Meppstas

This was my only trip to the Leven River so far this season, it hasn't fished all that well over the past couple of seasons but i thought it was time to give it a go before the season closes.
cheers Adrian..
 

Always so picturesque in your part of the world. Catching fish is a bonus 

This was my only trip to the Leven River so far this season, it hasn't fished all that well over the past couple of seasons but i thought it was time to give it a go before the season closes.
cheers Adrian..
 

Brilliant report/article & photos Des, plenty of great info as well.. Those flatties were a good size, mouth watering actually..
Thanks for another ripper trip Des,,
cheers Adrian

This was my only trip to the Leven River so far this season, it hasn't fished all that well over the past couple of seasons but i thought it was time to give it a go before the season closes.
cheers Adrian..
 

This was my only trip to the Leven River so far this season, it hasn't fished all that well over the past couple of seasons but i thought it was time to give it a go before the season closes.
cheers Adrian..
 

For the Yellow Fin Whiting Lure fanatics it is time for the withdrawal symptoms to start setting in, as the water temperatures start dropping.
Fortunately there is some pain relief, in chasing a few Flathead on lures.
Autumn brings a transition for the sandflats lure fisherman. YFW surface lure fishing drops off. Flathead lure fishing picks up. The “Southern Blue Spotted Flathead” becomes more prolific on the sandflats of the Northern SA Gulfs.
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And it is the large accumulation of SEAGRASS WRACKS at this time of the year, along with the change in temperature, that starts it all off. Unlike the claims of some armchair academic experts, the sandflats areas where large Seagrass Wracks accumulate, is where you will find the greatest concentration of Flathead at this time of the year.
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SEASONAL CHANGES IN THE ECOSYSTEM
It is a season of change. And multiple factors come into play.
The most fundamental change is in water temperature. Daily air temperatures have a tighter range, fortunately without those cold mornings of winter. Water temperature, currently around 18c provides the ambient conditions for baitfish. The sandflat shallows hold a lot more baitfish in these temperatures. And they linger all day in the shallows. And where baitfish linger so to do Flathead.
Also and most importantly, large Seagrass Wracks form at this time of the year.
The annual shedding of seagrass leaves through Autumn and Winter along with the higher tides and prevailing breezes, causes the accumulation of seaweed wracks in the northern SA gulfs, over these cooler months.
In the ambient autumn temperature conditions the Wracks host an explosion of life in this ecosystem.
When the organic material decomposes and breaks down it contributes to the food web systems by supplying essential nutrients. The composting seagrass accumulations are the source of detritus and of particulate and dissolved nutrients which contribute to beach and inshore marine foodwebs. Starting from (micro) zooplanktons, amphipods, bivalves, worms, crabs, juvenile prawns, clickers and  … lots and lots of small baitfish. Seaweed Wracks are at the start of the food chain that delivers us the fish we catch.

   ~ Weed Wracks, the start of the food chain, so thick that getting onto the sandflats can be difficult
There are many other signs that the bait fish are around in greater numbers.
Their predators gather, both from above the water and under the water.
When the Bird watching groups start reporting some big numbers of bait fish eating bird varieties, you know the water borne bait fish feeders (Flathead) will also be about.

   ~  An abundance of Baitfish feeding Birds. A sure sign of Flathead around.
With all the indicators pointing to an abundance of Flathead, I decided to spend a couple days immersed in the northern St Vincent Gulf sandflats environment.

   ~  Catching fish is a bonus in this delightful environment
The best terrain is the weedy areas. The baitfish hold and shelter there and so do the Flathead chasing them.
Weed barren sand patches hold very few Flathead. However a few whiting are likely while traversing a Flathead barren sand patch.
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LURE SELECTION & TECHNIQUES
I Don’t subscribe to a long held approach for lure fishing Flathead.
I don’t fish the bottom. I don’t bounce a lure across the bottom of the sand, puffing the sand.
Flathead have eyes on the top of their heads. Above their head is their main field of vision. The area that they will be concentrating on. Not so much the peripheral vision areas out  in front of them on the sand.
So position your lure on top of their heads … Simple!
For this my methods include fishing Soft Plastics under a float. These days, I am mainly using floating or suspending hardbody lures. All with retro fitted assists and single hooks to avoid fouling on and cleanly pulling through the weed adjacent to the Weed Wrack areas.
 

   ~  The successful lures on this outing. OSP Bent Minnows and Rapala Shadow Raps   ~  
 

   ~  Another victim of the OSP Bent Minnow 106mm - Colour: H09. Crystal Blue Shiner
 

 
   ~  One on the Rapala Shadow Rap 07 - 70mm Colour: Moss Back Shiner. It pays to cast over the same area with 2 size lure offerings. Sometimes they are not in the mood for a big feed.

