Flathead Fishing Guide: Best Bait, Lures & More

Flathead are one of the most popular and accessible fish in Australia, and in Perth they're the fish that defines summer on the Swan River. They live within casting distance of the city, they hit lures hard, they fight well on light gear, and they're excellent eating.

This guide covers how to catch flathead. It explains what flathead eat and where they sit, then goes through the best lures for flathead, the best bait, the rigs that work, and the gear to use. It's built around the Swan and Canning rivers, and the same approach works on flathead right around the country, from the Peel-Harvey to Port Phillip Bay and the east coast estuaries.

Know Your Flathead

There are many species of flathead in Australia, but anglers mostly meet a handful:

• Bar-tailed flathead: the common flathead of the Swan and Canning rivers and other WA estuaries. They're sandy brown with fine marbling, and they have dark bars across the tail. A typical river fish is 30–45 cm, and anything over 50 cm is a real prize.
• Southern sand flathead: common in the sandy bays and inshore waters of southern Australia, including Cockburn Sound, Warnbro Sound, the south coast, Port Phillip Bay and Tasmania.
• Dusky flathead: the big estuary flathead of the east coast, from Queensland through NSW into Victoria, and the largest of the group.
• Tiger and other offshore flathead: caught drifting deeper sand in south-eastern Australia.

The good news is they all behave the same way, so the techniques in this guide work on every one of them.

Handle with care. Flathead have sharp, venomous spines on each side of the head (on the gill covers) and in front of the first dorsal fin. A spike is very painful. Never grab one around the head with bare hands. Use a lip grip like the Shimano Fish Grip R or a net, and hold them from behind with the spines folded down.

What Do Flathead Eat?

Flathead are ambush predators. They bury themselves in sand or mud with only their eyes showing and wait for food to come to them. When something swims within range, the flathead bursts out of the sand and swallows it whole with that huge, wide mouth.

Their diet is simple: small fish (mullet, hardyheads, whitebait, gobies and anything else that strays across the sand), prawns, small crabs, and squid and octopus. They'll eat prey almost as wide as their own head, and big flathead happily eat baitfish 10–12 cm long.

That tells you almost everything you need to know about how to fish for flathead:

• Fish on or near the bottom. A flathead won't swim up a metre or two to chase a lure. Your lure or bait needs to pass within a body length of where it's lying.
• Look for sand next to something. Flathead sit where food is funnelled past them: drop-offs, drains, channel edges, the edge of weed beds and sandy patches between rocks.
• Keep moving. Flathead don't move far, so you need to bring the lure to them. Cast, retrieve, take a few steps, cast again.
• Catch one, stay put. Flathead often hold in small groups, usually a bigger female with several smaller males. If you catch a small one, keep casting the same area, because the big one is often close by.

When to Fish for Flathead

Season

In Perth, flathead are in the river all year, but they really switch on from October to April, peaking over summer when the water is warm. Spring is when they wake up, so right now is a great time to start chasing them. In winter they can still be caught on warm, still days, but the fishing is slower.

The pattern is similar in other parts of southern Australia: warmer months are best. In Queensland and northern NSW, flathead are caught year-round, and big dusky flathead gather in estuary mouths to spawn from late spring into summer.

Tide

• Rising tide: fish the flats. As the water comes in, flathead move up onto the shallow sand to hunt. This is the best time for wading.
• Falling tide: fish the drains and channel edges. Dropping water washes baitfish and prawns off the flats and into the channels, and flathead sit at the exits waiting for them.
• Low tide: the less water there is, the more concentrated the bait and the fish. Low tide is a good time to find the drains and deeper holes you'll fish when the water comes back.

Time of day

Unlike many fish, flathead are happy to feed in full sun. Warm summer afternoons on the flats are classic flathead sessions. Dawn and dusk also fish well, and lit areas like marinas and jetties can be good after dark.

Where to Catch Flathead in Perth

Flathead are found right through the Swan and Canning river system, from Fremantle upstream. These spots consistently produce:

• Point Walter: the famous sand spit and the flats either side of it. Fish the drop-off into the channel, and the drains on the falling tide.
• Claremont and Nedlands foreshore: sandy flats that are perfect for wading on a rising tide, casting toward the channel drop-off. Just down the road from our store.
• Attadale and Alfred Cove flats: big, shallow flats for wading. As the tide fills in, flathead move up onto the sand to hunt.
• Point Resolution and Matilda Bay: easy access, sandy edges and weed beds.
• North Fremantle, between the bridges: sandy bottom, current flow and structure.
• Mosman Park and Blackwall Reach edges: sandy patches between rock and oyster structure. Wear dive boots, because the oysters are sharp.
• Canning River: the flats around Mount Pleasant, Bull Creek and Shelley.

