the ebb tides

[chad]

hey fellas,
well i went to the pine on saturday and got me a small lizard with a new lure that i had bought that day.(first one)
After looking into when flatties strike most ive been told its when the tides are moving.
how long till the tide moves from high to low and vice versa?
i can see the sense in it as its when all the piddly shit moves around to higher or lower ground so does the flattie.
Also do the big lizzies hang around in groups or individually.
cheers chad
8) 8) 8) 8)

[webby]

Hi Mate.
I find the best times are the last 3 hours of a flood and first third of the ebb.
your tides from low-high-low is approx 12hrs 50mins,
lizards are territoral by them selves, and you wont find them lying side by side. they all have there own piece of turf, at low they generally move back to deeper water.
they will even snaffle smaller members of their family.
they have the art of ambush down pat, thats why the top half of both in and out are the best.
90% of the time they lie in wait for something to pass them, if passing food is a bit scarce then they move out and go looking.
just look for places you think would be a good ambush spot.
your bait has to be on or near the bottom
hope this helped
regards
regards

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

webby,
as a guy who used to indulge in the dark & misunderstood practice of spearfishing, I can guantee you that smaller flathead do lie in shoals (schools). I once encountered a shoal of about 2 dozen off deadman's beach on North Straddie (these were sand Flathead) & often saw schools of about 6 duskies in the basin at Amity when collecting sandcrabs. They definitely behave as a school - one takes off, they all go.

I have never seen bigger flathead (60cm+) in schools, pairs at best. In my experience the bigger the fish the fewer the numbers. I dare say the big girls around the entrances are pretty much solitary beasts, I've seen them but never even in pairs.

Please don't get me wrong Webby, I'm not knocking your experience just giving an underwater glimpse. If you catch a smaller flattie (40cm) have another cast they MAY have a partner in crime nearby.

cheers,
chris

[webby]

Hi Chris, Shes rite mate, i have seen schools but only the very small one around 25-30cm on the aminty/maroon banks.
As for the intermediate ones, ive never had the need to stick me noggin under water, to see if they had a mate.
I'm not try to back track on my answer to chad, but he asked if big lizards school, maybe i should have worded my reply a bit better.
i know that the bigger ones of 50cm and above are very territoral,as i have caught big lizards with very small ones by accident .
but the info from your diving was interesting to know. might try a few new tactics next time im out after them.
regards

[chad]

thanks guys,
well the question was due to me going out to hayes inlet which is in the pine river if you didnt know,at low tide.i found alot of ditches in the sand which were about 1-2 mtrs apart from each other.
perfect for ambushing when you think about it.its also difficult to tell if there flatties or rays holes but i tend to lean towards the flatties as thats where i was told alot of them are.


so would you guys consider trolling at walking pace or slower or faster?
also whats the best places to look for them besides sand flats.im talking the big ones which is what im after.of coarse ill be sparing and leave most females back in the water but i want a bit of meat on my plate.
(my family is hungry )
cheers chad.

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

flathead impressions are shaped just like a flathead, ray impressions much more circular & shallow, whiting marks are fist sized & circular often with a trail of sand showing the current flow when they digging.

Troll with the current, walking pace is fine, I use a 15hp on a 12ft tinnie at slow idle in gear with the lure banging the bottom every metre or two. If you have an electric even better. Run the dropoffs of the banks on an outgoing tide pay particular attention to the mouth of drains. Pink lures a must. The big girls (90cm+)are in much deeper water around mouths & channel junctions & require live baiting, jigging, or big divers like Manns Stretch 20+.

Braid is an advantage as its easier to tell if your lure gets fouled by weed. Run two rods, one in close to the boat thats a deeper diver working about 10m back, the other a smaller lure (but still smacking bottom) about twice - three times the distance back. Don't be lazy & you'll get results - good trolling is just as active as most other forms of fishing.

My favoured lures, pink Tilsan "trout" & "bass" & Gold Bomber with the big bib for water up to 8ft deep along the dropoffs. Red Rebel Crawdads & pink Micro Mullets for up on the flats. I've found the flouro green Manns Stretch 20+ best for deeeep water but prefer live baiting.

Have fun - let us know how ya go.

chris