leader for flathead

[5am1eys]

hi, i was reading a mag and it said flathead are going to be on the bite again and i was wondering what leader to use for the east gippsland area

[breaming125]

try 8,10,15 maybe 6

[Ratbags]

anything - flatties are not the smartest fish in gippy i tend to use a harder 8-12lb mono. not necessary to use flurocarbons, save that for bream and other fussy fish fish. just check the leader once in a while for and change when necessary.

[JustJiggin]

8-12lb like said above, but after every fish make SURE you check your leader for scuffing and abrasions otherwise you could loose a big one later on, like I have done before

[Spoolin]

I wouldn't be going any lower then 6lb fluro on either Sp's or Hb's, if you hook a decent one and it swallows it there raspy teeth will make short of work of 6lb.
I'd say start at 10lb fluro and a light drag and remember to keep there heads under water to minimize the risk of them throwing the hooks.

[Breamobsession]

Yeah if your going to just fish for flattie go 8lb and over. Flatty aren't usually the smartest of fish anywhere. They are firing up in a big way again now mate. Plenty about, pain in the backside when fishing for Bream but good for a feed

[FishoStu]

I landed one (40cm+) last weekend on 4lb Fluoro FC Rock & he swallowed it well down his throat.
I was quite surpised when I saw it & it was still connected at the end.

[bargeass]

Originally Posted by FishoStu

I landed one (40cm+) last weekend on 4lb Fluoro FC Rock & he swallowed it well down his throat.
I was quite surpised when I saw it & it was still connected at the end.

Had 60cm fish do this on 3lb and still land them, yet had 35cm fish go through 10lb leader with one headshake... crazy bloody fish...

If you're just chasing flatties 12lb is a happy medium mate, shouldn't loose any bits and should land 95% of fish if you play them out.

[Breamobsession]

Originally Posted by FishoStu

I landed one (40cm+) last weekend on 4lb Fluoro FC Rock & he swallowed it well down his throat.
I was quite surpised when I saw it & it was still connected at the end.

Funny how we get lucky like that sometimes, i landed one today around 50cm that did the same thing on 4lb, swallowed the blade right down and the leader was not even scuffed.

[pipnosis]

Yep. Every turn its sawing away at the leader.

[Kyle101]

My pb flatty was 92cm pulled on 2lb FC rock, generally I dont go any higher than 10lb... But anything will do.

[little_ash_25]

8lb or 10lb will be fine i would go for 10lb personally you might be lucky and hook nice fish

[madkeenbreambo]

when im speciffically fishing for them, i never go under 10 pound...i prefer 14 pound, it pervents bite offs and you can still use it on light braid and enjoy their sporting capabilities. However saying that, ive landed some brutes that have swalloed 3 pound flourocarbon straight through. I used to make the mistake and use 6-8 pound on them, and payed for it after loosing a 1m+ fish in a highly pressured waterway at my feet. Not happy

[stella fella]

Something that I have noticed and as you can see is quite evident here is that biger fish don't tend to do the headshake quite as violently as the smaller fish, and so don't often cut your line up too badly. Small flathead tend to just go off their nut and destroy your line.

[madkeenbreambo]

Originally Posted by stella fella

Something that I have noticed and as you can see is quite evident here is that biger fish don't tend to do the headshake quite as violently as the smaller fish, and so don't often cut your line up too badly. Small flathead tend to just go off their nut and destroy your line.

Very true that is, especially with those 45-60 cm fish.