DOUBLE Your Flathead Catch NOW With Starlo's Simple Tips!

[@StarloGetsReel]

DOWNLOAD THE FREE PDF DOCUMENT NOW: Simply go to this link to get a free copy of Starlo's 5 Top Tips for Targeting Flathead on Soft Plastics: learn-with.fishotopia.com.au/catch-more-flatties

[@PhilShenton]

Thanks for continuing to give back to the fishing community Starlo.

[@StarloGetsReel]

@@PhilShenton you’re welcome. 👍

[@lesfredericks4232]

Thanks so much Steve great video 👍🎣🍺

[@bigsquatchsasfoot1964]

Ive never caught flat heads we don’t have them here in the UK but I’ve seen a fair few vids and a lot of people catching them . I’ve certainly never seen one that big or knew they grew those sizes ! Cracking fish Steve well done 👌👍

[@StarloGetsReel]

Thanks for that. Glad you’re enjoying the content. 👍

[@RatSlayer-qu2pl]

I can remember getting one of youre fishing books when i was 15 for Christmas and now im 56,youre a fishing living LEGEND,awesome content and Merry Christmas

[@StarloGetsReel]

@@RatSlayer-qu2pl thank you! 🙏👍

[@stlimajo]

That 89+ cm flattie was a ripper. Great stuff as usual Starlo.

[@StarloGetsReel]

Thanks! They're awesome fish, aren't they? Glad you enjoyed it.

[@antonb8422]

👍 We just had two weeks at Mallacoota. Iv been teaching my daughter 8 for a while now to catch flathead on plastics. Her best is 82. Currently sitting at St George’s Basin for Xmas. She is already catching fish 🎣

[@StarloGetsReel]

Nice! Two GREAT flathead locations... Tight Lines to you and your daughter!

[@antonb8422]

Cheers mate. Quick one for you off topic. Iv got a T Curve Premium 722 heavy bait caster. I’m undecided on a reel. Intend to use it for Barra, Cod and big swim baits for Flattys. Any recommendations I don’t mind spending the money ???

[@mmmbass6068]

Curado 200

[@antonb8422]

@@mmmbass6068 na can’t hold enough line. 300 yeah may be

[@mmmbass6068]

@@antonb8422 you’d be lucky to use 80m of line in a full season fishing for any of the three species he is looking to target.

[@Katipo-l7r]

Great clip mate , wish our Bartails got bigger out west here but they are a special fish all the same . The message on returning the big girls for future fish stocks is bang on.

[@StarloGetsReel]

@@Katipo-l7r thanks! Glad you liked it. 👍

[@regkershaw]

The current in that part of the lake can be crazy you did well.... Nothing like fishing your home lake and getting the rewards..

[@StarloGetsReel]

Thanks! Yep, the current can be brutal there sometimes.

[@TheOldFellasTravels]

Mate, this was one of your standout vids for me. So very informative and all fishermen and ladies should take a leaf out of your book on catch and keep size along with the kind and gentle release. A very good vid mate, I've learned a lot from you and Roger. Well done mate. Merry Christmas.

[@StarloGetsReel]

Cheers, mate! Thanks for saying that. Glad you enjoyed it. 👍

[@newto4361]

Go Starlo,thanks for the time and effort,cheers.

[@StarloGetsReel]

Thanks! 👍 You are most welcome.

[@hairyscary8511]

The good old soft plastics slay em every time..yes vibes work well and so do diving pencil hard bodies especially if you use the correct bib for the water depth but the Squidgy will out fish both time and time again, I've done so for 20+ yrs when everyone thought me and a few mates we nuts chasing everything on plastics😅..now it's just a given

[@StarloGetsReel]

@@hairyscary8511 that’s the truth. 👍

[@gmoriano]

Great lizard. Well played

[@StarloGetsReel]

Cheers!

[@keithprinn720]

great summer meal fresh flattie with either chips or potato salad plus some salad and mayo. brilliant fresh tucker.

[@StarloGetsReel]

For sure.

[@PeachyFlyFishing]

Great fish Steve! :)

[@derekhughes9274]

Magnificent fish Starlo. Great to see.

[@StarloGetsReel]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Hazy_Fishin]

The Squidgy Secrets DVD’s and your How to use soft plastics book my mum and dad got me when I was a teen. They really got me into lure fishing. I must of watched those DVD’s a million times over and over. Miss the OG Bugs, Flick Baits and Shads. Had heaps in my box for well over a decade…All gone now though, even have some of the OG resin jig heads kicking around somewhere

[@StarloGetsReel]

Nice! Glad you're still enjoying my content.

