The Unstoppable Flatfish - Part 2
David Hutton, Palmetto Fly n Fish
January, 2023
All rights reserved
The World Famous Flatfish
In Part One (< - - click link) of this story, we introduced what is one of the greatest artificial fishing lures of all time - The Helin Flatfish.
We got to know its driven creator, Charles Helin, and the decade-long path from concept, to arguably the most successful lure in history. Introduced in 1934, it is still going strong!
We advanced the idea of a lure that consistently swims well at all retrieve speeds within its envelope - and especially at slow speed.
It was pointed out why the designer favored several smaller hooks over larger ones as a way to improve hook ups.
Moreover, we learned that the simple appearance of the Flatfish is misleading - the lure actually embodies rather precise parameters and qualities.
Deep Diving Flatfish Details
Now, have a seat, grab a favorite beverage, and lets take a thorough look at these features to understand the Flatfish.
The Shape - Much of the writing you find on the Flatfish usually includes some nostalgic blurb about, "that ol' banana lure, a trusted part of grandpas tackle box."
Yeah, well, I'm not going there. I believe this lure is as viable today, as it was 90 years ago, and will treat it that way.
The shape, though, well,... it is unique. It doesn't look like a fish, or any other critter one might see in the water. I don't really know HOW Charles Helin arrived at it. I can only say that it was outside the usual thinking of the time... and outside the thinking in THIS time, if we're honest.
But the simplistic "banana" shape belies the long process of hand carving, trial and error that went into it. There was none of the engineering we today associate with product design. However, the curves and shaping are what I would call both deliberate, and precise. I have seen and used knock-offs that don't work as well, mostly because their makers saw a shape - but missed the nuance. Plainly put, the Flatfish has a... "unique shape that has been widely copied, but rarely equalled." (1)
The Speed - As we learned in Part One, the Flatfish was intended to be a bass lure....never mind that every game fish that swims has been caught on it over the years! But oddly, it is almost exclusively considered a trout and pike lure, today. Weird, right? 😁 But it had a more significant purpose beyond just catching fish - it also had to work at a wide range of speeds, and especially slow speeds. This ability was something the lures of that day lacked. What do I mean?
- You can literally crawl a Flatish, for example. and it still wobbles.
- Speed it up, and it wobbles faster.
- Really move it along, and it wobbles like a hardware store paint shaker.
This makes the lure emit a lot of vibration, which you can both feel, and even hear as it comes through the water... it is that strong. Fish can hardly miss it! Visually, it undoubtedly looks like some vulnerable critter, fleeing from danger.
Regardless, some consider the Flatfish as only good for shallow, slow-speed fishing, but that is not entirely correct. I don't believe you can work the Flatfish too slow, but, you CAN retrieve one too fast. That much is true.
Each version has its own optimal speed range, and the larger ones are more forgiving than the small ones. Nevertheless, take any one of them above its optimal speed range and it will helicopter(spin), twisting your line and spoiling the effect.
What is that upper end for speed? From what I know, that is about 0.5 - 4 mph...depending mostly on size. That's faster than I will normally reel.
And, if you think about it, that's a pretty wide range. I'm also confident that the slow end of any lures' envelope is little explored by most lure anglers.... but it is generally preferred by fish!
But lets give credit where it is due: most modern crankbaits won't blow out this way at high speeds. They beat the Flatfish in this regard.
So the big question is, "How important is sheer dragster speed for most of your fishing?"
I can't answer that for YOU, and will just say that if meteoric speed is your thing, the Flatfish should probably stay in the box. But, if you want one lure that works from an annoyingly slow crawl through practical freshwater trolling speeds, the Flatfish is a good choice.
I suspect the, "only shallow and slow" crowd never really figured that out.
The Action - You must see and feel the action to understand it. Most familiar crankbaits today have a sort of buzz-like, tight, tail-whipping motion. This depends mostly on the length, and the lip shape and size.
The Flatfish, on the other hand, has no lip under the nose. So without any other name to go by, it is labeled a 'lipless crankbait'. But as with other notions about the Flatfish, this isn't really correct.
Where the usual lipless crankbait has just the narrow head out front, the Flatfish has a long, thin rounded nose. It is wide, AND the upper surface of the nose is scooped, so it channels water up and over the top. The rounded banana shape then sheds the force of this water as it comes over. The net effect is a unique, rolling, side-to-side wobble. To get a sense of it, hold your hand in front if you, thumb on top, palm facing inward. Now, roll your hand around the axis of your wrist as slow or as fast as you wish. Feel that rotating, side-to-side wobble? That is the same action a Flatfish delivers. At the rod, it is a strong, pulsating sensation which tells you the lure is working.