Beyond the river, flathead are caught in Cockburn Sound and Warnbro Sound, along the Rockingham and Mandurah shallows, in the Peel-Harvey Estuary and around the Dawesville Cut, and in the gutters along metro beaches.

Tip: look at your spot on satellite view before you go. Drains, channels and drop-offs show up clearly as darker water against the pale sand.

Best Lures for Flathead

Lures are the most popular way to catch flathead in Perth. They let you cover lots of ground to find fish, and they're far better than bait at surviving the Swan River's blowfish. These are the lure types that work best.

1. Soft plastics: the number one flathead lure

If you only fish one lure type for flathead, make it soft plastics. They're cheap, they're easy to fish, and they imitate exactly what flathead eat. For a full breakdown of styles, sizes, colours and jig heads, see our guide to the best soft plastics for flathead.

• Paddle tails and minnows are the best search lures. Slow-roll them just above the sand and let the tail do the work. The ZMan Slim SwimZ 2.5" and ZMan MinnowZ 3" are Swan River staples.
• Curl-tail grubs kick on the slowest retrieve and look like a baitfish or a prawn. The ZMan GrubZ 2.5" is a classic.
• Prawn imitations match one of the flathead's main foods. Try the ZMan PrawnZ, the Daiwa Bait Junkie Prawn 3" or the hand-poured Irukandji Megaprawn, or the Pro Lure Clone Prawn.
• Bigger plastics for bigger fish. Big flathead have big mouths. A 4–5" paddle tail like the ZMan DieZel MinnowZ 5" sorts out the better fish and cuts down on small ones.

ZMan plastics are made from a very stretchy, tough material that survives blowfish bites far better than standard plastics, which is a big deal on the Swan. For colours, naturals (pumpkin, watermelon, pearl and prawn) and motor oil are the most popular. When the water is dirty or the fish need more attention, pink, white and chartreuse work well.

Jig heads: use the lightest head that keeps your plastic on the bottom. A 1/8 oz is the best all-rounder for 1–3 metres of water. Drop to 1/16 oz on shallow, calm flats, and go to 1/4 oz for deeper water, current or the afternoon sea breeze. We use TT HeadlockZ Finesse heads, and TT HeadlockZ HD for 4–5" plastics. Browse all jig heads.

2. Vibes and blades

Vibes and blades are small sinking lures that shake hard when you lift them. They're cast out, allowed to sink to the bottom, then worked with a lift-and-fall retrieve. The vibration draws flathead in from a distance, and they usually hit as the lure flutters back down. They're also blowfish-proof.

• Ecogear ZX40: a proven Swan River flathead blade. Also available in ZX30, ZX35 and ZX43 to suit different depths.
• River2Sea Baby Vibe: a compact vibe with a tight shimmy.
• TT Switchblade 37mm: a different look when the fish have seen plenty of standard blades.
• Daiwa Infeet Metal Vibe in 3.5g, 5g and 7g: small, fast-sinking metal vibes. Go lighter for shallow water and heavier for depth and current.

Browse all vibes and blades.

3. Small diving hardbodies

Small diving lures wound slowly so they bump along the sand are excellent for covering water when flathead are spread out. Every time the lure bumps the bottom and kicks up a puff of sand, it looks like a prawn or baitfish, and that's often what triggers the bite.

• Daiwa Double Clutch 75SP and 95SP: suspending minnows that stop dead on the pause, right in front of a flathead's face.
• Ecogear SX40F: a shallow diver with a tight wobble that catches flathead, bream and whiting in the same session.
• RMG Scorpion 35 and Scorpion 52: Australian classics that dive just deep enough to tick the sand.
• OSP Bent Minnow 86F: twitched just under the surface for aggressive flathead up on the shallow flats.

Browse all estuary diving lures.

4. Bucktail jigs

Bucktail jigs are a jig head dressed with natural deer hair. The hair breathes and pulses in the water, it's blowfish-proof, and it hovers just above the sand on the pause instead of sinking into it. Fish them with a slow hop-hop-pause retrieve. Try the Vexed Buckabou Jig in 3.5 g for the shallows, or 5–7 g for deeper water. We also tie our own custom bucktail jigs in store in colours that work on the Swan.

