Flies for Flatties

[tobymcclure]

Just wondering what people tent to use when chasinf the flatties on flies. Its somthing ive not done before and i want to give it a go. Just wonering What sizses and colours find productive, Or do you fin that flatties will eat almost any flies ?


Thanks Toby

[kaleidonova]

i find chartruese over white and pink over white clousers in size 2 work well

[dpack]

Clousers also....

[tobymcclure]

i find chartruese over white and pink over white clousers in size 2 work well

cheers mate, in only a size 2 hook though ? I was more thinking big flies like a 1/0 or 2/0 . Do hook sizes for flies and that for say jig heads differ ?

[kaleidonova]

well i dont know where u are but most of our flatties are around 40cm and also if i tie them bigger they get to big to cast on my 4-6# so i ussually keep em around size 2 and also i get bream as a by-catch

[4weightfanatic]

Rattle rousers are usually my first choice then clousers #4 -1. Colour is secondary to action (both inbuilt in the fly and your stripping action) but colours I usually tie up chartreuse/white, olive/white, orange/white. For some reason I haven't used pink but it's supposed to be good. Rattle rousers as the name suggests have a rattle inside mylar tube tied under the hook shank then lightly coated with epoxy. The original doesn't use dumbell "eyes" to invert the hook but relies on the buoyancy of bucktail to keep it upright. I tie them both. Another one I have had good success with is a floating wiggle minnow on fast sinking line where the fly slowly rises after being stripped but darts back towards the bottom upon stripping. I use a short 1.2-1.5m leader with this set up. I generally don't use less than 10 kg leader as flatties really engulf flies. Here's a pic of a rattle rouser without dumbells and a flattie with a weighted RR in his gob. I've yet to catch them over 45 cm on fly yet.

[bomb]

i like to use crazy charlies #6 or #4 size in natural colours.the natural brown part of your bucktail is ideal,often i will add a body of pink "minnow body".i rarely use any flash and keep the flies sparse.

using the smaller fly allows you to cover all bases ,and lets you target bream and whiting at the same time.this also allows me to use my 4wt outfit on all my estuary work in the ultra shallows.most flatties i find you catch on fly are usually the smaller fish,and are not much fun on anything more than a 6wt outfit.

fish a 6lb or 10lb flouocarbon tippet and you will be surprised how much fun small flatties can be in half a metre of water.you will be bitten off sometimes but fc is surprisingly tough,and can easily land flatties on this tippet.regular checks are needed though

cheers
bomb

[silvertreva]

Meldrum FLy

[crusty]

I've caught them on decievers. First fish on fly was a wee baby flattie of about 7 inches on a trout nymph when I was practicing casting in a little salt creek. First decent fish was a 40cm flattie on a bendback deciever style in the same creek fished down and across as the tide raced in. Got to watch it explode off the bottom and take the fly.

I like the look of those Rattle Rousers.
I think I have some of the Mylar tube that I've never used, I've got some rattles. Plenty of Bucktail (well enough anyway).

Sounds like a project for tonight.

Whats the red fly line. Can't recall seeing a red line before. Sinking line?

[The Growse]

Chilli Pepper is a great flathead fly......apparently!

[4weightfanatic]

I've caught them on decievers. First fish on fly was a wee baby flattie of about 7 inches on a trout nymph when I was practicing casting in a little salt creek. First decent fish was a 40cm flattie on a bendback deciever style in the same creek fished down and across as the tide raced in. Got to watch it explode off the bottom and take the fly.

I like the look of those Rattle Rousers.
I think I have some of the Mylar tube that I've never used, I've got some rattles. Plenty of Bucktail (well enough anyway).

Sounds like a project for tonight.

Whats the red fly line. Can't recall seeing a red line before. Sinking line?

Yeah Chris that's the running line of a Teeny 350 fast sinking line. The sinking head is a dark grey colour. I think rattle rousers from memory were developed as a redfish fly to be fish in and around weed beds where it would be hard for a fish to see the fly unless you dropped it on it's nose. The rattle just brings the fly to it's attention. With all the rain over the last year the water clarity was pretty crap so thought a bit of noise would ring the dinner bell. I tie them on 90 degree aberdeen jig hooks also that are a bit louder especially when fished on a floater . I think the best fun so far is using the wiggle minnow on the fast sinker and stripping realslow just enough to get a "roll" happening in the fly. Going to try this on the bass this season and try and have the fly hovering above weed beds should be dynamite. Pat.

[tobymcclure]

Ill have to stock up on few , cant wait .. It'll be for my 4wt outfit too.

Thanks for all the replies guys

[treetop]

I Like to use a two inch in black over gold. and like Bomb says. "Keep them sparse."

[Magic]

Plain boring old clouser tied on a #2 hook using white Unique hair with just a bit of silver flash works OK. Synthenics also tend to last a bit longer than natural fibres.

[bomb]

Plain boring old clouser tied on a #2 hook using white Unique hair with just a bit of silver flash works OK. Synthenics also tend to last a bit longer than natural fibres.

true story magic, they dont need to be anything special for flatties.but a white clouser's as good as anything. but it pisses me off when people say flatties will eat anything,and sometmes they do!,but they can also be very timid and very selective about what they eat.

cheers
bomb