The Attaching Link - With most crankbait lures, you won't tie your line tightly to the eye of the lure, itself. This can deaden the action of the lure; the solution is to fit split rings to the eye for tying on. In the case of the Flatfish, a twisted, heavy wire pivot link was used. Later, this became a bent wire, figure 8 link. Both are seen in the pictures below...
Twisted wire link
Formed wire loop link
This connecting link was the forerunner of the split ring, but it allows for a wider range of movement in my view. And that is what the Flatfish is all about.
NOTE: Charles Helin, the originator of the Flatfish, was adamant that no snap swivel be used with his Flatfish. He claimed this robbed the action, and he insisted you tie direct to the connecting link. I take him at his word.
The Hooks - By now, some of you will have spotted an elephant in the room - those HOOKS! They are, in a word, small.
The Flatfish was designed to use a wide spreader bar of spring steel wire, either on the belly, at the tail - or both! You can see this in the above catalog image from 1940. The wide, dished nose is also clearly seen.
These spreader bars held smallish, "nibbler" hooks, one to either side, in a flexible, balanced arrangement that moved with the lure. These smaller hooks were favored by Charles Helin as they solved the other problem he wanted to correct with his lure - the poor hookup rates with lures in his day.
Seriously, a fish aint getting away with all those hooks in its face!
But THAT solution led to another problem: such a hook arrangement is very, "snaggy." People, even today, complain about that.
You could say at least part of this problem lies with the user. One look and you can see the Flatfish is not a snag-proof, weedless lure. But if you are casting one of those spreader-bar Flatfish lures into heavy cover and weeds, well...you're pretty much asking for trouble.
The truth is, a great many modern anglers aren't comfortable fishing any other way. Once out away from docks, rocks, weeds, and snag-choked shallows, they're in unfamiliar territory. Why is that?
Because this shallow water, "snag-proof" fishing idea has been heavily promoted by the industry. They target the wallets of those anglers, and keep the snag-proof dream going. And while that has probably kept more anglers in the game and spending money, it also means that any lure that isn't "snag proof" gets left behind.
In response, later iterations of the Flatfish saw these hook spreaders removed and replaced with the more familiar (at least to us) inline treble hooks. This does help reduce snagging, and also eases manufacturing costs.
It also means that areas near snags or weeds are opened up to the Flatfish user, and it is probably best to use a Flatfish with the inline hooks for that.
For more open water, for trolling, casting or bumping over hard bottom structure, the spreader bars are a good way to go.
So really, the problem led to a solution that makes the Flatfish even more versatile that it already was!
Coming full circle, the current manufacturer of Flatfish, Yakima Baits, also offers conversion kits to switch from inline hooks to the spreader bar arrangement, if you choose. You really CAN have it both ways.
Fishing the Flatfish
The Flatfish has had a big following over the years among those anglers that practice the art of trolling. Unfortunately, I'm not in that group. I look to change that this year, but for now, my observations come from fishing the Flatfish as a casting lure. In that regard, the Flatfish is like most any other "crankbait":
1. You cast (or troll) the lure where you want it
2. You retrieve (or troll ) the lure where fish might be
3. You hope to catch a fish
But it is the subtleties that matter with a Flatfish.
1. Use a swivel 2 feet in front of the lure.
The Flatfish doesn't need it, but things can sometimes go wrong.
After reading this, maybe you don't believe me about the speed.
Or perhaps you loose your cool..., and so you "burn" the lure too fast.
Suppose you want to get it down, and put a big weight too close to it.
Or the lure may foul in some way.
You don't mean to cause such troubles for yourself, but any of these things can cause the Flatfish to helicopter and spin, instead of swim as it should. The swivel is insurance against line twist in that event. Use the swivel.
2. The Flatfish resists retrieval - feel the lure.
There is a steady, vibrating resistance when the lure is running. It feels like the Flatfish fights back, and doesn't want to return. Some vibration is normal with crankbaits, except the vibration from a Flatfish is very wide and pronounced... almost loud. So if you DON'T feel that right away, you can be sure the lure is fouled somehow... and good thing you used a swivel.
