Des

A great write up again...You certainly do your homework...and the results show that...Very nice indeed.

If you want to add a tow point to a jighead. Just cut a hook - drill a hole and super glue it in
 
gives a surprisingly strong hold. I couldn’t pull it out with 2 sets of pliers 

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)
 

I've started chucking 1/28th's in 9m of water, when conditions allow me to get them down to where the sounder says the fish are.

The same plastic will remain untouched (Almost😀) on 1/4er's or 1/8th's - but a plastic that doesnt plummet, will get smashed on the drop by the unstoppables that make this technique a bit ridiculous on my current tiny jigheads.

Sure you can grub heavy heads along the bottom and get hits and land the smaller dumber fish. But on the 1/28th's you barely need any skill at all. Just spot the fish on the sounder and count to 40 as the 1/28th sinks - then hang on until you get smoked by the bigger fish😀

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.
.
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
.
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.
.
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

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.
.
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
.
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.
.
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

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.
.
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
.
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.
.
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

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.
.
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
.
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.
.
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

This summer I have regularly been fishing a common metro spot for yellowfin with my best session being 6 fish 26-30cm over about 8 hours fishing.
 
After seeing recent discussions regarding a reduction in catch numbers I agreed that maybe there are fewer numbers.
 
My last 2 trips I have seen plentiful numbers of good size fish swimming through the shallows.
I have pumped the nippers, fished the incoming tide, cast near the school for them to rush over have a look and leave the bait sitting there.
And have observed the fisherman near me experiencing the same.
 
I don’t know what I seem to be doing wrong but I can’t blame a shortage of fish..

TERRAIN:  HIGHWAYS TO THE FEEDING ZONES  …  You can sign along to this post !
Yellow Fin Whiting have been showing up in good numbers in both gulfs recently.
But you still need to find them, and fish the right spots … at the right stage in the tide.
YFW are always on the move. Actively feeding on a moving tide. Both in and out going tides.
But there are dead transit zones, over which they will pass through without providing you much of a chance to catch them. These are merely the … Highways to the Feeding zones.
The feeding zones is where you want to be fishing.
In each YFW Habitat there are transit zones and feeding zones.
In the upper gulfs the coastal environment contains a lot more mangroves and samphire beds. Nearest to shore and onshore are the Salt bushes and Samphire bed areas.
On many stretches of the upper gulfs they will also be a mangrove forrest wall.
Through these mangrove forrest flow many small tidal creeks and channels, that pour in and out onto Sandflats. The Sandflats drain out, eventually meeting the ribbon grass weed beds.
In the lower gulfs, the terrain is slightly different without Mangroves and less Samphire.
They are replaced by open sandflats, sometimes with a little scattered reef, and banks of fine seagrass weed beds, that drain out to a weedline of ribbon grass.
Each area has it’s own characteristics and features, which influence the movements and feeding behaviour of the YFW. The all have their transit zones and their feeding zones.
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WEED LINES.
We start at the deep end, the weedline. This is the first of the habitats in which we find YFW.
The deeper seaside of the sand flats are always bordered by the weed line of sea grass beds. These are usually Ribbon weed or tape weed beds (Posidonia varieties). Often this will be where the bottom of the low tides hold. And were the YFW take refuge on the low tides.
In the lower sections of the gulfs, their cousins the King George Whiting also keep them company at the weed line. Along with many a Flathead too.
The best spots for land based KGW are the weedline areas that receives a natural berley stream from  sandy shallow drains, running off the sand flats.
This habitat is also a favourite for Flathead, which take cover in the weed edges and like to ambush baitfish straying too close.
You will find the larger YFW hanging around here, mixing it with the Flathead and KGW. Large YFW have the speed and morphology to take minnows at the weedline. They are able to chase them down along with any Shrimp that may have come out of the sheltering grasses.
The barrier like structure of the weed beds will mean there is always some channeling through the weed beds, caused by the tidal flows. These channels are the main flow areas during tidal movements, on and off the sandflats.
Focus your fishing at these channel openings, both at the bottom and at the start of the tide.
And in a dodge tide, it is the only place to be. The minimal water flows of a dodge tide will be greatest at these channels, and so stimulate the YFW to feed in that area.

~ King George Whiting, Yellow Fin Whiting and Flathead all found down on the weedline.

~ Find the water flow and fish at the channel openings
SANDFLATS
Sandflats … are never Flat !!!
Sand flats don’t always slope seawards in a continuous gentle gradient. They is more often a series of ridges, gutters, bowls, channels and steps leading down to the weedline.
These are not necessarily dramatically obvious. A 4” to 5 inch depth difference is a significant change in these shallow sandflats.
These structures and variations in the sandflat terrain are the most obvious fish holding areas. The slightly deeper areas of the shallows, are the first areas that YFW will retreat into on a dropping tide, or swim into and hold in, on the incoming tide.
Fish always hold at steps and drops on the sandflats, wether it be the run in or run off.
They prefer to feed on the shallow edges of any deeper water areas rather than in the deep water itself.
If in a fast flowing channel focus on the slow side of a bend in the channel. It is where food would naturally settle and fish will feed. It is where the benthic organisms colonise more with out fear of being swept out by a fast moving tide.
Shallow weed beds of finer bladed, lawn like, seagrasses ( Zostera varieties) are often found on the more open flats lower in the gulfs. They are important for the movements of YFW during the tidal flows. In very shallow water YFW will tend to favour moving along the weed bed edges and take cover in the weed beds. It is an ideal spot to target them in ankle deep water. The water is always a bit deeper alongside the edges of these fine grass weed beds.
Should the wind be a bit strong, YFW will hold on the Leeward side of these beds a bit more. And on light winds with gentle lapping waves, the windward side of these weed beds.

~ The small variations on the sandflats hold the fish
SUBSTRATE on SANDFLATS
Regardless of upper or lower gulf areas, you should identify the substrate that you are fishing on.
As a wading fisherman you can feel and identify the different substrate underfoot.
It is simply either, coarse, gravelly and hard, or soft, silty, and sandy.
I usually move on quickly from the coarser, gravelly areas and onto the finer, siltier, sandy areas.
Coarse gravelly limestone or shell grit areas are not as productive. They do not hold the YFW food so don’t hold the YFW long. It often is a faster flowing area and a transit zone for fish.
You will still catch the odd few YFW as they use it as a highway to the feeding zones. But they won’t hold and feed there.
The feeding zones are characterised by finer, softer, siltier sand beds. Which holds a lot more YFW food. This is where all the benthic dwelling creatures, like cockles, worms and clickers live. All the juvenile prawns that we see leaping around on the surface at night as nocturnals, now bury themselves for the day in the soft sand and silt.
YFW linger a lot longer in these softer sandy areas searching for and feeding on the food it holds.
MANGROVES
Bordering the sandflats on the shoreside in the upper gulfs are often mangrove forests. Amongst the mangrove forest there are clear water ways that channel the considerable tidal movement experienced in the upper gulfs. The tides flow through tidal creeks and mangrove openings and into the samphire beds, or out onto the sandflats. These mangrove openings will hold a greater concentration of fish when the tide is moving.
At times the thick growth and dense mangrove canopy can totally conceal an opening. There are however some tell tale signs of a concealed creek or channel. Ever wondered about those Shags, that regularly congregate on certain mangrove trees overlooking the sand flats. It’s the Shag breakfast club. The shags are there because there is food flowing out there. Minnows, Shrimp and Prawns are being brought out on the falling tide through a creek concealed by the mangrove canopy. The larger YFW are not threatened by the Shags and will also hang out the front of these spots.