 
   ~  Assist hooks at work. Flathead can be clumsy strikers of a lure due to a blind spot created from the setting of their eyes. Apart from pulling through weed easily, assist hooks also increase your hook up rate.
 
This concept of fishing lures above the flathead’s eyes rather than in front of it, has in recent times gained a lot of acceptance with the enormous popularity and success of the floating glide baits now available. They hold and dance above the Flathead’s eyes.
Also bear in mind you are wading and fishing shallow water. Between knee to waist deep. So there is no need for any deep diving lures.
Currently my favourite lures are the OSP Bent Minnow and the Rapala Shadow Rap which were both successfully used on this outing
Your lure retrieval style is critical to your success rate with catching Flathead.
They do not behave like Salmon or Snook. Flathead are not morphologically evolved for chasing down bait fish like Snook or Salmon are. They lie in wait as an ambush predator with a explosive burst of speed. Often slowly stalking, following the baitfish. Then with an explosive burst lunge and seize the baitfish. Especially when the baitfish momentarily pauses.
There is plenty of drone video footage here at JC's Fishing Shenanigans of Flathead stalking baitfish … : https://www.facebook.com/JCsFishingShenanigans
As we most commonly chase Salmon & Snook with lures we have become accustomed to a fast retrieval rate. And the YFW surface lure fishers only know to retrieve fast and continuous!
The lure retrieval rate for Flathead is very slow … Extremely slow! A few erratic twitches now and then followed by a few seconds of dead pause. Should a Flathead strike and you miss the hook up. Pause again and it will most like pounce back on your lure. The stalking or hidden Flathead likes to strike when the baitfish pauses.

   ~   In knee deep shallow water they go hard. You need to play them out before gliding them into the net.
My arthritic wrists are certainly enjoying the change in retrieval tempo !
RESULTS
Over the two days of pleasant weather I covered a lot of ground, wading the sandflats, searching for and hunting down these beasts. This style of fishing does take some physical effort, but it is the most satisfying experience to successfully find your prey.
I kept 14 fish ranging from 45cm to 69cm. I even picked up a few whiting while traversing a Flathead barren, weed free sand patch.
 

   ~  My catch retained for the 2 day outing. I even managed a few whiting while traversing a Flathead barren sand patch.
 

   ~  these Flathead are high 60s. Size enhanced by photos taken from the “Anglers Angle” !! T
I also caught and released a couple of 70+cm Flathead.

   ~  75cm Blue Spot Flathead … Released
 

   ~  Taken close to the weed wracks. A 72cm Flathead … released.
 
So WRACK ON !!! It’s time to fish the weedy Sandflats.
Cheers and tight lines Des

This trip was early on in the season, a spin session when the trout went from one lure to another. It turned out to be quite a good spin session as well with some beautifully coloured wild brown trout being caught & released.
cheers Adrian (meppstas)
 

This trip was early on in the season, a spin session when the trout went from one lure to another. It turned out to be quite a good spin session as well with some beautifully coloured wild brown trout being caught & released.
cheers Adrian (meppstas)
 

This trip was early on in the season, a spin session when the trout went from one lure to another. It turned out to be quite a good spin session as well with some beautifully coloured wild brown trout being caught & released.
cheers Adrian (meppstas)
 

This trip was early on in the season, a spin session when the trout went from one lure to another. It turned out to be quite a good spin session as well with some beautifully coloured wild brown trout being caught & released.
cheers Adrian (meppstas)
 

Hi Mark
OSP Bent Minnows 76mm or similar: 
Assist Hooks Size 4: https://www.anglerswarehouse.com.au/atomic-trick-bitz-assist-hooks-no-skirt
Single Hooks Size 4:  https://www.anglerswarehouse.com.au/bkk-imp-inline-single-hooks
OSP Bent Minnows 106mm or similar: 
Size 1: https://www.anglerswarehouse.com.au/atomic-trick-bitz-assist-hooks-no-skirt
Single Hooks Size 2:  https://www.anglerswarehouse.com.au/bkk-imp-inline-single-hooks
Rapala Shadow XRap SXR12 120mm or Atomic HARDZ SLIM TWITCHER 110mm 
Size 1: https://www.anglerswarehouse.com.au/atomic-trick-bitz-assist-hooks-no-skirt
Single Hooks Size 1/0:  //www.anglerswarehouse.com.au/bkk-lone-diablo-inline-single-hooks
Cheers, Des
 