3. Most Flatfish float, barely.
When you cast your Flatish, it hits the water and bobs in the surface film, half submerged. Only a small portion of the back can be seen. You can twitch it there, much like a stick bait. But this not a "popping" or "walking" lure... the nose digs in and it wiggles and dives under at the slightest movement. It then wobbles and slowly rises back to the surface.
Chuck Scheerschmidt describes the way he might fish one on the surface:
"Fish ultra slow, until a bass or pike takes interest - then stop. After 30 secs or so, start a fast retrieve and hold on! I wait till the lure is facing to the side, then take your rod that direction just before hitting that retrieve."
4. On a steady retrieve, they head straight down to running depth.
Once you retrieve the Flatfish, your rod bends toward the lure, and you feel the characteristic throbbing as it wobbles back to you. This unmistakable pulsation becomes more forceful as it gets closer and the line angle changes.
If you stop the retrieve, the lure pauses, wobbles a bit in place, then slowly rises - this is almost neutral buoyancy. It is also a great technique for getting strikes.
5. Use weight to gain depth
Some Flatfish are designed to slowly sink; they tend to go a bit deeper.
But, if you need to get the Flatfish further down in the water, the maker has always recommended a small weight, 18-24" in front of the lure.
NOTE: Don't overdo the weight, and don't put it closer than this. Doing these things can spoil the action, and may cause the lure to helicopter as previously mentioned. So give it room to wiggle out at the end of your line and don't bog it down with any but just the right amount of weight.
Split shot are standard for weighting your Flatfish, but rubber core sinkers, or a dipsy sinker will also work. And with today's reduced stretch, ultra-thin lines, you might be pleasantly surprised at just how deep the Flatfish will run on its own.
When trolling, the same weighting ideas can be used, or you might switch to wire or lead-core lines, or use downriggers.
6. Fish the entire water column
The depth at which the lure runs is important, of course. From the surface down to running depth, you don't have to do much but be creative and let the lure do its job.
But, the instructions that used to come with each Flatfish stated clearly that the best fish are normally caught 1-2 feet above the bottom, both in rivers and in lakes.
For certain fish, at certain times, say for lake trout or striper, this may need to be adjusted to match their feeding depth at any given moment. But in general, the Golden Zone is that area nearer the bottom.
If, "deep water is the home of the fish, "as Buck Perry used to say, then you'll need to get that Flatfish down eventually .
One of my tactics is to put just enough weight on the line so the Flatfish follows the weight down to the bottom. I've even had bass hit them as they are wiggling on the way down!
When at the bottom, retrieve your Flatfish so the rig just bumps along. Don't plow a trench with this technique; just keep it ticking the bottom and adjust weight until you achieve that action.
Once that is working, I stop it from time to time, so it slowly floats back upwards. In this way, I'm sure to keep it down in the zone and it looks suspiciously like a crawfish or baitfish.
Sometimes, I will hop it so the weight rises, then glides down - with the Flatfish wiggling along behind.
Another neat trick involves those Flatfish that have the hook spreaders. What you do is fix split shot to the SPREADERS. Use two shot of the same weight, and pinch them evenly spaced, one to either side.
With some experimentation, you can use this hack to make a floating Flatfish submerge like a submarine, suspend in place, and most anything in between. Just ensure the weights are the same size, and mounted as described, and you wont affect the lure's action!
Of course, any time you are fishing near the bottom, you risk snagging your lure. So avoid brushy, heavy weed, and snag-prone areas. My lake has a mostly hard bottom, though, so this works. As long as just the right amount of weight is used, and you pay attention to the feel as it bumps along the bottom, hang-ups are few.
Flatfish Colors
No discussion of artificial lures is complete without getting into lure color.
Most anglers give a LOT of attention to color, and millions are spent on whatever "hot colors" are trendy, or most beloved.
Me, well,... I think in terms of color washout as depth increases. This was covered in a recent post on color*, but it can be summarized this way:
Whatever kind of lures you use, have them in two "tones" - light tones and dark tones. Which absolute color hue you choose probably matters very little.
The man who created the Flatfish, Charles Helin, said that, as far as he was concerned, the single best color to have is orange with black spots. But of course, that will never do for most anglers - they want a full rainbow of finishes and colors, and they insist on having them all.
The Flatfish came in 37 colors by 1971, and since Yakima Baits bought rights to the lure in 1988, they have brought that count to over 100!
Given all that, there is no way I can tell you what color will work best. For simplicity's sake, I will defer to the lure's creator:
Choose orange w/ black spots, - - - or whatever you like.
But, I do want to add a general rule on the subject....