~  Mangrove Openings have high flow rates and hold fish
SAMPHIRE BEDS
Once past the mangroves there are obvious narrow channels through the samphire beds. These are invariably gravelly rarely holding benthic species. But they will hold and concentrate YFW passing through that can’t help but see your offering. The YFW like to move up into the muddier samphire bed areas primarily to feed on Haswells crabs and small mud cockles. This is a highway on which you can actually take a toll.
Great spots are Junctions, like one I nicknamed “Gepps X”. It does bring to together a concentration of fish. Even if only a relatively short time at the right time of tide. You can even catch YFW by hand at night in these narrow and restricted spaces.
Google satellite images are the most useful tool you have to help you find the spots and plan your strategy for the incoming and outgoing tide.

~  Fish move into the channels of the Samphire beds
OPPORTUNISTS
This has nothing to do with the terrain. Try casting lures around feeding Eagle Rays on the sandflats.
The YFW often hang around feeding Rays hoping to pounce on food that the Ray has dislodged.
They are in a switched on and opportunistic feeding mode, ready to pounce.
Just offer them your lure instead! This has worked well on a few occasion.
And in the better years now past, when the YFW biomass was not that badly decimated by the pro netting activities, they would also hang around swimmers on metro beaches, in the hope of some dislodged food.
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~   A nice Catch wading for YFW
As keen Hunters and Gathers, we always need to stay alert to and aware of all the features in the fish’s habitats and how they will effect our catch rate.
Tight lines all.
Cheers, Des

LURE OBSESSIVE
Okay! I am a little crazy about lure fishing Yellow Fin Whiting.
I need to have at least a couple, if not more, wading & casting sessions a week.
But the obsession does not stop when I am out of the water.
I have rarely, in recent years, fished a single lure straight out of the box.
Every lure needs to be tinkered with and modified.
  
I and a few others are starting to think, tinkering, modifications, and multiple lure options are starting to be a necessity to ensure ongoing success when lure fishing YFW.
There is some anecdotal evidence that fish learn and are conditioned by their experiences.
They will soon avoid those dangerous items (lures) that have caused distress and have taken away some of their school mates.  Especially in the heavily fished locations.
Lure fishing may well cull all the risk taking aggressive fish. Or those with a higher metabolic rate. Leaving behind in the gene pool only the fish with the “timid cautious genes.”
You will continually have to change things up, present new options, to keep fooling them.
Little wonder there is always a new wave of super successful lure, shape, UV finish, Colour finish, material, etc, etc.
  
Well respected fishing writer and fishing product designer Steve Starling “Starlo” wrote back in March 2015, in the “Fishing Monthly Magazine” an article titled “Sticking it to Whiting on Top”
He wrote:  “In the places where I fish, bigger whiting (which are quite old fish) have now seen a lot of poppers, and I find they can be rather suspicious of them. Stick baits are more subtle and sneaky and seem able to go on catching these more ‘educated’ whiting season after season.”
  http://www.fishingmonthly.com.au/Articles/Display/17914-Sticking-it-to-whiting-on-top
We have seen the waning of the “Popper” lure’s effectiveness and the rise of “Stickbait” lures over the last 7 years.
Now how educated are those bigger older fish to Stick baits, after 7 years of experience? Will they avoid Stickbaits soon?
Blades and Vibes have since arrived on the YFW scene and they have been amazingly successful on YFW.
The Stick baits have now got bigger and bigger. And the bigger lures I find are proving to be more successful.
I recently got some Daiwa Slippery Dogs in their new larger 97cm size. For me, this has been Daiwa’s best lure yet for YFW.
How will lure designs for YFW progress? What are the adaptions we need to make to our lures?
How do we keep our offering new and fresh? We will always be trying to out smart these ever smarter YFW.

   - A Variety used in these sessions.
 
Here is a run down of some lures types I use and some lure modifications I make  ..... 
 POPPERS
A floating lure. They have a big cupped mouth, which when retrieved makes a big splash. They are a “look at me! LOOK AT MOI !!!” noisy lure that I still find successful in choppier windy conditions. When your lure has to compete with the chop on the water to catch their attention. The fish are less visually discerning with their obscured view in these windy conditions.
These lures need to be worked, with a higher rod position and a constant retrieve to maintain a continuous bloop and splash.
I use Atomic Hardz, Shimano Bresnious Rise, Bassday Backfire, mainly.

  
STICKBAITS
Also floating lures, known for their “Walk the Dog Action” or Zig Zag Glide actions across the surface of the water. Dependent on the vigour of your retrieve. These are my most effective lures.
There are usually in a pencil like shape. They may be a more bellied shape on some. On retrieval they move in a zig zagging fashion across the water surface.
These lures are very easy to work. Especially if you have the right ultra light, sensitive tipped, fast action rod. It’s automatic!
Some, as is the case with the Sugapen and Daiwa Slippery Dog, have a very small cup face that provides a slight forward splash.
I use Bassday Sugapen mostly, but also Zipbaits Fakie Dogs, Daiwa Slippery Dogs, occasionally Fish Candy Skinny Dog and Berkley Scum Dog. A kennel of lures !!!!
  
   - My Favourite Stickbait Sugapen95 Col# MB16
 
HYBRIDS
Again floating lures. Basically the longer Stickbait pencil body with a larger cupped popper mouth. They are very versatile in variety of conditions, but never seem dominant in any situation. Due to their larger cupped face they provide enough splash to be effective in choppy conditions as well as “Walk the Dog” in calmer conditions. On their day they can work when fish are turning up their nose at the Stickbaits. Again a very easy lure to work. I use Zipbaits Skinny Pop, MMD Splash Prawn, occasionally a Berkley Pop Dog
  
   - Zipbaits Skinny Pop at work
 
SIZE MATTERS
As a general rule I find the bigger lures catch bigger fish. Especially in windier conditions. In very calm conditions I use smaller lures, like a Jackson Ebi Panic, Sugapen 70, or Berkley Pop Dog. I avoid calm conditions if I can help it. I much prefer the windier days with long down wind casts working over more water.
The larger Daiwa Slippery Dogs in the 97cm size, is proving to be Daiwa’s most successful YFW lure for me.
Zipbaits Skinny Pop 90 way out fish the smaller Skinny Pop Jr 70mm. Their Fakie Dog 70mm is also way better than the 50mm
I use the various sizes of the Sugapen to suit a variety of wind conditions. My favourite is the 95mm size as it suits the most frequent wind conditions in which I fish. The Sugapen70mm for glassy and light winds (0-5 knots). 95mm in moderate winds (5-15 knots). 120mm in stronger winds with heavy chop (15+ knots)
  
   - A size range and suitable wind conditions. 
 