Best Bait for Flathead

Lures get most of the attention, but bait catches plenty of flathead, and it's a great way to get kids and beginners onto their first fish. The best bait for flathead is whatever they're already eating:

• Live baitfish: a small live mullet or hardyhead is the best flathead bait there is.
• Fresh whole small fish: whitebait, hardyheads and small mulies (pilchards).
• Prawns: live or fresh prawns, either whole or peeled and threaded on the hook.
• Squid strips: tough, stay on the hook, and hold up well against blowfish. Our Squid Fishing Guide shows you how to catch your own.

As a rule, live beats dead, fresh whole beats fresh strips, and fresh beats old. A tired, washed-out bait won't get many bites.

Don't let the bait sit still. A bait that slowly moves across the sand looks like live prey. Cast out, let it settle, and every minute or so wind it in a metre and let it sit again. You'll cover more ground and get more bites.

Flathead Fishing Rigs

Running sinker rig (the go-to bait rig)

This is the easiest and most effective flathead bait rig from the shore, a jetty or an anchored boat.

1. Thread a small ball or bean sinker onto your main line. Use the lightest sinker that holds the bottom.
2. Tie on a small swivel. The sinker slides freely above it.
3. Tie 30–50 cm of fluorocarbon leader to the other side of the swivel.
4. Finish with a size 1/0 to 3/0 hook, depending on bait size.

Because the sinker slides, a flathead can pick up the bait and move off without feeling much weight. Give it a moment to swallow, then lift firmly.

Paternoster rig (drifting deeper sand)

When drifting a boat over deeper sand in bays and offshore, a two-hook paternoster rig with the sinker at the bottom works well. Put a bait on the bottom hook and a soft plastic on the top one. You'll often be surprised how many flathead take the plastic rather than the bait. Browse ready-made rigs.

Lure rigs

For lures, keep it simple: braid main line, then a fluorocarbon leader joined with an FG knot, tied straight to the lure. Tie hardbodies and vibes on with a loop knot so they can swing freely and swim properly. Skip the swivels, because they spoil the lure's action.

Flathead Gear: Rod, Reel and Line

Flathead fishing is about covering ground on light gear. You want an outfit that casts light lures a long way, lets you feel the bottom, and has enough backbone to control a fish that shakes its head hard at the net.

Rod

A 7' to 7'6" spinning rod rated around 2–4 kg with a fast tip is ideal. The extra length over a typical bream rod gives you casting distance on the flats. Browse our light estuary rods or the full fishing rods range.

Flathead rods we use ourselves:

• Oceans Legacy Aurora Flats Spec: designed for wading Australian flats and fan-casting plastics across the sand. The 7'3" models are ideal.
• Oceans Legacy Quest Inshore Finesse: the 7'3" L (4–8 lb) and 7'1" ML (6–12 lb) are great flathead rods, and the heavier model doubles as a light boat rod.
• Yamaga Blanks Blue Current III: a premium Japanese light-game rod. The longer models are incredibly sensitive and cast a long way.
• Ripple Fisher Real Crescent: handcrafted in Japan and about as good as a light estuary rod gets.
• For a great-value option, the Daiwa 23 Infeet S 702LFS is a very capable first flathead rod, and the Daiwa 26 Infeet BF and Shimano 24 T-Curve are great estuary all-rounders.

Reel

A 2500 size spinning reel is right for flathead. Flathead don't make long runs, but they do make sudden lunges, especially at the net, so a smooth drag matters. Good line lay helps you cast light lures all day without wind knots. These are the Shimano reels we use, from entry level up:

• Shimano 25 Nasci FD: excellent value for a first lure reel
• Shimano 23 Stradic FM: the reliable, do-everything choice
• Shimano 24 Vanford FA: very light, which you'll appreciate after a few hours of wading and casting
• Shimano 24 Twin Power FE: a tough, smooth step up
• Shimano 22 Stella FK: Shimano's flagship

We also carry a massive range of Daiwa, including the Daiwa 24 Certate LT, whose sealed body is a good choice if you're wading and your reel occasionally gets dunked. Browse all fishing reels.

Line and leader

• Main line: PE0.6–1.0 braid. PE0.6 suits most river fishing and lets you feel the bottom. The Daiwa J-Braid Expedition X8 is a reliable choice.
• Leader: 10–20 lb (4.5–9 kg) fluorocarbon, about a rod length. Flathead aren't leader-shy, but they have raspy teeth and sharp gill covers that wear through light leader, so go heavier than you would for bream. Check your leader after every fish, and retie if it feels rough. Try the Oceans Legacy Duelist FC Leader or Shimano Ocea EX Fluoro.

How to Fish for Flathead: Techniques That Work

The hop and drop (soft plastics)

This is the most effective way to fish a plastic for flathead.