- On brighter days or in very clear water, stick to darker more natural looking Flatfish lures. These more natural colors are better seen under well-lit conditions, so try to match them to the available food.
On darker days, or when fishing deep, experiment more with brighter, flashy colors. The flashy colors tend to get reaction strikes more than natural imitations. (7)
Or, do whatever suits your mood at the moment. Sometimes "logic" goes out the window when fishing!
* - Another Look At Color (<- - click the link)
Writers should always strive for a job well done... even mediocre ones like me. So if you found value in this article, please like, comment, and share it.
Would you like to add the catching pattern(s) seen here to your own fly or tackle box? Do you have questions, gripes, or suggestions?
If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com
If you appreciate a no-drama, no-hype Facebook group, follow this link and come join us at: Palmetto Fly n Fish
Thanks so much for reading, and...
Tight Lines,
The World Famous Flatfish
In Part One (< - - click link) of this story, we introduced what is one of the greatest artificial fishing lures of all time - The Helin Flatfish.
We got to know its driven creator, Charles Helin, and the decade-long path from concept, to arguably the most successful lure in history. Introduced in 1934, it is still going strong!
We advanced the idea of a lure that consistently swims well at all retrieve speeds within its envelope - and especially at slow speed.
It was pointed out why the designer favored several smaller hooks over larger ones as a way to improve hook ups.
Moreover, we learned that the simple appearance of the Flatfish is misleading - the lure actually embodies rather precise parameters and qualities.
Deep Diving Flatfish Details
Now, have a seat, grab a favorite beverage, and lets take a thorough look at these features to understand the Flatfish.
The Shape - Much of the writing you find on the Flatfish usually includes some nostalgic blurb about, "that ol' banana lure, a trusted part of grandpas tackle box."
Yeah, well, I'm not going there. I believe this lure is as viable today, as it was 90 years ago, and will treat it that way.
The shape, though, well,... it is unique. It doesn't look like a fish, or any other critter one might see in the water. I don't really know HOW Charles Helin arrived at it. I can only say that it was outside the usual thinking of the time... and outside the thinking in THIS time, if we're honest.
But the simplistic "banana" shape belies the long process of hand carving, trial and error that went into it. There was none of the engineering we today associate with product design. However, the curves and shaping are what I would call both deliberate, and precise.
We got to know its driven creator, Charles Helin, and the decade-long path from concept, to arguably the most successful lure in history. Introduced in 1934, it is still going strong!
We advanced the idea of a lure that consistently swims well at all retrieve speeds within its envelope - and especially at slow speed.
It was pointed out why the designer favored several smaller hooks over larger ones as a way to improve hook ups.
Moreover, we learned that the simple appearance of the Flatfish is misleading - the lure actually embodies rather precise parameters and qualities.
Deep Diving Flatfish Details
Now, have a seat, grab a favorite beverage, and lets take a thorough look at these features to understand the Flatfish.
The Shape - Much of the writing you find on the Flatfish usually includes some nostalgic blurb about, "that ol' banana lure, a trusted part of grandpas tackle box."
Yeah, well, I'm not going there. I believe this lure is as viable today, as it was 90 years ago, and will treat it that way.
The shape, though, well,... it is unique. It doesn't look like a fish, or any other critter one might see in the water. I don't really know HOW Charles Helin arrived at it. I can only say that it was outside the usual thinking of the time... and outside the thinking in THIS time, if we're honest.
But the simplistic "banana" shape belies the long process of hand carving, trial and error that went into it. There was none of the engineering we today associate with product design. However, the curves and shaping are what I would call both deliberate, and precise.
I have seen and used knock-offs that don't work as well, mostly because their makers saw a shape - but missed the nuance. Plainly put, the Flatfish has a... "unique shape that has been widely copied, but rarely equalled." (1)
The Speed - As we learned in Part One, the Flatfish was intended to be a bass lure....never mind that every game fish that swims has been caught on it over the years! But oddly, it is almost exclusively considered a trout and pike lure, today. Weird, right? 😁
The Speed - As we learned in Part One, the Flatfish was intended to be a bass lure....never mind that every game fish that swims has been caught on it over the years! But oddly, it is almost exclusively considered a trout and pike lure, today. Weird, right? 😁
But it had a more significant purpose beyond just catching fish - it also had to work at a wide range of speeds, and especially slow speeds. This ability was something the lures of that day lacked.
What do I mean?
- You can literally crawl a Flatish, for example. and it still wobbles.
- Speed it up, and it wobbles faster.