BLADES and SUBSURFACE LURES
These don’t float! There are a few subsurface lures for YFW. Like StrikePro Blades, Zipbaits Zoea, but IMO none are better than the Ecogear ZX Blades. They flutter, vibrate and hop along the sand beds much in the way a Clicker or prawn would flee. They are so easy to work. Use a constant rolling retrieve. Feel the vibes of the lure. No vibes means there is some weed attached on it.
A hop or two adds excitement. A pause can often find a Flathead latching on.
They are made from metal and lead. Can cast long distances and into the wind easily. This is the lure I give to the lure fishing newbies. Their only drawback is bouncing along the bottom they can easily pick up weed. if you get a clear run they are very effective.
In deeper channels and cooler water conditions, when fish are too lethargic to come to the surface, these will see them out fish all the surface lures. Ecogear ZX, in the biggest 43mm size is my go too. TT and StrikePro blades, I have not given as much time in the water, but I have taken a couple of YFW and Flathead on them.
  
ASSIST HOOKS
Never use Trebles. I immediately remove all the trebles from a lure. They catch too much weed. And too many fingers as well.
The standard size trebles fitted on the lures are always an overkill for the small mouthed YFW anyway. If you want to retain the trebles you should downsize them. My favourite treble for this class of lure is the Daichi Death Trap #10.
Sharpness is a key factor for consistent hook ups. The fine gauge of the smaller assists provide penetrating needle sharpness.
On all the slightly larger lures it is possible to mount assist hooks both in the middle and on the rear.
The Ecogear ZX assist hooks, sitting in the middle of a stickbait lure I feel provides a good resemblance to a bunch of dangling prawn legs. The rubber “legs” dangling around your hooks also act as a weed guard deflecting weed off your hook. The YFW hit these middle assists with surprising frequency. I think aiming to disable their prey prior to feeding. My preferred size is the “Small” size Ecogear ZX Assist. There is now an increasing number of options available. Some of the better ones I have tried are Oceans Legacy and Shinto.
On the rear mount of the lure I most often use the Atomic Trick Bitz in size 8 attached with a few extra split rings.
There are less lures “thrown” by the fish when using assists. The flexible joint/connection with multiple split rings, does not provide the fish any leverage, to throw the hook. On Blades try a double set of assists. A combination of Trick Bitz and ZX, on blades and vibes ensure you get an inescapable, multi hook - hook up.
  
   - Extra Assist hooks added to the Ecogear ZX43 blades
 

   -  A Few Assist hook options and placement on lures.
SPLIT RINGS
It may seem an innocuous little item of no importance, yet it has had a major impact on my catch rate.
Initially I experienced a lot of chasers, swoops, swipes, strikes and slurps at the back of the lure from YFW.
I kept a record of how many follows and strikes I had, versus the hook ups. It was a disappointing rate of hook ups.
It always felt like the hooks were frustratingly just that little bit too far away, out of reach, from the fish’s mouth.
So I used the extra split rings to allow the assist hooks to hang back a bit further and weigh down slightly lower towards the rising fish.
There was also extra swing behind the zig zagging “walk the dog” lure in a whiplashing fashion.
It has made a huge difference in my hook up rate. I use the Owner fine wire size #2 split rings.
“ It don’t mean a TING if ain’t got that swing” … Doo aah, doo aah, doo aah !!!!
  
   - The results of a few extra Split Rings.
 
WEIGHTS - Stick on
Add stick on weights to some of those smaller lures to add to their casting weight. It will give your small lures a longer cast.
On the open sand flats the longer retrieve from a longer cast will always catch you a lot more fish.
They can be used to favourably adjust the balance of the lure and how it sits in the water.
  

   - Lures modified with weights. 
PAINTS - COLOUR
I am a very poor artist. But the YFW are not discerning art critics. Don’t be afraid of adding some of your own colour to a lure. I use paint markers. Readily available in various colours and thicknesses.
You can remove it with a bit of methylated spirits and change colours at will.
It has worked for me. Bringing success with an otherwise dud lure colour.
There are lure blanks available to do your own customised paint work.
The most successful lure colours for me have a fair amount of translucency and some orange to red toning.
UV enhanced colours and materials have proved to be more successful in low light conditions.

    - My primitive adaption ... IT WORKED!
  
ADDED ATTRACTANTS
UV sprays have proved to be effective on overcast days. It has brought a quiet session to life for me.
No worries if you don’t have UV lures on you. A Spray on UV coating can convert your standard lure to a UV lure.
Scents? … I think they work? At least they have not put any fish off! I have used them without any definitive results.
It probably is more effective with a slower moving and pausing lure when Bream and Flathead fishing.
Those fish get more of a chance to have a sniff of the lure. I have noticed better results when using slow retrieved blades with added S Factor scent.
Scents have less impact with the faster, continuous moving surface lures for YFW. Yet I continue to use it now and again. No harm.
  
 
      - Added Extras
 
LEADERS and SNAPS
Floating or sinking leader line? I think this is only a factor with the smaller floating lures.
Using bigger lures most of the time, it does not affect me as much. I use both, with no noticeable difference.
Always remove the standard connecting split ring on the nose of a lure. A Direct stiffer connection to your lure is best for the most responsive lure action that you want for YFW.
I hate wasting time in the water, repetitively tying on lures so I use a lure clip for lure changes. Over time I have used a variety of lure clips. To date, the Decoy Spiral Snap is the lightest, fastest and easiest to use. Most secure, and most responsive for lure action.

    - A Few of many snaps tried. Decoy Spiral Snap works best for me.
  
LURE STORAGE
The reversible lure storage boxes which provide an individual storage recess for each lure is a must.
With all those dangling assist hooks any combined storage of lures end up into a fused tangled mass.

   -  Double sided lure boxes for a session  ... Too many choices !
  
TOOLS
All this fiddly lure tinkering is going to drive you mad or blind, if you don’t have the right tools.
The best split ring pliers are the ones with the skinniest, pointiest nose on them. You will need to poke them into some very small split rings.
Along side that a standard type narrow long nose pliers for holding those tiny rings. Think … jewellery workshop tools.
The Mustad long nose, split ring pliers have served me well. And should it really get fiddly out come the Pincet/Tweezers for micro split rings. These days there are a few options for micro split ring tools by Daiwa, Halco and Samaki as well.

    -  The obsession out of the water !
 
Hope this is helpful in fast tracking you towards the pleasures of lure fishing YFW
 
Tight Lines!
Cheers, Des

I had a disastrous day last week and could only manage one Yellow Fin Whiting all day. I got the tide and the weather conditions all wrong.
I was fortunate to realise the error and managed to back it up the following day by relocating my fishing to a spot better suited to the tide and weather and finished with a bag of 20 large YFW on surface lures.
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The sandflats of the upper SA Gulfs are a dynamic environment and ecosystem with many a variable factor that affects fishing. It keeps you thinking. Keeps you on your toes! And we don’t always get it right!
One of the most dynamic and important factors on these sandflats are the tides.
And Beware! tides also are, the greatest danger for a novice fishing these areas !
Knowing what the tide will do on any particular day is essential.
Every spot has different characteristics, where the same tide will behave differently.
For a successful fishing trip to these sandflats, you need to consider the tide along with the weather on the day. You then select the most suitable spot for those tides and those conditions.
My recent trip to the upper St.V Gulf clearly illustrated this.
.
On Day 1:
It went terribly wrong. The predicted tide was a slow steady run out all day. That did not happen. The spot was a wide sandflat. A small tide across a wide space means a slow steady water flow. That has a lot of fish lingering over the soft nipper beds. Unfortunately an unpredicted drop in air pressure and SW winds far stronger than forecast pushed against the flow and held the water at a standstill.
No flow no fish. I only ended up catching the one fish on Day 1.
.
On Day 2:
The tides and weather were very similar to the previous day. Having reconsidered the factors at play. I moved to another spot. The location was narrower, more restricted & channeled sandflat squeezed between a mangrove wall and the weedline.