1. Cast out and let the plastic sink to the bottom. When the line goes slack, it's down.
2. Give the rod tip one or two short, sharp lifts to hop the plastic 15–30 cm off the sand.
3. Let it sink back down on a semi-tight line, winding in the slack as it falls.
4. Repeat all the way back.

Most bites come as the plastic falls. If you feel a tap or sudden weight, pause for half a second, then sweep the rod firmly to the side. Flathead often grab the plastic before fully eating it, and a hard upward strike can pull it straight out of that wide, flat mouth.

Drag it through the sand. On some days, simply dragging or crawling the plastic along the bottom so it kicks up little puffs of sand out-fishes everything else. It looks exactly like a prawn or small fish disturbing the bottom.

The slow roll (paddle tails)

Cast, let the plastic hit the bottom, then wind slowly and steadily so the paddle tail swims just above the sand. No rod work is needed. This is the fastest way to search a big flat. A 2.5" paddle tail on a 1/8 oz head, slow-rolled across the Swan River flats on a rising tide, is classic Perth flathead fishing.

The vibe lift-and-fall

Let the vibe sink to the bottom, lift the rod sharply to make it shudder up 30–50 cm, then let it flutter back down on a tight line. Watch your line as it falls, because a flathead grabbing the vibe on the drop often shows as the line stopping before you feel anything.

Wading the flats

Wading is flathead fishing at its best. Pull on dive boots, wade out onto the sand on a low or rising tide, and fan your casts as you move slowly along. If you see a puff of sand ahead of you, that's a flathead you've spooked. Note the spot and cast back to it from a distance, because they often settle again nearby.

Safety: shuffle your feet rather than stepping. It warns stingrays before you step on them. Polarised sunglasses help you spot rays and flathead in the shallows.

Working the drains

On the falling tide, find the drains: channels where water runs off the flats into deeper water. Baitfish and prawns get washed through them, and flathead line up at the mouth waiting. Stand to one side, cast up into the drain and work your lure back out with the current.

Dealing with Blowfish

The Swan River has plenty of blowfish, and they'll strip a bait or shred a soft plastic in seconds. To beat them:

• Use tough ZMan plastics, which stretch rather than tear.
• Switch to vibes, hardbodies or bucktail jigs, which blowfish can't destroy.
• Speed up your retrieve a little to keep the lure away from slow-moving blowies.
• Move 50 metres along the bank. Blowfish tend to be patchy.

Flathead Fly Fishing

Flathead are a great target on fly. A prawn pattern or a Clouser Minnow on a 6–8 weight rod, stripped slowly along the sand, is deadly on the Perth flats, and watching a flathead burst out of the sand to eat a fly is hard to beat.

Flathead on the Table

Flathead are one of the best-eating estuary fish in Australia: firm, white, sweet and almost boneless. Dispatch your fish quickly with an iki spike, bleed it, and put it straight on ice. Skin-on fillets, lightly seasoned and pan-fried in butter for 2–3 minutes a side, are hard to beat.

Big flathead are almost always females and are the fish that keep the river fishing well. Many anglers keep a feed of medium-sized fish and let the big ones swim.

Flathead Fishing FAQ

What is the best lure for flathead?

A soft plastic paddle tail or curl-tail grub around 2.5–3" on a 1/8 oz jig head, hopped or slow-rolled along the sand. Vibes like the Ecogear ZX40 are a close second.

What is the best bait for flathead?

Live small baitfish like mullet or hardyheads, followed by fresh whitebait, prawns and squid strips. Keep the bait moving slowly across the bottom.

What do flathead eat?

Small fish, prawns, small crabs, and squid and octopus. They ambush their prey from the sand.

What is the best time to catch flathead in Perth?

October to April, with summer the peak. Fish the flats on the rising tide and the drains and channel edges on the falling tide.

What rig should I use for flathead?

A running sinker rig with 30–50 cm of fluorocarbon leader and a 1/0–3/0 hook for bait, or a soft plastic on a jig head for lure fishing.

Get Set Up for Flathead

Flathead fishing in Perth is accessible, exciting and rewarding, and you don't need a boat to get amongst them. Grab a light spin outfit, a handful of soft plastics and a couple of vibes, and head to the nearest sandy flat on a warm afternoon. Browse our full range of fishing lures online.

Or come and see us in store at Level 1/154 Stirling Highway, Nedlands, a short walk from some of the best flathead flats on the Swan. We fish these spots ourselves and can set you up with the right gear for the way you fish. Call us on (08) 9389 1337.

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