Wert

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   ~  75cm Blue Spot Flathead … Released
 

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

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

This 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)
 

Size limits same if caught in SA, but for selling there isn't a size limit as such, it just matters they were legally caught or also if they're from aquaculture, you can get tiny Barra and Murray cod quite easily for example due to them coming from aquaculture and small snapper from interstate.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you don't  already do this, this might help.
After casting, close your bail manually & not click it over by winding the handle as this will sometimes give you a loose loop of line, put a bit of tension on the line when you first start winding until you have taken up the slack line & have the weight of the lure.
 

Difficult to say for sure but those loops sound like your line is too loose on the spool, this happens when fishing light lures and baits, try putting tension on the line every few casts and just be wary of any obvious loose loops before casting, hopefully that helps.

Yeah, busy ramps suck.
Thoughts?
It is what it is, don't let it get to you instead work around the problem.
Avoid peak times if possible, if you can't do that then go a little further, Snowdon's is a good ramp and basically empty all the time, with the time saved waiting in queues the extra 15 minutes or so travel to/from outer harbour is a non issue if you have the range plus as a bonus you can troll the channel edges with deep divers and maybe pick up a surprise mully, kingy or accidental big snapper, it's not likely to happen but certainly not impossible either, especially on the mulloway.
Garden Island is another option, the ramp is not bad plus it's free, you can head out  via the channel towards St Kilda for a quicker run to open water.
It can even be fun and productive just exploring the Port and inlet areas for something different, being sheltered is nice too.
In that system besides mulloway, bream and STs (and rays, lots of rays) I've had some surprisingly amazing sessions on whiting (KG, YF and silvers) gar & tommies, big blue crabs and also there was one crazy morning when I didn't get out with my mate for once and he got mauled by a school of 8 to 10kg snapper in one of our mulloway holes, of course sometimes you also get nothing but but puffers and trumpeters but that's fishing.
Yes it's a bit of a longer run (compared to North haven at least, compared to west beach it is a lot further) to your spots so it'll cost a bit more in fuel if you go to the same spots still (offset by free launch at garden island somewhat) but if you're anything like me you probably enjoy just driving the boat anyway and you'll avoid those frustrating ramp dramas.
Finally yes, those have a bad reputation for troublemakers but during gentleman's hours they're perfectly safe in my experience, police regularly patrol Snowden's (not that it probably matters daytime) and there's generally people around, garden island is surprisingly popular with families and kayakers during the day so nobody is going to do anything stupid to your stuff, I must be up to triple figure launches between the pair (mainly garden island on Saturday mornings) and never had a problem.
 

Nice work putting Bob in his place, clearly needed to have a lesson in manners, the upper gulf can be full of them this time of year, I've had up to half a dozen  of the buggers between 3 to 7 foot visible circling in the burley (in the boat thankfully) at this same time of off Price.
Bronzies around the 5-6 foot mark are 4 out of 5 times exceptional eating in my experience with a head and tail removed trunk of around a metre being ideal for turning into steaks and "fillets", Bob looked a little on the small side (tasty but soft v excellent texture but too much ammonia taste) and let's face it, those YFWs are probably even better, I'd take them over KGs.
Well done on your "poor" day fishing... I mean most would kill for that but I've seen your other write ups so you get a pass on that, hope you have plenty of good trips this season, I love following your flats adventures always but being banged up post back surgery and with fishing out of the equation until new years I need this.

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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If we Start at LOW Tide.
There is no movement. 100% of the water movement is yet to come in.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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Cheers and Tight lines, Des

Load up the braid first, tie on the backing and fill to the spool's capacity then reverse it, can't go wrong this way.
It shouldn't take too long either and this way you get it perfect first go.

You can buy gadgets like this from Aliexpress for under $50.
Fill reel/spool with braid, then add required backing line to get perfect depth of line on your reel Reverse the process winding the line back onto the plastic spool (the backing line will be on the bottom) Use a second plastic spool to wind the line onto (the backing line will now be on top) Place this second spool onto the gadegt Wind  onto the reel/spool Worth it when you have multiple reels.

