger on this one trolling the edges of the Jacob's Well Channel. Have met and fished with David Edwards (original designer and owner of Eddy Lures) in his favourite Lizard haunts around the Pin. His colour preference is also the full pink or pink body/green top.

My other fav is RMG/HALCO Scorpion, the smaller ones (52, 68) work a treat in Gold or Fluro Green when trolled in 1 - 2.5 metres. The large 150's (Fluro Green) catch the big muthas when working the deep edges of Kalinga etc .

Cheers
Craig.

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

i still have the originals pink in bass & the minnow - i find the bass (the bigger bellied one) the more effective flathead lure in 6 - 8 ft water - i tow it (used to ...) long with the minnow on the other side with the gold bomber short.

I know Halco bought Tilsan ( a single guy in melbourne with a great concept) out a few years back - maybe that accounts for the colour change - i think they gave him a development position. I'd love try the longer Tilsan designed for barra but I'm yet to see it when I'm in a lure buying mood to remind me.

Had some success down deep on Kalinga bank to about 80cm using a Pakula technique of tying a minnow behind a Fluoro Manns 20+ to get the minnow down deep - removed the minnows front treble too. For numbers though that back road from Kalinga to the red at Slipping Sands is just amazing.

[craigie]

Thanks for the tip with the Tilsan Bass (Pink), have caught quite a few on the Herring colour in the Bass Version.
The 3 lures your trolling in your Flathead spread would be as effective (or more so) as anything I'm towing around, it's just that I have a soft spot for Fluro Greens after a couple of mind blowing sessions in the past. Casting a 150 Scorpion along a spot x Mud Bank at Jumpnpin, I landed and tagged 6 Lizards between 73 and 85 cm over a couple of hour period, a past glory that I'm yet to repeat.

Interesting that "Pakula" Technique, your basically using the larger lure as a downrigger but maybe less hassle retrieving the lure to de-weed it, very interesting.

Have only fished the "Back Road" to SS a couple of times and have to agree, it does produce Lizards. Always worth a cast when cruising past Squire Is too, although Squire is just a mud hump these days.

It might be fun if yourself, Rob and I team up for a couple of "Lizard Adventures" around September ?

Cheers
Craig.

[craigie]

Well this is post no. 1000 for me 8), so I might as well make it something special. The next couple of photos are a couple of highlights of my "Lizard" fishing. The photos show an 85 and 83 cm flathead caught at Jumpnpin. The fish were caught in consecutive years of the "Flathead Classic" Fishing Comp, and won the day prize for the longest Flathead on each occassion.

I promise to ease up on blowing my own horn after this lot, mind you I don't have bragging rights to anything else

[craigie]

This one was the 85cm model

[craigie]

Well this topped it all off, Champ angler for the 1998 Classic .

You might recognise a few of the other names on the leader board. Robert Smith, now could that be our very own "Smithy" the DI legend ????

[Chrisso]

My first 50cm+ Flatty. It went 52cm and 1 kg. Best so far.

[Smithy]

Craigie,

that would be me

That picture I posted from earlier in this thread was an 88cm that should have won overall. Also got an 83 or an 85 (can't remember back that far now) which got my points right up. Was coming second or third to Kim Bain and Matty Fraser after the second day but have always struggled on the last 1/2 day with the tides being wrong for our spots. I see Matty held his end up finishing second to yourself. Matt taught me how to fish down the pin and he has always been up there with his other angler Al winning the longest fish the second year of the comp. Other highlights for me at the Flathead Classic were catching my first lure caught Jack on a Stretch 20 and watching another angler cast to a Mangrove up the Nerang on a pure speculator and pull a Jack while we had about 4 boats rafted up drifting along having a chat. More than half the times we fished it we ended up the Nerang chasing Jacks/Trevally/Tarpon etc. if we weren't on the scoreboard.