Episode 106: Gold Coast Flathead With Dougie Burt

Dougie’s Top Tips For Gold Coast Flathead

• American style football jig heads stay upright when the lure is resting on the bottom and make the first hop of the typical double hop flathead retrieve look more natural than standard jig heads, thus receiving more strikes.
• When trolling it’s normal to pick up snot weed or straw weed on the lure – in fact, it’s an indication you’re fishing in the right places. It’s important to constantly check for weed and clear it from the hooks.
• During the low tide, flathead line up where there are entrances to drains that will flood water onto the flats as the tide rises. On the rising and high tides fish move up these channels an onto the flats. Fishing the channel and creek entrances at high tide is a waste of time, it’s better to work the flats.
• Lure fishing for flathead is more productive than bait fishing.
• For the land based angler the fishing from Bayview Harbour to Sovereign Island has numerous canal entrances with parkland. These usually have weed patches along the foreshore and casting plastics along the edges in the mornings on a high tide is very productive.
• For small boat anglers the area around Crab Island is a very good option. For those with larger boats it’s worth making the run from Paradise Point to Jumpinpin.
• Wind is an important consideration. Strong westerlies on the Gold Coast seem to clear the water and aren’t great for fishing. Southerly and easterly winds fish reasonably well. Northerly winds stir up the bottom and don’t favour the fishing.
• A high tide at around 7am is perfect and the fish will accumulate in small patches of sand among the weed. The time from mid-runout fishes well and low tide is good also around those creek entrances.

Dougie’s Flathead Tackle Suggestions

• For casting A 3-6kg, 6’6” to 6’10”spin rod with a reasonably fast action and a 2500 size reel such as a Sedona is a good choice. Coupled with 15lb braid this is a great casting outfit.
• A 2-4 kg or 1-3 kg 6’6” to 7’ rod with a light tip and a 2500 spin reel and 6lb braid is perfect for trolling. Fish this with a lighter drag as a trolling outfit on the flats at high tide.

Dougie’s Best Flathead Fishing Lures

• A 3” Gulp shrimp in moulting shrimp colour is one of Dougie staples. For working banks at low tide, ideally near the bottom of the tide at the entrance of small creeks and drains that come off the flats. Reduce jig head size and reduce the lift of the lure as the water becomes shallower.
• For trolling in shallow water Doug likes the Zerek Tango Shad (1-2m) in green, pink or au colours. He uses these on the last half of the incoming tide and works them over the flats.
• The Jackson Flow Shad is also great in water of around 2m and can be worked around the flats and lagoons in the same way as the Tango Shad.