Flathead are aggressive hunters and keen luretakers, making them an ideal target for anyone who wants to flick lures around. The trick is to use a lure that reaches the area where the fish are hiding. On sandbanks, a shallow running lure like a minnow or spoon will take fish dwelling there. A lot of flathead tend to take up station on the deep edge of sandbanks and wait for the falling tide to carry the fish and prawns to them. In this situation a deep diving lure is the right choice, getting down to where the fish live.
Flathead also like to hunt the edges of weed beds and where rocks join the sand.
Strong actioned lures, worked at a slow to medium speed are best. Speeds should be varied to match the action of the lures and a bit of rod tip action will also make the lure move more seductively. Lead head jigs fitted with soft plastic tails are one of the great flathead catching lures. When first introduced to Australia in the 1970s these jigs revolutionised flathead spinning. These fluttering, tailed jigs can be flicked across the bottom, probing any depth of water and catching lots of flatties.