[@antonywardle]

Thanks for the video!

[@StarloGetsReel]

You’re welcome! 👍

[@whetuification]

Love Your Hook(matau) Starlo & Yes love Your SP's too I've caught a few duskies on them myself! Great Feed They Were Too!! 😊

[@StarloGetsReel]

@@whetuification cheers! 👍

[@garysheppard4028]

I've got a stack of Mr Twister soft plastics in my tackle box left over from the late 70's. Shows you how often I catch flathead LOL.

[@StarloGetsReel]

Haha, they’re still good plastics, just need to put them to work!

[@garysheppard4028]

@@StarloGetsReel Yep. I got into fishing back then. I recall reading advice from a very young Starlo in fishing magazines. But then life got in the way. Now that I'm retired I've got the time and inclination to give it another go. Hopefully it won't be another 40 years between drinks LOL.

[@bj4690]

great video starlo!

[@StarloGetsReel]

Cheers mate! 👍

[@ianmoone2359]

Long as I live I’ll never catch a meter flatter sadly Steve. The Bar tails we get here in the west just don’t seem to put on the heft that your duskys get on the east coast. Still a great eating fish to target, but 50cm is a remarkable fish this side of the pizza. Keep up the great work. And compliments of the season to you and yours for a merry Xmas & a safe, happy & prosperous New Years from me and all my crew here in the west.👍

[@StarloGetsReel]

Pretty sure I'll never crack the metre either. They are VERY rare at that size. My PB is 93 and I've caught a 92, a 90 and quite a few in the high 80s. All lovely fish. Those bar tails you get over there are neat fish, too. Pity they don't get as big. Do you get the southern blue spots down south like they do in SA, VIC and Tassie? They grow to at least 75 or 80cm.

[@ianmoone2359]

@ I’ve only seen one Steve in the Blackwood Estuary - which technically empties into southern ocean at Augusta, albeit only just around the corner from the Indian Ocean. It was taken with a gidgie & torch at night and was every bit of 80cm. All I ever caught in there was bar tails tho. Some big fish produced in that Estuary on occasion, that 50+ Black Bream your after probably lives in there somewhere. There’s a brackish lake (swan lake) feeds into the estuary just near the mouth of the river that contains black bream & the tidal creek that links the lake & estuary runs past Dennis Lillie’s holiday house - that’s where the largest 50+ black bream I’ve ever seen was taken, sitting behind a snag out front of Dennis’ house picking off all the white bait, prawns etc being swept past out of the lake. It’s a huge confluence area of the Blackwood & Scott Rivers and of course Swan Lake. Take a look on Google earth at the lay of the land there & you will see why the really big specimens seem to come from there. If you don’t get that PB in there, then Tassie is probably your next best bet I reckon. Check it out next time you get back to the west one day.

[@aussiecoinwhisperer8307]

Fantastic 🤟

[@StarloGetsReel]

Thanks!

[@matthomas6575]

Nice fish mate

[@StarloGetsReel]

Thanks 👍

[@normanmendonca2834]

Thanks mate. I really enjoyed this one because I haven’t had much success with soft plastics… but I am inspired to keep trying now Starlo. All the best from Moe town..😂

[@StarloGetsReel]

Good luck. 👍

[@giorgiodonega1189]

Fantastico

[@StarloGetsReel]

Thank you!

[@keithprinn720]

used Mr Twisters twenty years before Squidgies in Wallaga in bright green and orange very successful.

[@StarloGetsReel]

Yep. They were the first plastics I caught flatties on, too. The old double tails. Magic.

[@bigears4014]

In tassie it's hard with the new rules , especially in hobart

[@StarloGetsReel]

@@bigears4014 yes, but it certainly needed to be done.

[@chrisdoran7596]

Well done for passing on your knowledge of fishing for flathead. Merry Christmas and happy new year to you Steve and your family. Looking forward to content in 2025. 🎄🎁🎉🎉🎣🐟👍

[@StarloGetsReel]

Cheers mate, and the same to you! 👍

[@Seids_89]

Went out chasing a unicorn on the big my lure box paddle glides at Tuross on the weekend, alas no luck but the hunt continues

[@StarloGetsReel]

Hang in there… they are out there! 👍

[@Seids_89]

@@StarloGetsReel will do Starlo thanks!

