Lake Tyers Flathead

By Bobby Sproule

Picturesque Lake Tyers, a five-minute drive from my hometown of Lakes Entrance, is a medium to large estuary that is home to a variety of species, including bream, estuary perch, tailor, trevally, small snapper, salmon, mullet and the most sort after, trophy dusky flathead.

A combination of being landlocked and receiving below average rainfall had suffocated this system in recent years, with minimal to zero freshwater influx from Cherry Tree, Boggy and Ironstone creeks degrading eco system health. High salinity levels, along with a stagnant and receding waterline had created a harsh environment for all estuary life.

Desperate for rain, the last year has seen more than prior and enough to have Lake Tyers ballooning on numerous occasions, with all anglers anticipating when and where it would open to the ocean. Finally, June 2021 saw it bursting open and after a period of heavy rainfall Lake Tyers was finally given a well overdue flush.

A cleansed Lake Tyers will prosper in the coming year, with clean oxygenated water slowly pushing in from the ocean, mixing with an already brackish catchment and restoring balance to the system. A refreshed system will see a recruitment of small bait, whitebait, mullet, garfish, bay trout, shrimp and possibly prawns.

I have spent a couple of hours over past weekends, not fishing, just cruising over potential flathead locations. The clear water and the amount of baitfish that I have seen over particular sand flats has me super excited. Even schools of solid bream have been spotted grubbing in and feeding up, more than happy to smash a jerk bait under the right circumstances. My feeling is that when the warmer months roll around, Lake Tyers could really fire up, with trophy dusky flathead available for the angler willing to put in the time.

Basic Flathead

A long, slow drift across a sand/mud flat, working plastics back down a drop off or even fishing parallel and tight to a bank should see you hooked up. The key is to find locations where flathead will lay comfortable in ambush of their prey. Covering as much water as you can, through volume casting, should have you hooked up in no time. A hardbody jerk bait is also highly effective when twitched between patchy weed beds.

Tackle

• Okuma Black Mamba Spin Rods - 7' 1-3kg or 2-4kg
• Okuma ITX Carbon Spin Reels - ITX-2500
• Platypus Pulse or Bionic Braid - 6-8lb
• Platypus Hard Armour FC Fluorocarbon Leader - 10-15lb
• TT Lures HeadlockZ Jigheads - 1/8oz and 1/6oz preferred in a 3/0 or 4/0 hook
• Pro-Cure Super Gel Scent - Mullet or any of your favorites
• ZMan soft plastics - It's no secret that flathead up and down the east coast of Australia love a ZMan plastic and here are a few plastics that I always have in my kit - 4" DieZel MinnowZ, Scented PaddlerZ, 4" SwimmerZ, 4 and 5" Scented Jerk ShadZ, ZMan GOAT and StreakZ.

Colour Selection

Color selection depends on water clarity and conditions. I personally always reach for natural bait colours and a presentation that will silhouette the water on the day.

It always pays to have multiple colors and patterns in your kit as flathead are an opportunistic predatory fish and sometimes the brightest fluorescent plastic will cause a strike or reaction bite from these fish. I picture them as a sniper, not a fish that will burst through a bait ball, rather a stealthy predator that will happily lay low, picking off the ones and twos who wander too far from structure or the bait ball.

Friends and family know that I love fishing ZMan 4" Scented Jerk ShadZ and 4" Diezel MinnowZ for flathead and they work effectively time and time again. The simplest of retrieves, whether it be a double hop with the Scented Jerk ShadZ or a slow lift with the DieZel MinnowZ from the bottom, is all that's required. It's a very simple style of flathead fishing and a style that suits beginners to advanced anglers.

Flathead

Flathead are a species to be enjoyed by all of the family, from advanced anglers to the absolute beginner. They are also an iconic Australian fish species that deserves our respect, so please abide by your states slot limits.

An absolute favorite of mine, this is a fish that brings me so much joy, especially the big models. Drifting a sand flat in the late afternoon, with good company and a cold drink... nothing gets better than that. You don't even need a boat and I spent numerous hours just wading the flats as a young man, for the same successful results.

Enjoy, Bobby