The sandflats north of Adelaide, at the top of both the SA gulfs, hold some unique terrain and ecosystems. At low tide, these sandflats can drain out for over 2 kilometres. The tidal movements are, over 3 meters in St Vincents Gulf and upto 4 metres in the upper Spencers Gulf. The water temperature ranges from 11C to 25C.  Typical of shallow, protected water bodies, it is a highly productive ecosystem holding a lot of fish and marine life.
It is home, for two of my favourite fishing targets, the “Southern Blue Spotted Flathead” -Platycephalus speculator and the “Yellow Fin Whiting”  -Sillago schomburgkii. Both of which I obsessively chase.
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THE TERRAIN
On the run off tide, water drains off these sandflats and into drains and channels. Which in turn, run into wide areas of seagrass beds.
The numerous schools of baitfish and juvenile prawns that feed on these extensive sandflats, now retreat back with the dropping tide, and take shelter in the weedy areas.   
Such a concentration of food will always attract and hold a lot of Flathead and also the larger predatory models of Yellow Fin Whiting.
The densest weed, offers the baitfish the best protection. The Flathead will also move into the same densely weeded areas following the baitfish.
Targeting Flathead here, makes fishing for them a challenge.
 
 
 
 
With the thick weed cover the first challenge to overcome, is the reduced visibility of your lure. It is hard to present your lure clearly to the fish for a prolonged spell.
This is not as easy as fishing an open sand flat. There are only small windows of visibility in the gaps between the weeds. Only small windows of vision for the flathead below to spot baitfish above hiding amongst the flowing weed plumes.
A critical aspect in a high tidal flow area, is considering the lay of the weed with the direction of the tidal flow. The tidal flow lays the weed over creating “a directional vision”. There is greatly reduced visibility looking back into the tidal flow and into the weed flowing over.
It’s like looking through Venetian Blinds. The blinds have to be angled the right way to get a clear view out. Looking back in from the other way, you see little or nothing.    

I find these Flathead facing down with the flow of the tide and not facing into the tide. With this lie, in this setting, Flathead provide themselves with the widest and clearest view through the “Venetian Blinds” of weeds. It is more effective to cast down the tidal flow and draw or suspend your lure back into the tidal flow and into the face of the flathead that is facing down the flow.
With a lot more drone footage of Flathead behaviour today, it is becoming clear that Flathead are often found laying down with the tide, rather than the popular belief of always lying into the tide.
These 2 Reels show flathead settling in with the tide, which is flowing over their backs and out in front of them. They are facing with the tide.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/250011617793874   and this
https://www.facebook.com/reel/688965732677689
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LURE CHOICE
My go to lures are, Suspending lures, shallow diving minnows, and floating top water hardbodies.
The OSP Bent Minnows and Berkley Benders are very successful in this terrain. They provide that great erratic sideways and diving movement that immediately grabs the attention of hidden flathead.

I am also using Floating shallow diving, Rapalas, Atomic Hardz and Yozuri Duel or Crystal Minnows. If the bibs are too big and makes the lure dive too deep, I grind the bib down smaller.
We are fishing shallow water upto 5ft at the deepest. And probably at best, just 2 feet of weed free water above the weed plumes.
Floating lures like Sugapens, Zipbaits Fakie Dogs, Atomic Bulldogs, which I also use for YF Whiting are also occasionally successful.
All these lures can be floated and retrieved over the weed plumes without the weed fouling the lure.
On retrieval, when the lure arrives above a window of vision between the weed, it is time for some short, shallow, diving jerks, followed by long pauses. If the tide is flowing strongly just some vibrations, dances and jiggles while the lure is holding against the tide flow and suspended above the window in the weed. This most often brings about a strike, should there be a Flathead holding there.

RETRO FIT HOOKS
The trebles on these lures are always replaced.
Lures with trebles catch too much weed. And when a Flathead is hooked they immediately head deeper into the weed. All the exposed treble barbs on the lure, will hook onto the surrounding weed and help the Flathead throw the lure. I lost too many fish before changing to alternative hooks.
The trebles on these lures have all been replaced with single or assist hooks.
These hooks pull through the weed easily.
I am consistently getting more strikes on the lures with assists, than with trebles.
Most importantly so far I have yet to have, a hooked Flathead throw these assist hooks.

FLOAT FISHING
Soft Plastics and Metal Blades can also be used in this terrain but require employing some unconventional tactics. I suspend Soft Plastics and Metal Blades under a float. The strategy here is … If the lure sinks … put it under a Float !!!
For the same reasons that apply to the floating hardbodies.
There is a bonus in the unconventional tactic of putting lures under a float.
There seems to be a double attraction from both the float and the lure.
The float often catches the eye of the Flathead first. It attracts the Flathead’s attention, and will rise to inspect it. Although most often it quickly dismisses it.
However, it is now, in a now heightened state, and alert. The Flathead usually responds with a strong strike on the Soft Plastic following behind the float.
Occasionally the float even gets attacked.
It is not an uncommon tale, of wading SA Gar fishers having their floats attacked by a large Flathead. Occasionally they even manage to jag a Flathead with their small Garfish hooks.
Drone footage such as the many reels on here: https://www.facebook.com/JCsFishingShenanigans   show Flathead stalking, monitoring, and considering the bait for quite a while, before they finally commit to taking it. And a bit of pre strike stimulus by the float, ahead of a suspended bait or lure may well help.
It does pay to hold and dance your Soft Plastic above their eyes, when it is suspended above a gap in the weeds.
Yes Bait also works !!!!
A Pilchard on 3 ganged hooks suspended under a float takes a lot of fish.