[@intensity.density2208]

Noice stuff, Stoyve!

[@StarloGetsReel]

👍

[@davidgc4396]

Nice flathead Starlo. I have only ever caught one flathead off the beach in Darwin. I get plenty of baby ones in the cast net at times. Not sure why you don’t catch many here. I thought the shallow water would be perfect? 😊🐠🐠

[@StarloGetsReel]

Yes I only ever caught a couple up there. Bar tails, I think. Not as many as you’d expect there to be though.

[@davidgc4396]

@@StarloGetsReelyes ok thanks Starlo it’s a mystery 😊

[@jaar8320]

Another lovely episode Starlo. That's the first I think I've heard about releasing in the same spot that you caught a big girl, what do you reckon is the influence behind that advice?

[@StarloGetsReel]

@@jaar8320 cheers! Yes, the boffins reckon it’s best to let them go as close as possible to where you hooked them. I guess it’s less disorienting and also less likely to disrupt their spawning behaviour. 👍

[@bradatkins9798]

Have watched Starlo since the Rex hunt days. And he is an Aussie fishing icon. Anyone know what boat that is?

[@StarloGetsReel]

Thanks for that! It's a Beastmaster Snubby 5.0. Here's a short video I did on it 8 years ago when it was brand new: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5_XZaiYarp_qdU

[@bradatkins9798]

You truly are a legend Starlo. And live in the hearts of many Aussie fisho’s. I was born in 82 so iv seen pretty much all your tv shows and Magazine articles. Appreciate everything you’ve done for the Aussie fishing.

[@wayofenergy]

Wow thanks Starlo. Qn: @8:30, why did he grab the rod and the line? Because if the flatty does a big head shake, then no line would be able to come out, hence put more pressure on the hooks and knot. 1 other qn: If I'm on a giant flattie with 10lb fluoro leader, what tips to land them? Thanks

[@StarloGetsReel]

Thanks. Not sure what you mean about grabbing the rod and line? But my best advice for fighting big flatties, especially on lighter leaders, is to play them smoothly, try to stay in front of the fish and “lead” it and not let its head break the surface. That’s when they tend to thrash and do the most leader damage. 👍

[@StarloGetsReel]

PS: At 08.30 I’m just changing my grip so I can position the landing net. I didn’t grab the line. In fact I backed the drag off another click at this point due to the fact that the fish was close to the boat and there’s therefore less shock absorption in the system. Hope that makes sense. 😉

[@wayofenergy]

@StarloGetsReel Thanks Starlo, for clarifying that you didn't grab the main line.

[@EdwardYang-wu7yq]

Hey Starlo, I’ve got a couple of questions. Which anarchy model should I purchase, the 610 ul or the flats model ( I think it’s 7,4). My other question is what size reel should I put on my anarchy. Thanks!

[@StarloGetsReel]

Really depends on personal preference. I tend to like longer rods but lots of people prefer shorter models. As for reels, any of the 1000, 2000 or 2500 Shimano spin reels would go really well in those rods. Pick one from the range that suits your budget. I really like the new Vanford FAs, but the less expensive models are also very good. 👍

[@mattmurphy5419]

I’ve caught about 20 flathead over the 15 pound mark thru to the 20 pound mark. That’s generally around 93 to 100 cms. Can you guess what bait I use? I’ll give you the hot tip it ain’t squigies. The success has come from 2 places Narooma and Mallacoota. The same principle applies in catching the big lizards tho.

[@StarloGetsReel]

Nice. Sounds like you've got it wired.

[@mattmurphy5419]

@@StarloGetsReelit’s only Poddy Mullet Starlo lol. I caught these big flathead in Wagonga inlet once with your old mate Rex 100 yards away in his boat and I’ve also caught them with you a couple hundred meters away in Tuross lol. The secret is big live Poddy mullet, it’s not such a secret but people are so lazy to catch them. There is one more secret. You have a bucket with all ur fish scraps that has been brewing in the sun for a week and u toss that putrid burly over the side and a poddy and it’s game on.

[@tonyhadenough2574]

Hi Starlo love ya vids, where can I buy the blue and white Ridge Shad, and what is the colour called mate ?