The tide flow here was quicker moving through this restricted space. And the fish were a lot more responsive. I finished with a bag of 20 quality large Yellow Fin Whiting.

The Sugapen 95 was the most successful lure. And Zipbaits Fakie Dog DS70 took a few.

 
For a successful day of YFW fishing on the sandflats you need to be aware of all the tide and water flow factors.
.
GULF SHAPE, TIDE ENTRY, WINDS & TIDAL FLOWS
I do most of my fishing in the Gulf St Vincent. So this post will focus on the tidal influences on the Gulf of St Vincent Sandflats.
The very shape of the St V Gulf affects the tides in the gulf.
The first factor are the openings to the gulfs and their orientations.
To the East of K.I. the Backstairs Passage. A narrow and very restrictive entrance to the gulf. Not much water can flow through that passage. Although the tide that does, races through at a great rate.
On the West side is Investigator Strait. Which is considerably wider and the main entry point for the tide in St V Gulf tide.
If you study the tide times in the gulf, the tide arrives earlier on western side ports. This western orientation of the main gulf opening, has a major impact on tides when a SW wind blows. The SW wind or storm surge forces a lot more water up the gulf than any other wind. That will increase the tide height, considerably far more than the forecast height.
And the opposite also applies. A NE wind will force water out of the gulf, dropping the actual tide to lower than forecast.
 

Air pressure adds a compounding factor. A lower Air pressure draws up more water and a high air pressure will force water out.
Our Afternoon Sea breezes (occasional Gale) also act similar to a SW wind. It forces more water up the gulf and increases the tide height. Particularly in the upper gulfs.
.
So if you have ever arrived at a sandflats location expecting the tide to be where you thought it should be … and it is NOT. Reconsider the above factors.
Danger is present, should these conditions come into play whilst you are out a kilometre away from the safe shore. A change in conditions can have the tide come in far faster than you have expected.
.
Our gulfs narrow at their northern ends. This amplifies any tide movement. In the constricted space of the upper gulf the tide has no where to go but up. Check the high tide on the same day.  A Pt. Adelaide 2.60 mt tide, will be a 3.90 mt tide at Pt Wakefield. So in the upper gulfs the effect from any of the above variables will be amplified. Stay alert! And factor it into your fishing.

TERRAIN, & STAGE OF TIDE
Narrow areas will increase the height and speed of tide. Wider areas the reverse. This may assist or hinder our fishing depending on the weather and tide on the day.
.
It is important to know your spot and its height in regards to the low water mark.
Beware the elevated sand flats. If the tide at a spot, like Bald Hill Beach, arrives 3 hours after low, then you are obviously on the higher ground on an elevated sandflat. When the tide arrives here, it arrives at the fastest period of tide flow. Many fisherman are caught and taken by surprise in these locations.
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Know the “RULE of TWELFTHS” .  How much water comes in and when. How much more will be coming in. The Flow rate of the tide in that hour. So you can decide; do you sit it out there and keep fishing or get out of there quickly.
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THE RULE OF TWELFTHS FOR TIDE MOVEMENTS:
- Based on the most frequent 6 hourly tide cycle experienced.
.
If we Start at LOW Tide.
There is no movement. 100% of the water movement is yet to come in.
.
1 HOUR after Low Tide:
- 1/12th of the tide moves in this hour.
- 7% of the tide has moved in, during this hour.
- 93% of the water is yet to come
.
2 HOURS after Low Tide:
- 2/12th of the tide moves in this hour.
- 25% of the tide has moved in, by the end of this hour.
- 75% of the water is yet to come
.
3 HOURS after Low Tide:
- 3/12th of the tide moves in this hour. The first of the fastest 2 hours of movement.
- 50% of the tide has moved in, by the end of this hour.
- 50% of the water is yet to come
.
4 HOURS after Low Tide:
- 3/12th of the tide moves in this hour. The second of the fastest 2 hrs of movement.
- 75% of the tide has moved in, by the end of this hour.
- 25% of the water is yet to come
.
5 HOURS after Low Tide:
- 2/12th of the tide moves in this hour.
- 93% of the tide has moved in, by the end of this hour.
- 7% of the water is yet to come
.
6 HOURS after Low Tide:
- the last 1/12th of the tide moves in this hour.
- 100% of the tide has moved in, at the end of this hour.
- No more water to come in. This is the top of the tide.
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There have been a few occasions, when I have been counting the minutes and calculating the tide, whilst I was stranded out on a bank with water too deep to cross all around me.
Hopefully your sandflats fishing can be much more successful armed with the knowledge of these variables and their effects on your fishing.
.
Cheers and Tight lines, Des

JOIN A FOOD CHAIN
No, No! … Don’t get a job at “Maccas” … but find the Yellow Fin Whiting’s favourite “Maccas” ! Their food chain.
 
Recently I have been getting consistent results when targeting Large Yellow Fin Whiting.
It was after I studied the YFW diet, by regularly inspecting the gut contents of fish caught in different locations. Developing an understanding of their food preferences, movements, behaviour and the habitat in each location. Subsequently I have been fishing these habitats with the food preferences for that location. Fish in their “Macca’s” !
 
Large YFW’s Morphology and Diet
Larger YFW are built differently, behave differently and feed differently, to their smaller mates.
The morphology of the bigger YFW enable them to predate on a number of alternative food sources.
Bigger means stronger, faster, and most importantly they have a bigger mouth to swallow their prey.
Prey that is much, much larger than the worms they were weaned on. Not that they will pass up an available worm!
The bigger YFW are aggressive predators. No longer the docile benthic grazer of worms, nippers and cockles, that it was when it was smaller. They can now chase down prey. They can grasp it, rip it, immobilise it, and swallow it whole.
 
The different sizes/ages of YFW practice what biologist refer to as Resource (food) partitioning.
Which means the big ones don’t steal the young one’s food. They don’t all compete for the same food resources.
Larger YFW move on to aggressively feed on a lot of Crabs, Prawns, and Minnows.
Regularly inspecting and recording their gut contents and the areas they were caught in, provides a great insight into their diets.
And a good indication of the likely habitats in which to find the larger YFW. And more importantly what lures to use where.
There is also a degree of “Habitat partioning” with the YFW.
In summer I find, a lot more of the larger YFW remain in the upper gulfs. It holds their preferred food.
Whilst most of the smaller ones move on to southern gulf areas that hold more worms and small cockles.
 
