CROC BAIT!
THE dusky flathead has always been a popular species in Australia. Flatties are very accessible, tasty and are considered an “everybody” fish, which is perhaps why captures, stories and photos of monster-size fish are so revered.
At full maturity, flatties are impressive creatures. Featuring a prehistoric looking head, big jaws, tough, leathery skin and impressive markings; it is not surprising big flatties were coined “crocs”. Studying how big flathead sunbake, ambush and attack their prey adds further merit to the all-encompassing moniker, “croc”.
Like many anglers, I cut my teeth with lures while chasing flatties as a kid. Early on, I concentrated my effort fishing the plentiful channels and holes of the Hastings River. I caught stacks of flatties on DOAs, Mister Twisters and Mann’s Stretch divers. While I caught plenty of “croc-size” 80+ centimetre fish over the years this way, the average size was about 40 centimetres or so.
More recently, I’ve been exclusively targeting the bigger models. Early on, I was keen to see how big flathead responded to the new wave of big largemouth bass lures made popular in Australia by some “switched on” Murray cod anglers. I wanted to test out a simple theory or observation I’ve made over the years, that: fish with big gobs eat big lures. Like other fish with big gobs that eat big lures – barra, jewies, Murray cod, kingfish and GTs – flathead are