[@StarloGetsReel]

Anywhere that stocks Squidgies should have them. That colour is called Sardine. 👍

[@tonyhadenough2574]

@StarloGetsReel ok thank you, yeah i purchased some squidgies today from BCF, but they didn't have that colour

[@tonyhadenough2574]

@StarloGetsReel i purchased the 80mm What is the size of that sardine ?

[@StarloGetsReel]

@ 110mm.

[@tonyhadenough2574]

@StarloGetsReel ok awesome, the squidgies i brought today are 80mm

[@AustinClark-d3y]

Starling can you do a vid on a walk through of your boat

[@StarloGetsReel]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5_XZaiYarp_qdUfeature=shared

[@02bigkev]

what a crocodile !well done with the tag.

[@StarloGetsReel]

Cheers!

[@bobking4031]

Soft plastics work good for flaties as long as there is no fecking taylor around to bit the tail off them.

[@StarloGetsReel]

@@bobking4031 true enough.

[@alleycat8483]

Great luck to catch a croc while filming Steve, and ive stopped tagging flathead over say the high 60cm range, my thinking was a bigger fish with a tag is more likely to be killed to get tag details, just my thinking as i get more concerned re the big breeders.

[@StarloGetsReel]

Thanks. Fair enough, although I think most people understand that they're breaking the law and risking a big fine these days if they kill a big flathead (unless they're a commercial fisher in NSW... which is another story!). If uyou catch one with a tag, measure it, record the tag number and release it again, then contact NSW Fisheries with the details.

[@devoker666]

I wish it was this easy as landbased. Finding and casting to those prime locations are not usually possible unless you time your fishing trip ideally but we have daytime jobs unfortunately. Also squidgies are really good at catching fish but they are the least durable ones. They kept losing the tails after catching just 1 flathead each time and decided not to buy again. Too expensive to use 1 lure for 1 fish.

[@StarloGetsReel]

I actually chase flatties a fair bit land-based. I'll put a link to one of my videos about it at the bottom of this reply. Some of the "old" or "original" Squidgies were very soft, for sure (it's just one of the reasons they were so deadly on fish!). The newer ones tend to be quite a bit tougher. I caught both the fish shown in this episode (and several more) on that same Ridge Shad tail and it's still in perfect condition. I'll use it again next time I head out. I'd expect to land at least six or eight to a dozen fish on it and maybe more... unless something like a tailor gets in on the act. Here's that land-based flattie episode, this time using hard-bodied lures: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6KWnKWZp9Njarc

[@officialWWM]

Whopper!

[@StarloGetsReel]

@@officialWWM 👍

[@danielg2946]

never caught a fish off a suidgy, just sayig, yjey lacked a lot

[@StarloGetsReel]

@@danielg2946 Yair, they don’t work. 🤣🤪😆

[@Yakkasrus]

Your videos kinda just copy Roger Osbourne

[@StarloGetsReel]

Roger and I fish a bit together and chase similar species so I guess there’s always going to be some crossover and overlap. I haven’t seen his episode on tactics for targeting flathead on soft plastics and hadn’t realized he’d done one, but I’ll definitely chase it up. 👍

[@Yakkasrus]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZDdoZWfgs52fLssi=vNaZT3Zv-is27uQ4

[@StarloGetsReel]

@ sweet! Thanks for that. I’ll watch it now. I love Roger’s content. 👍

[@realfamilyman]

Starlo, are you happy with your net? (I'm learning and collecting gear ready to start fishing, but I hate having to buy things twice or more because I bought the wrong thing.) Which size is it? The Small 500, Large 500, Large 1000, or X-Large 1000? I'll be fishing from a 3-4 meter dingy, the beach, and piers/jetties. Does that mean I'd need more than one size of net? I'll be traveling full time in a small motorhome so I'm trying to limit the amount of gear, but if I need two (or more) so be it.

[@StarloGetsReel]

Yes, I love my Environets and own about four of them! I believe that one I was using is the Large 500. It was JUST big enough for that 89cm flathead! But if I was only going to have one net, that would be the one I'd choose. To be honest, the really big one I own (I guess its the X-Large 1000?) is a bit of a pain, even in my 5 metre boat as it takes up SO much space! It'd be a nightmare in a smaller boat! I reckon go the Large 500 and a small hand gaff for bigger fish that you want to keep. That'd be my suggestion, anyway.

[@realfamilyman]

@@StarloGetsReel Thank you.