The Habitats & Food Chain
Through out the upper regions of the two gulfs, the samphire beds are the start of a series of very productive areas to find large YFW
Haswell’s Mud Crab (Helograpsus haswellianus) are abundant here. They feed on the film of diatoms and algal slime which coats the surface of the mud flats. Through the warmer months the crabs spawn. Their abundant zoea are then fed on by the juvenile Prawns.
In that warmer half of the year, Juvenile prawns thrive in the, food rich, high salinity and higher water temperatures of the upper gulfs . Post-larval and juvenile prawns settle into the shallow environments of the upper gulfs for the warmer months. Before eventually moving on to deeper waters as they mature. The juvenile Prawn and Haswell’s Crab populations are the primary reason why the upper gulfs hold more large YFW.
 
So often I find the large YFW with their stomachs bursting full of small mud crabs, along with juvenile prawns.
And these YFW are often taken in low water in the outgoing tide. On the higher tides, the Prawns will move in to feed on the crab spawn and larvae. The big YFW are not far behind, hunting down prawns. But they also hang back in the very shallow water of the littoral zone, as the tide drops. Waiting for the small mud crabs to emerge from their mud holes, that are under and around the samphire beds. Then the YFW feast. The big YFW are unbelievably aggressive in the shallow out flowing water, during these frenzied feeding periods. Water flowing out, off the Samphire beds, often through mangrove creeks, will hold large YFW that have spent the high tide feasting on prawns and crabs.

   - Haswells Crabs in the YFW guts
 

   - Prawns upto 100mm found in YFW guts.
 
I have managed a couple of YFW with the Cranka Crab. But no luck using the soft plastic crabs. But the stand out success in this area, has to be the stickbait surface lures that mimics the movement of fleeing prawns in this habitat. Sugapen 95 is the most successful for me.

   - A few YFW taken on Sugapen 95 Col# MB16
 
The next promising area, are the sandflats. Which lie adjacent to the mangroves and samphire beds. The organic rich tidal flows, coming off the samphire beds provides the food source for many detritivores living in the sand flats. Large YFW particularly love lingering over the sand flats that hold Clickers. The smaller tides when water covers the area for a longer period, is a particularly good time to find them feeding here. Big YFW love big Clickers. The Ecogear ZX 43, a sub surface lure, on retrieval, has an action that mimics the movement of a fleeing Clicker or prawn, across the sandy bottom. It is irresistible to a large YFW when presented in these sand flat areas. Again SP imitations of clickers have had disappointing results for me.

   - A few YFW taken on the Ecogear ZX43 Col#402 (UV)
 
The sand flats finally meet the weed line. The ribbon weed beds hold and offer protection for a number of the YFW prey. Prawns will retreat with the tide and shelter in the weed beds. Likewise, it provides a safe haven for Minnows that shelter from predators here. Along with Flathead laying in ambush, big YFW are always patrolling the weed line looking for prey, should they stray out of their shelter. The Stick-bait surface lures, worked along the surface areas of the weed line, provides the top water action here.
And Soft plastic Minnows worked along the bottom of the sand flats - weed line edges, will also find you catching the larger YFW along with a few big Flathead.

   - A Few YFW along with some Flathead taken on Gulp Soft Plastic Minnows and Shads
 
To find big YFW, find the habitat that holds their preferred food.
To catch Big YFW on lures, use the lures that imitate their preferred food.
“Match the Hatch” and Increase your catch!
 

   - When you crack the Food Chain, catches of 10 or more 40cm plus YFW are a regular possibility in your bag.
 

   -  A Few sessions with 7 to 10 40cm Plus YFW in the bag
 
Tight Lines!
Cheers, Des
 

With the seasons changing and the YFW on the move, I thought I would start with this one.
SEASONAL MOVEMENTS OF YELLOW FIN WHITING IN S.A.
I have been fishing, mainly as a wading fisherman targeting YFW, for the past 18 years.
Over that time I have logged details of most of my fishing sessions on excel spreadsheets.
Recorded my various observations and analysed the data.
This is a summary of my thoughts on the seasonal movements of Yellow Fin Whiting in S.A.
 
The arrival of YFW on suburban beaches in the warmer months and their disappearance over cooler months is a regular event.
So where do the YFW come from?
And where do they go to?
 
It is a total fallacy that YFW are a Summer only species and that it is only in warmer temperatures that it is taken by the land based angler. Yellowfin whiting inhabit relatively shallow waters for their entire life. I catch them all year round, in all temperature ranges, wading in shallow water. Although their location and their behaviour does change with the seasons. So too must the fishing methods used and the areas fished.
 
INDEPENDENT GULF POPULATIONS
The YFW populations in each gulf are likely to be independent of each other. They most likely do not move out of the two SA Gulfs in which they reside. This has been suggested by some limited tagging studies to date. They are possibly similar to the Blue Swimmer Crabs where DNA testing has shown that there are independent populations in each Gulf that do not intermingle. Currently there is a study of YFW being undertaken in this area. To date the last published report from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation in 2020  https://fish.gov.au/report/341-Yellowfin-Whiting-2020  suggests 2 separate gulf populations. So it is most likely the YFW population’s movements are only, within the gulf in which it resides. I have noticed morphological differences between the 2 populations in the 2 Gulfs. Spencers Gulf fish tend to be slightly shorter but heavier built than the often longer fish in the St Vincent Gulf. And recently as a lure fisherman, I notice Spencers Gulf YFW are harder to catch on lures.
 
A study of data from the commercial fishermen’s catches of YFW, provides the clue to their movements within each Gulf.
Source:  The South Australian Marine Scalefish Fishery Stock Status Report – 2011/12
WHERE do they catch most of their fish? ( Fig.1)

See the map of the areas where the Commercial Tonnage is caught. The majority of the commercial catch is taken in the northern ends of the 2 gulfs.
 
WHEN do they catch most of their fish? (Fig.2)

We see in the graphs for the Monthly catches of YFW, that the majority of the commercial catch is taken in the colder Winter months of May, June, July, August.
 
What are the Water Temperatures for those areas at those times?  (Fig.3)
Source:  http://oceancurrent.imos.org.au/SAgulfs/latest.html

We can correlate the professional catch months and their catch areas with maps for the gulf water temperatures.
Most of the YFW catch by professional fishermen, are caught in the Northern coldest parts of the Gulfs in Winter.
And the commercial catches drop when the YFW population disperse into the cooler Southern Gulf areas during the summer months.
 
The movement of YFW in the gulfs is driven by the availability of food.
It is also driven by a Poikilothermic animal using colder water temperatures to reduce their metabolism and their food needs.
 
As waters cool in the lower gulf in Autumn, their food sources in that area becomes scarce. Ever notice how bungum worms are rarely seen in winter. They along with other benthic dwelling organisms, worms, clickers, and small cockles, tend to move deeper in the sand. Are less accessible and remain dormant in the cooler months. The food that was available when the water was warmer, has disappeared from these southern areas of the Gulfs.
 
The most consistent and reliable food source over winter is in the northern gulfs. The food source here is primarily bloodworms. They are plentiful in the organic rich flats adjacent the mangrove areas of the northern gulf. Also abundant are the seaweed worms residing below the large dead seaweed deposits, that occur in the northern gulf over winter. The seaweed worms become more accessible at this time of the year, as big night tides and winter storm surges, dislodge seaweed banks and their seaweed worm populations. Bloodworms are readily available right throughout the winter period. Bloodworms are actually most active in winter. Constantly moving and relocating all through winter using the larger winter night tides to do this. Not just during their major spawning runs, when they are very visible on the surface in large numbers. Hence they become a consistent food source for the YFW in winter. Taste a winter caught YFW and you can often taste the distinctive iodine flavour that comes from a diet primarily made up of bloodworms.
 
