Blog Archives

30 Sep '15

Hand tied fly’s and lead heads are still the bomb!

Well with the warmer weather finally on our door step it’s time to tie up some fly’s and lead head jigs and head off in search of some flatfish. Targeting Bar tailed flathead and flounder here in our magnificent Swan River is something I have enjoyed immensely over the years. Not only are these fish great sport on ultra light spin and fly tackle they are also not too bad on a plate either. Flathead and flounder are generally not that difficult to catch with most junior and novice anglers beginning their angling experiences targeting these great little fish. The Swan River here in Perth is an ideal location to target these species with plenty of warm, shallow water and likely flat fish haunts. The fly’s and lead head jigs pictured are quite simple to tie up and are one of the most effective flat fish artificials I have tried over the years. They are cheap, quick and easy to tie up and most importantly, blow fish proof. These particular models range from ultra light size 4, bead head fly’s to 3/4 ounce 1/0 lead head jigs and are tied from both synthetic and natural fibers. The fly’s are tied from chartreuse and white deer hair fibers to add extra movement in the water and also help to prevent tail wraps during false casting. The lead heads are tied using synthetic fibers which are great for durability and hold their shape in the water perfectly. The gold flash in the center of them all shines through and represents the lateral line of a small bait fish and the hot pink binding appears as open or flared gills which all panicked bait fish display when being preyed upon. The green or chartreuse and white theme with hot pink binding seems to be the most effective colour pattern for flat fish such as flat head and flounder regardless of their location here in Australia and represents the appearance of most small prey items these fish prefer. Simply hop and drag these lures across some warm, sandy shallows using ultra light spin and fly tackle, flatfish will often lay in areas of broken up bottom such as sand, weed, rock and especially gravel or crushed shell. Their camouflage allows these fish to remain completely undetected as they lay in wait of any small fish or prawn that may make the mistake of venturing too close before exploding from the river bed to engulf their prize. Light 10 – 15lb leaders and tippets are preferred depending on the size of the fish being targeted and are simply joined to ultra light 4 – 6lb braided lines using an albrite knot. Loop knots are also preferred to allow the fly or lead head extra movement during retrieval.

This Friday 2/10/15 the tide is perfect and rises steadily from around midday to late afternoon in the location I have chosen to fish, the water will be warming nicely by that time and the rising tide should see the Swan River flatfish coming on the chew. Wish me luck and I’ll post the results soon.

Calm seas, clear skies

Nick Hocking