I was just about to explain

I previously got the tackle shops to do this for me. But with the increasing cost of quality braid these days I have started to source my braid elsewhere. And yes, I am topping up the backing as I shed/use up the braid above.
I have been struggling and guessing so far.  This will definitely help. It will be easy for the reels that have spare spools and the multiple reels of the same size/model.
Thanks. Cheers, Des

Oh wait,  I just worked out what you meant almost immediately after submitting my long winded response above.
Yes, what you say is correct and I actually do just this on the one reel I have with a spare spool, well actually it's 2 reels I have which are the same plus a spare spool which I was able to acquire without the outrageous cost of spare spools these days (remember when reels just came with spare spools?).
For these reels full line changes are a pleasure, being able to play musical spools makes the process so much easier, top ups and reversals etc however still needs some variation on the 2 spool method.
For example if your line is a bit low, say from a bust off but you've still got plenty of braid left overall and it's still fresh you'll fill the spool to the brim with your chosen backing on top of the braid, wind this off onto a handline, wind the braid  and existing backing onto the other handline then respool with the top up backing then put the original backing+braid back on.
A couple of handlines, some mono backing and a bit of imagination can make a length of braid go a very long way.

Load up the braid first, tie on the backing and fill to the spool's capacity then reverse it, can't go wrong this way.
It shouldn't take too long either and this way you get it perfect first go.

This exactly, it also works if you lose a bit of line for topping it back up and assuming you don't lose much line and do the bulk of your fishing pretty close (or from a boat) you can often get a 3rd and even 4th refresh by cutting away the worn used section and topping up.
I use expensive 8+ carrier smooth and skinny braid but doing this makes it last forever and it has proven cheaper than back in my mono days over the long run barring mishaps.
Honestly if you plan on fishing long term I'd recommend learning how to do everything yourself from snelling hooks and doing up your own rigs to rod and reel maintenance, you'll save a fortune, it's satisfying and it can save a trip even.

What Wert said.
It's not hard and is a useful skill. After a couple of seasons, you can reverse the line again to so you get "new" braid on your reel. If you have a few reels (I currently have 6) it's worth learning. There are loads of videos showing ways to make it an easy process.

This spin session was a tough one, conditions were pretty good, but the trout were hard to find, I still managed to get onto a few wild brown trout thanks to the Mepps March Brown Bug spinner. Thanks for watching, enjoy the musical photo slideshow at the end of the video and stay safe on/in the water..
cheers Adrian (meppstas)
 
A few pics from the spin session.. as always, all the trout were released..

That is actually a totally illegal practice.
That is clearly illegally  "passing off" under the Trade Practices Act.
Shimano would certainly not cheapen their Stella brand by licensing this production or sales.
That store is treading on thin ice.

BCF stock them. I've only had a play instore and a look online.
Similar to the low end Daiwa and Shimano. Solidly built but heavy. As entry level gear it will be fine. For high end ultralight lure fishing they might be abit heavy

Nice work putting Bob in his place, clearly needed to have a lesson in manners, the upper gulf can be full of them this time of year, I've had up to half a dozen  of the buggers between 3 to 7 foot visible circling in the burley (in the boat thankfully) at this same time of off Price.
Bronzies around the 5-6 foot mark are 4 out of 5 times exceptional eating in my experience with a head and tail removed trunk of around a metre being ideal for turning into steaks and "fillets", Bob looked a little on the small side (tasty but soft v excellent texture but too much ammonia taste) and let's face it, those YFWs are probably even better, I'd take them over KGs.
Well done on your "poor" day fishing... I mean most would kill for that but I've seen your other write ups so you get a pass on that, hope you have plenty of good trips this season, I love following your flats adventures always but being banged up post back surgery and with fishing out of the equation until new years I need this.