The other main reason for the YFW to withdraw to the colder waters of the Northern Gulfs, is to intentionally enter a state of Torpor. Being Poikilothermic animals they get their body temperature from the surrounding water. Torpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. Torpor enables animals to survive periods of reduced food availability. The Northern Gulfs are the winter “Bear Caves” for the YFW.
 
However, they still need to feed. Just not as much. And certainly not as vigorously as they do in summer. This makes winter fishing for them more location and conditions specific for a land based fisher. In particular during a cold winter, they will be heavily concentrated in the deeper warmer parts of the cold  northern gulfs. Whilst they are seeking cooler waters to slow their metabolism, they still avoid extreme low temperatures. They will often be out of reach of the land based recreational fisher. I have talked with professional fishermen at Pt Parham and Pt. Wakefield. Their most productive catch days are after a few very cold frosty mornings. When the shallow water is the coldest. This is when the YFW retreat from the icy shallow waters and are in concentrated schools in the deeper warmer pockets of water. This aggregation makes them easy targets for the professional’s nets. Hence as the Figures 1 & 2 show, the majority of the professional catch is taken in winter in the northern ends of the gulfs. If you are wading these areas in winter you can see and hear the professionals banging their boats, rounding up the fish into tighter schools prior to netting them.
 
There are land based spots that are connected to deep water where you can burley in some YFW in winter. This is the only time I ever consider using burley for YFW. Other times of the year you attract too many nuisance fish rather than YFW. In winter other than Salmon trout, there are less nuisance fish about. However with a lower metabolic rate, the YFW are very lethargic in winter. Being a poikilothermic animal they wind up in a state of torpor when water temps fall below 12c. Their bites are timid. Often just sucking baits. Along with burley, smaller hook sizes and the lightest gear is more effective. I normally use a Size 4 hook but drop down to a size 6 even 8, in these months. Keep weights to a minimum. Often it is only on the bigger incoming night tides that you will find them. That is when the deeper warmer water is lifted up and onto the beach, bringing with it the fish it holds. The bloodworm runs in winter are certainly a good time for the wading fisherman to catch a few YFW. They are stimulated into feeding more. My fishing logs show, it is an exceptional winter YFW season when the water temperatures are over 13C during the bloodworm run.
There is a population of YFW that remains down south in the Onkaparinga River estuary over winter. This again is due to the fact that bloodworms inhabit that waterway. I know of fishermen that regularly catch bags of YFW in the Onkaparinga Estuary in winter. Using frozen bloodworms for bait. Little wonder that the most common early season sighting of YFW on the suburban beach areas is around the mouth of the Onkaparinga river. There are similar enclosed water bodies, such as Franklin Harbour, in the Spencers Gulf that consistently hold YFW in winter. These areas provide cooler water for a lowered metabolic rate along with a reliable source of food.
Other areas that are consistent in winter tend to hold a bit warmer water. The Torrens Island power station hot water outlet always has a few YFW in winter. Spots in the Southern Spencers Gulf like Pt Lincoln can be affected by the warm water flows at the tail end of the Leeuwin Current which will attract and hold the YFW. All the enclosed water bodies that are productive in winter, end up being too hot in summer for the YFW and their food.
 
As the water temps starts to rise, it sees the YFW more energetic and active. These Poikilothermic animals, warm up, increase their metabolic rate, and start to vigorously search for food when water temps get past 14C. Water temperatures soon rise to the optimal temperature range for the growth and reproduction of worms, cockles and clickers on southern sand flats and beaches. These now become the main food source for YFW. Bloodworms are now less available, having settled deeper into the mud for summer. And the seaweed worm areas are less disturbed and less available. It will take the water temperature to get above 22c before it is too hot for the food sources in the northern gulf. Again these benthic organisms take shelter from extreme conditions by burying themselves deeper, reducing the availability of food. However, in summer the relatively cooler southern sections of the gulf now have the optimal water temperatures for the growth and reproduction of their food sources. The main population of YFW move south into the cooler southern areas, spread across the suburban beaches, which now holds more food. In the warmer months I have found them as far south as Normanville and Coobowie in the St Vincent Gulf. Tumby Bay and Hardwicke Bay in the Spencers Gulf.
 
A number remain in the northern gulf waters. They tend to be a polarised population of very large and small fish, I find. The larger fish I think become more specialist feeders on alternative food sources like shrimp and juvenile prawns that now are more numerous in the warmer Northern waters. It is common resource partioning within a species where they do not all compete for the same food source. Shrimp are just the thing our YFW surface lures are designed to mimic. Casting surface lures for YFW in winter only seems to attract Salmon. A species that has a highly developed circulatory system as seen in their blood content. Is a bit more of a homeotherm with a higher metabolic rate through out winter. It needs a higher metabolism to chase it’s primary food source of small fish.  Whereas the Poikilothermic YFW need the higher water temperatures of summer to raise their metabolic rates before they become aggressive feeders of food on the surface and chase our lures.
 
Cheers, Des

On my regular river walks, I would see successful Carp fishers in the spot indicated on my map.
Mawsons Lakes is also well known to hold a lot of big Carp

The Yellow Fin Whiting season is fast approaching. As the seasons and weather conditions change we have to think about and adapt to the changing behaviours of the Yellow Fin Whiting.
The most important thing for successful YFW lure fishing is knowing the fish!
It’s physiology. It’s habitats and ecosystems. Also it’s behaviour in all weather conditions and seasons.
The next most important thing for successful YFW lure fishing is knowing your spots. The geography and terrain.
There is always a right spot, for every weather and tide conditions. When do the fish go to a given spot? In what weather? On which tide? And what food is available there in these conditions?
The least important thing for successful YFW lure fishing is … lures !!!
Find the fish first. Before worrying about finding the right lure and technique.
 
Your chances of success will depend on assessing the weather and tide conditions on a given day and then understanding the behaviour of YFW in those conditions. YFW will be found in different locations, in different weather and tide conditions.
There is nearly always a good fishing spot available. Almost regardless of the weather conditions.
We are lucky to have the two gulfs and the Yorke Peninsula. It provides us with a variety of options regardless of the weather and which way the wind blows.
These are some weather and location factors that I consider, before I go lure fishing for YFW
 
TEMPERATURE
Early in the season air and water temperatures are critical for lure fishing. With the rising temperature their metabolism, muscle functions and locomotion increases.
At the start of Spring, I usually pick a day at the end of a series of warmer days. The water would have warmed up a little by then. It takes a while for the water temperatures to change due to thermal lag. And even then I prefer fishing the warmer afternoon on these sunnier warmer days. A smaller tide on these days is a bonus. Less water to warm up in the shallows. Bigger tides can bring in cooler deeper water into the warm shallows. However this dynamic is ever changing and does go into reverse in the hottest months. Stay alert to the different water temperatures at different water depths at different times of the year.
By November, water temperatures are now consistently over 20c. Low water temperatures and a low metabolism in the YFW is, no longer a factor. A chilly morning in summer may just dull the fish’s appetite. But by mid day as they gather in the deeper areas after the morning run off they will be back to their aggressive best.
Yes the water temperature can get too hot after a hot spell. Then the obvious thing is to fish the cooler mornings.
Also pick deeper water locations during hot weather spells. Where the fish can find some relief from the hotter surface water temperatures of the shallows. If fishing the afternoon incoming tide, you will need to fish back deeper in the tide. Where the water is cooler on those very hot days.

