Flathead

Size and possession limits:

For up-to-date information on size and possession limits visit QLD Fisheries.

Targeting:

As the water cools off, more and bigger flathead move into the Mackay area to spawn and feed on baitfish. Like barra, big flathead are usually egg-carrying females, so it's best to release them for breeding.

Flathead love to hold in numbers at the mouths of drains in the estuaries, especially on the run-out tide. On the beaches, they will happily move right up into the shallow gutters to feed in the wave wash.

Lightly-weighted soft plastics are an easy and effective tackle choice with 7-13cm (3-5") curltails, prawns, and jerkshads proving popular. Pink is an old favourite colour, especially in turbid or dirty water.

Flathead bite slowly and will often sit on a plastic before turning and allowing you to set the hook, so don’t be in a hurry to strike. If bait fishing is your thing, a 2/0 long-shanked hook loaded with multiple yabbies or live prawns is successful. Feel free to wind occasionally to cover more ground.