Nice work putting Bob in his place, clearly needed to have a lesson in manners, the upper gulf can be full of them this time of year, I've had up to half a dozen  of the buggers between 3 to 7 foot visible circling in the burley (in the boat thankfully) at this same time of off Price.
Bronzies around the 5-6 foot mark are 4 out of 5 times exceptional eating in my experience with a head and tail removed trunk of around a metre being ideal for turning into steaks and "fillets", Bob looked a little on the small side (tasty but soft v excellent texture but too much ammonia taste) and let's face it, those YFWs are probably even better, I'd take them over KGs.
Well done on your "poor" day fishing... I mean most would kill for that but I've seen your other write ups so you get a pass on that, hope you have plenty of good trips this season, I love following your flats adventures always but being banged up post back surgery and with fishing out of the equation until new years I need this.

A sunny Cup day meant getting out for a fish rather than be stuck home watching the races.
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The flats were very crowded on race day. There were hordes and hordes of legal but smaller sizes Yellow Fin Whiting in the 25 to 29cm mark. They were a fish a cast for much of the day.  But …  Not the kind of horses I wanted to back.
With so many little mugs about it was inevitable that the sly and the opportunistic would be out there ready to prey on them.
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A sunny day on the sandflats is such a delight. The clear visibility and water clarity makes watching the passing parade a pleasure. Such an array of different species that cohabit this shallow water ecosystem. Amongst all the delightful sights on a sunny race day, are the diverse collection of Rays cruising around mooching in the sand. But amongst the happy crowd a few seedy characters lurk.
Yup, “Bronzy Bob” turns up just when you least expect it. While you are distracted.  Intensely concentrating on a big Whiting chasing your surface lure, one of only a few on a lean day, your wading tub suddenly lurches left!
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“Bob the Bag Snatcher Bronzy”   was at it again. He snuck up from behind and latched onto my catch-keeper bag that I have dangling in the water.
Shooing him off did not work. He was persistent.
When he made one too many swipes at my catch bag of whiting, I thought I should teach him a lesson.
I allowed him to feel comfortable for yet another swipe. When he was just about to launch into my keeper bag I scooped him up with my landing net.
It was a bit of a heavier load for the landing net.
He was a healthy looking 3 foot specimen.
I gave him a stern talking too, a slap on the snoot, took a couple of mug shots for the “Crim files”, and sent him on his way.
 

 
I am told they are very good eating at this size if they are prepared properly after they are caught.
However there is just not enough room in my wading tub to handle the job.
Lucky for the Bronzies!
These guys are frequent but annoying visitors on the sandflats.
Mostly in the 3 to 4 foot range.
They are not a threat, just disturbing. I can assure you they are discerning feeders and far prefer the whiting to the revolting taste of your waders and leg within!

 
On the occasional dull session I have targeted them with a whiting fillet on ganged hooks. Good fun landing them on your whiting gear, whilst wading the shallows !!!
 

   ~ One hooked up on a previous session.
The biggest I have come across on the shallow sandflats is a 6 footer, maybe 7 feet. I didn’t hang around for a closer inspection and accurate measurement!
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My luck had abandoned me today as the weather factors negated each other to provide difficult conditions for stimulating the YFW bite. The wind speed and direction up the gulf, negated the small natural tide movement and the resultant actual tide was virtually at a standstill all day.
Even if only small, Some tide movement is a great stimulant for the YFW to feed.
It was hard work catching and releasing dozens and dozens of smaller fish.
But I still managed to back in a few good horses on cup day.
I finished with four fish around 40 to 41cm. And kept 10 of the better ones, that were mostly around 35cm.
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   ~ "Bob" took a chomp on this one! 
Regardless of the fishing, it is always an interesting and enjoyable day wading the sandflats.
Cheers, Des

For all of the Vegemite lovers like me and have been since I was a kid, here's a photo that I took this morning of a jar of Vegemite out of the kitchen cupboard and did a bit of photo shop work on it. I can remember as a kid having Vegemite on toast for breakfast, Vegemite broth with bread in it, then when I was older and a little hungover in the mornings, a Vegemite & tomato sandwich did the trick. I still have a Vegemite broth from time to time too...
cheers Adrian