…… Early in the season blades work better, as fish stay deeper and are less likely to rise for a surface lure.
 
WIND
Given that water temperatures are good, wind is the next most important factor for stimulating YFW surface feeding.
The perfect wind for lure fishing YFW on an open sand flat, is in the 6 to 12 knots range. Perfect to stimulate YFW feeding as they feel a lot safer under the cover of a heavy ripple or light chop on the surface of the water. The chop sufficiently obscures their vision, so they are not too discerning with lures in these conditions. Although too windy and too choppy, will stir up the sand and dirty the water. Fish will move to more protected and cleaner water.
Strong winds are okay. In fact can be brilliant for concentrating fish in certain spots.Your spot selection in these conditions becomes critical. The geography of the Yorke Peninsula and gulfs gives us a myriad of options regardless of which direction the wind is blowing. With the gulfs and peninsula, you will always have a section of coast with an offshore wind.
In strong winds, a lot more fish are gathered on the leeward coast, as they move away from the open rougher waters.
Less floating weed and accumulated weed wracks on the leeward side is also a bonus. So strong winds are great for concentrating fish in certain areas.
….  A video of the ideal wind when lure fishing YFW
 
 
….  Both fish and their predators can be found sheltering from the wind in mangrove areas.
 
HABITATS
The varied marine habitats and terrain also provides a few options for windy days. There are habitats that provide sheltered areas regardless of onshore strong winds. A spot behind a mangrove forrest wall will have less chop and cleaner water. This area attracts and holds a lot more fish as they shelter from the rougher conditions outside. Often these strong on shore winds will produce a bigger tide, due to a storm surge. The fish take advantage of this as it provides access to fresh feeding areas around samphire beds behind the mangrove wall.
 
Flooded in shore lagoons on a high tide are calmer and protected from the heavy churning chop. They will hold more fish in windier conditions. There are plenty of sandy bays and coves on the Peninsula that exist because they are sheltered, always in the leeward side of the prevailing strong winds. The water here is always cleaner and clearer, with fish more abundant in this location during windy conditions. Persistent strong winds are good. Don’t curse them, use them to your advantage.
You may need to travel to the other side of a gulf to do this. Or even a trip down to the beautiful calm and sheltered waters of Hardwicke Bay, Point Souttar and Corny Point.

…  An area sheltered by mangrove walls, that will hold more fish in stronger onshore winds.
 

…. These fish were taken at the entrance of some mangrove areas
TERRAIN
Windy days on the open sand flats, will find fish sheltering in the deeper channels that will offer protection from the wind chop in the shallows. You will also find the leeward protected side of weed banks will hold more fish. Conversely should the winds be very light the windward side of a weed bank will have more food stirred up and hold more fish. What ever the wind does, there is a suitable spot to be.
A windy day bonus - long casts downwind, always catch more fish. I avoid fishing on calm days if I can help it.

… Channels and weed banks provide some shelter
 
TIDE
Any water movement provides a feeding stimulus for YFW. The tides are the most common cause of movement and will always influence fish behaviour.
However even on a dead dodge tide, SW wind surges, afternoon seabreezes, or changes in atmospheric pressure can create enough stimulating water movement, regardless of the poor tide predictions. A small stimulus on an otherwise listless day often produces a disproportionate stimulatory reaction from the fish.
Given that the main opening to the Gulfs face SW most tides will be boosted by a SW wind. Low atmospheric pressure will also draw in a larger tide. Factor these in to the published tide predictions, as there always is always a great deal of variation in tide heights on the sandflats.

…  An old tide book explaining the factors that can effect tide height.
 
The small dodge tides can be taken advantage of. The small tide holds and concentrate fish in larger numbers in a smaller area, rather than a big tide dispersing them over a large area. At times fishing these conditions can be more like “shooting fish in a barrel”.
Big tides provide fish accessibility to new feeding habitats. Big YFW love the small Haswell crabs that live in the Samphire beds, behind the mangrove forests. This food becomes accessible to the YFW during the big tides that cover the Samphire beds. The YFW are a much easier target when they make their way in and out of the samphire beds, in a dropping big tide.
Wether it be a Dodge tide or a big Spring tide, or light winds or strong winds, you will always be presented with a few different fishing opportunities, with the different conditions.

…. Some of the largest YFW are taken on the biggest tides when they were chasing Haswell crabs in the Samphire beds

…. Crabs in the gut contents of YFW
CURRENTS
Some locations with deeper major channels, that drain the sandflats have increased water flows. The localised currents, can stimulate fish feeding. It is a good location in a dodge tide when these channels can amplify water little water movement there is in the tide.
These channels will usually bring in water of a temperature that offsets the existing shallow water temperatures. The deeper water also provides a refuge in either temperature extreme. In ambient temperature conditions they are also the tidal highways for fish.
 
There are also major ocean currents that come into play. In winter the major Leeuwin current flows across from WA and effects the lower Spencers Gulf water temperatures. Boston Bay in Pt. Lincoln is well known for winter YFW.
I have caught bags of YFW in the middle of winter on southern Yorkes when the locals tell me you won’t see them till October.
A Northerly wind with a following Westerly change will flick in the warm water flows of the Leeuwin current and bring with it schools of YFW.  Maintain a fishing log. They are a great reference.

…. The Leeuwin current brings warm water temperatures to the southern Spencers Gulf in winter
 
SUNSHINE !!!
On sunny days you catch more fish! It probably is the extra warmth and the better visibility of the lures. But it does not matter if you don’t catch fish theses beautiful days !

… It is always good fishing in the sunshine
 
So you either you pick the best weather days for your regular spot, or you pick a new spot to suit the weather and tides on the day.
One way or another you should be able to catch a good feed of YFW on lures. Regardless of the weather.
 
