Skinny-water flathead fishing is about as visual and exciting as lure fishing gets — and few anglers have spent more time working it out than Greg Reid.
In this episode of The Lure Fishing Project, Greg joins Andrew to break down his approach to targeting flathead in seriously shallow water, particularly around St Georges Basin. After years of guiding and thousands of hours on the water, Greg has stripped his fishing back to its simplest form: long casts, stealth, big lures and watching flathead hunt them down in the shallows.
Greg explains why 120mm-plus lures can be the key to triggering aggressive flathead, how he fishes surface lures and how he switches to plastics and prawns when he wants to work below the surface.
Lures discussed in this episode include:
- Crossfire — including 120mm, 150mm and 195mm sizes, plus the larger models
- Pro Lure Ultra Gar — 150mm
- Pro Lure XL Shad — 120mm, 150mm and 200mm
- Pro Lure Clone Prawn — 120mm
- Pro Lure Hybrid Shrimp — 92mm
Greg covers tackle, leader selection, lure size and colour, hook choice, scent, casting for maximum distance and the importance of approaching shallow-water fish without giving away your presence.
Most importantly, Greg breaks down the retrieve — including why the lure should hit the water already moving, how he uses movement to “ring the dinner bell”, and why the pause can be the most important part of the entire presentation.
There’s also plenty on finding productive water, creek mouths, weed edges, seasonal timing, wind, water temperature and the visual cues that tell Greg when it’s time to start chasing flathead on top.
Plus, before getting into the flathead masterclass, Greg talks luderick on fly, sight-casting to carp in Kangaroo Valley, South Coast salmon and some seriously big tailor.
If you’ve ever wanted to watch a flathead break cover and charge down a surface lure in skinny water, this episode will give you plenty to work with.