I have tried weedless hooks on Soft Plastics.
Also various SPs that are already weighted and designed as weedless. Like Zerek Weedless Fish traps. They have not been successful working them through this thick weed.
They don’t hold in the strike zone for a prolonged spell, like a floating lure suspended and dancing above the Flathead’s eyes.
Furthermore, when you do get the strike, the concealed hooks of the weedless SP options, have a significantly lower hook up rate compared to an exposed hook on a Soft Plastic or Hardbody.
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A consistent nice by catch of these techniques are very large Whiting.
The large whiting are also ambush predators and lay in ambush in the very same area. They have the same aggressive responses.
I am sure they are Whiting identifying as Flathead !
Yellow Fin Whiting will often take SP minnows under a float in the weeded areas.
The smaller OSP Bent Minnows 75mm size are also successful with the Yellow Fin Whiting here. But your retrieve rate needs to be a lot faster than you would use for Flathead.
If I am trying for both, I will cover the same area, with the same lure, with two casts with two different styles of retrieves. One faster one to attract YFW and the other slow and pause one, to attract Flathead.

Give it a try and Have fun on the sandflats!
Cheers, Des

Thanks guys, i tend to go for the same setup, slowly realizing i need to get more into the different hooks and bait, my reel didn't really perform tonight either only getting out 30 - 40 metres, how far out do you have to cast to catch anything decent? Im going again this week with size 6 hooks and maybe a wire trace, o well hopefully this chat leads to some good fishing lolThanks for the tipsJusto

hey m8 welcome to the site. Plenty of Mullet and Whiting about down that way.. havent seen the salmon schools in close but they have been around... went today to Aldinga this arvo and we got mullet and whiting so they are around

Adrian, I have confidence that 13,000 will pass and 14,000 will be achieved.
 
You ARE a 'trout whisperer'....
 
apart from the fishing, your photos are superlative..
Now a 'big islang Q'.... do you have E-Carp polluting your rivers?

@Meppstas Congratulations, that is a great achievement, thanks for sharing your journey, always a pleasure to watch & read
Thank You
Yorky
 

Thanks Ryback, I felt I'd done it all when I reached my 10,000th trout back on the 3rd Nov.2019, I never thought about reaching this number until I caught my 11,000th trout on the 14th Jan.2022 then I knew I was in with a chance of doing so. At 79 years (in Feb 24) of age I'm not sure how many trout seasons I have left in me, the large rivers here are pretty tough on the body that's for sure.
cheers Adrian..

I finally caught my 12,000th Tasmanian trout here in Tassie, it's something I had never planned on doing either thankfully by keeping stats & records of each trip and every trout season paid off. I also won the Angling Club Championship again for the 2022/23 trout season for most trout caught in rivers & streams making it 17 years in a row.
cheers Adrian

Thats dedication & a fantastic achievement. Bloody well done........!!!!

I finally caught my 12,000th Tasmanian trout here in Tassie, it's something I had never planned on doing either thankfully by keeping stats & records of each trip and every trout season paid off. I also won the Angling Club Championship again for the 2022/23 trout season for most trout caught in rivers & streams making it 17 years in a row.
cheers Adrian

I finally caught my 12,000th Tasmanian trout here in Tassie, it's something I had never planned on doing either thankfully by keeping stats & records of each trip and every trout season paid off. I also won the Angling Club Championship again for the 2022/23 trout season for most trout caught in rivers & streams making it 17 years in a row.
cheers Adrian

I finally caught my 12,000th Tasmanian trout here in Tassie, it's something I had never planned on doing either thankfully by keeping stats & records of each trip and every trout season paid off. I also won the Angling Club Championship again for the 2022/23 trout season for most trout caught in rivers & streams making it 17 years in a row.
cheers Adrian

I loved my old Seamartin Mark 2. My go to reel for the surf in the late 70s. It got nicked along with my fishing back pack from a jetty when I left it for a few minutes. 

Thanks everyone for the response - yes it is in working order.  Lucky we didn't sell it  for $50 as we were originally going to.
Where would be the best place to sell this?  Ebay or Facebook do you think?