Tight Lines,
Cheers, Des

Regular post readers will know I like to fish the dodge tides for Yellow Fin Whiting .
I cover a variety of reasons in detail, in this previous post:
.
One very good reason, is that you will regularly find better quality fish on the dodge tide.
YFW movements and feeding are highly influenced by the tide. Revolving around the largest tide of the day, they tend to have a 24 hour digestive and feeding cycles.
So even when the tides do not move much on the dodge, they will still have a need to feed within their cycles. The larger YFW have greater food needs and will generally preference a bigger meal such as juvenile prawns or clickers.
With the small dodge tide their feeding will be concentrated to the smaller area, covered by little water flooding in. They will be easier to find.
The terrain/substrate that holds their preferred food will naturally attract a higher concentration of larger YFW.
That terrain you can feel under foot. The softer food holding substrate.
The small tide movement, along with a deeper low tide, holds water over these prime feeding grounds longer. It provides for prolonged access to this zone for both fish and fisher person.
A better explanation of productive terrain is in this post :
.
The dodge tide on Monday with a High of 1.77 mt @ 8.15am  and a Low of 0.97 mt @ 11.36pm provided a long drawn out, run off tide. With a prolonged spell under water, of some prime food holding areas. It looked like an ideal tide and I set off fishing.
YFW are always stimulated by tide movement to feed. These tides do not provide much of that stimulus. However there are other factors that come into play.
.
The day started slowly without a strike for the first hour. The warmth of the day gradually started to take effect and the first to stir were some small Whiting.
With the warming arvo came an arvo seabreeze, as well as a predicted strengthening southerly wind. YFW love a heavy rippled surface to take cover under and lose their feeding inhibitions. The bite picked up strongly and catches were now steady. In the constrictions of the upper gulfs any lower gulf southerly wind can force water up. A wind tide pushes in. It further stimulated the YFW and kept the feeding grounds covered with a perfect level of water for a wading fisherman.
.
I caught my bag of 20 in good time. This situation regularly provides quality fish, with10 of the fish ranging from 38 to 41cm. Most of the remaining 10 fish were around 35cm.
Sugapen 95 was the most successful lure. Then again I did not need to use a lot of variety.
The new Sugapen Splash caught it’s share when the afternoon breeze picked up. This is shaping up as the perfect lure for that strong summer afternoon breeze that kicks up a bit of chop.
A few were also taken on the Ecogear ZX, when I was forced to go subsurface as a pack of persistent juvenile seagulls are yet to learn lures don’t taste good.
.
Hopefully we have some more fine weather for the next dodge tide.
Tight lines all.
Cheers, Des

On my regular river walks, I would see successful Carp fishers in the spot indicated on my map.
Mawsons Lakes is also well known to hold a lot of big Carp

STOCK DEPLETION of Yellow Fin Whiting ~ A Summary of Conversations.
.
I have engaged in a few recent conversations with many longtime Yellow Fin Whiting fishermen since my previous post:  “A Threatened Species”  … https://www.facebook.com/groups/1383810555282311/posts/3589648064698538/
They are experienced, talented fishers, with well established records, detailed in their many fishing reports in past fishing forums.
Stretching back well before the days of Facebook fishing groups.
They have all been unanimous in their observations of a steep decline in YFW catches.
So much so that there are gun YFW fishers that now no longer bother to target them as the returns are no longer there.
Today despite alternative claims from the Professional fishing sector, the Recreational catch of YFW in minimal.
Take a look along the metro beaches today.
No body bothers to target YFW anymore on a metro beach.
In the past you would see many family groups spend an afternoon fishing for them.
Along with the loss of catch, one must also consider the loss to the Community.
The Social and Health benefits that have also been lost along with the fish.
.
This is not a situation that has come about due to recent weather or climate variations.
This is now a well established trend stretching back numerous years.
Of particular note in my discussions, are the common observations that the steepest decline in catches, has been without doubt, since 2019.
.
THE MAIN UNDERLYING REASON FOR THE DECLINE IN YFW CATCHES, IS POOR FISHERY MANAGEMENT BRINGING ABOUT STOCK DEPLETION.
.
There is an uncanny correlation in the decline in YFW catches since 2019 and the commencement of the Snapper ban in 2019. 
The Snapper Ban, obviously displaced the Professional Fisher’s Efforts.
Due to changes and restrictions forced on them, professional fishers have, by necessity, shifted their efforts towards the remaining available species including YFW. In doing so threatening the stock sustainability of many more species.
.
The Commercial Marine Scalefish Fishery Reform Advisory Committee  set up in 2018 sought to address this.
A flawed conceptual process, that only considered the needs of the commercial fishing sector of the Marine Scalefish Fishery. (MSF)
It was about how to best divide a shrinking State owned resource only amongst the narrow commercial sector.
A minor sector of the community and an even more minor sector of the economy.
With little or no consideration or respect for the Recreational fishing sector and it’s economic value.
.
The Commercial Marine Scalefish Fishery Reform Advisory Committee included:
- Six, members from the commercial Marine Scale Fishery  (WHAT !!! loaded!)
- one Rock Lobster Fishery member in recognition of its formal access to marine scalefish species
- One, recreational fisher in acknowledgement of the recreational sector’s interest in this shared access fishery. (Joking eh! How Tokenistic is our representation !!! )
- one independent chair, and one independent economist. (Puppets)
Little wonder the Recreational Sector has been overlooked yet again in their management reccomendations.
.
Fisheries management have been unable to deliver a key recommendation of the committee:
“Establish sustainable catch limits for all species”
The Committee Recommendations on 31st October 2019:
https://www.pir.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/360736/CMSFRAC_October_2019_Report_to_Minister.pdf
.
Licence buy outs were a cornerstone of proposed reforms. The last buy out of MSF licences was ineffective as most of the licences bought out were fairly inactive.
A breakdown of the licences bought, displays the ineffectiveness of the plan.
96 licences were bought. 89 were Line Licences. Only 7 were Net Licences.
It is the net licences that are decimating the YFW stocks.
So buying out 30% of the licences did not reduce the Pro catch tonnage by 30%.
It did not reduce the pressure on our fish stocks by 30%
Again ineffective fishery management hidden behind their “buyout fanfare”.
It did not set sustainable catch limits for all species.
Creating a disproportionate effort on species like YFW, that were not protected with a limit.
I am hearing claims, that PIRSA have a vested interest in maintaining as many professional licences as possible. Without a Recreational fishing licence they will not have a vested interest in the Recreational sector.
Until then they will never manage the resource equitably for ALL stakeholders.
.
Further buyouts of professional licences are required.
For these licence purchases to be effective they must directly relate to the removal of professional catch tonnages and the relevant catch quotas.
All species must have catch quotas.
So we do not see unlimited take of a commercial species, to the point of collapse.
.
However rather than decisive action from PIRSA, we are likely to see a repeat of Career Fat Cats creating another Marine Scalefish Reform Advisory Committee loaded with Commercial Marine Scalefish Fishery representatives, making more ineffective recommendations and decisions, with contemptuous disregard for Recreational fishers and their value.
.
It leaves me looking back on what has been destroyed by our Fishery Managers.
I am left only with some wonderfull memories.
Of Delightful past Tennyson Beach sessions by “BJ Slick”.
.
Cheers, Des

All those spots produced fish regularly.
Try the small tides.  Both outgoing and incoming.
Fish nearer the channels that accentuate the small movement in the tide.
Pick a breezy day. Minimum 5 knots upto max 15 knots. SW is best there.
Long down wind casts towards shore into shallow shoreside water with the wind in your back.
Don't worry if your lure is landing in ankle deep water. Too often people fish too deep.
Good Luck 

Thanks all for the help.  Have decided that it is something we really cannot part with now and will keep as part of history. Will print off the writeup about Seamartin for the kids and grandkids.  Hopefully they will appreciate it one day.  As you say - part of history

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. 

All those spots produced fish regularly.
Try the small tides.  Both outgoing and incoming.
Fish nearer the channels that accentuate the small movement in the tide.
Pick a breezy day. Minimum 5 knots upto max 15 knots. SW is best there.
Long down wind casts towards shore into shallow shoreside water with the wind in your back.
Don't worry if your lure is landing in ankle deep water. Too often people fish too deep.
Good Luck