- Really move it along, and it wobbles like a hardware store paint shaker.
This makes the lure emit a lot of vibration, which you can both feel, and even hear as it comes through the water... it is that strong. Fish can hardly miss it! Visually, it undoubtedly looks like some vulnerable critter, fleeing from danger.
Regardless, some consider the Flatfish as only good for shallow, slow-speed fishing, but that is not entirely correct.
- You can literally crawl a Flatish, for example. and it still wobbles.
- Speed it up, and it wobbles faster.
- Really move it along, and it wobbles like a hardware store paint shaker.
This makes the lure emit a lot of vibration, which you can both feel, and even hear as it comes through the water... it is that strong. Fish can hardly miss it! Visually, it undoubtedly looks like some vulnerable critter, fleeing from danger.
Regardless, some consider the Flatfish as only good for shallow, slow-speed fishing, but that is not entirely correct.
I don't believe you can work the Flatfish too slow, but, you CAN retrieve one too fast. That much is true.
Each version has its own optimal speed range, and the larger ones are more forgiving than the small ones. Nevertheless, take any one of them above its optimal speed range and it will helicopter(spin), twisting your line and spoiling the effect.
What is that upper end for speed? From what I know, that is about 0.5 - 4 mph...depending mostly on size. That's faster than I will normally reel.
And, if you think about it, that's a pretty wide range. I'm also confident that the slow end of any lures' envelope is little explored by most lure anglers.... but it is generally preferred by fish!
Each version has its own optimal speed range, and the larger ones are more forgiving than the small ones. Nevertheless, take any one of them above its optimal speed range and it will helicopter(spin), twisting your line and spoiling the effect.
What is that upper end for speed? From what I know, that is about 0.5 - 4 mph...depending mostly on size. That's faster than I will normally reel.
And, if you think about it, that's a pretty wide range. I'm also confident that the slow end of any lures' envelope is little explored by most lure anglers.... but it is generally preferred by fish!
But lets give credit where it is due: most modern crankbaits won't blow out this way at high speeds. They beat the Flatfish in this regard.
So the big question is, "How important is sheer dragster speed for most of your fishing?"
I can't answer that for YOU, and will just say that if meteoric speed is your thing, the Flatfish should probably stay in the box.
So the big question is, "How important is sheer dragster speed for most of your fishing?"
I can't answer that for YOU, and will just say that if meteoric speed is your thing, the Flatfish should probably stay in the box.
But, if you want one lure that works from an annoyingly slow crawl through practical freshwater trolling speeds, the Flatfish is a good choice.
I suspect the, "only shallow and slow" crowd never really figured that out.
I suspect the, "only shallow and slow" crowd never really figured that out.
The Action - You must see and feel the action to understand it.
Most familiar crankbaits today have a sort of buzz-like, tight, tail-whipping motion. This depends mostly on the length, and the lip shape and size.
The Flatfish, on the other hand, has no lip under the nose. So without any other name to go by, it is labeled a 'lipless crankbait'. But as with other notions about the Flatfish, this isn't really correct.
Where the usual lipless crankbait has just the narrow head out front, the Flatfish has a long, thin rounded nose. It is wide, AND the upper surface of the nose is scooped, so it channels water up and over the top. The rounded banana shape then sheds the force of this water as it comes over. The net effect is a unique, rolling, side-to-side wobble.
The Flatfish, on the other hand, has no lip under the nose. So without any other name to go by, it is labeled a 'lipless crankbait'. But as with other notions about the Flatfish, this isn't really correct.
Where the usual lipless crankbait has just the narrow head out front, the Flatfish has a long, thin rounded nose. It is wide, AND the upper surface of the nose is scooped, so it channels water up and over the top. The rounded banana shape then sheds the force of this water as it comes over. The net effect is a unique, rolling, side-to-side wobble.
To get a sense of it, hold your hand in front if you, thumb on top, palm facing inward. Now, roll your hand around the axis of your wrist as slow or as fast as you wish. Feel that rotating, side-to-side wobble? That is the same action a Flatfish delivers. At the rod, it is a strong, pulsating sensation which tells you the lure is working.
The Attaching Link - With most crankbait lures, you won't tie your line tightly to the eye of the lure, itself. This can deaden the action of the lure; the solution is to fit split rings to the eye for tying on.
The Attaching Link - With most crankbait lures, you won't tie your line tightly to the eye of the lure, itself. This can deaden the action of the lure; the solution is to fit split rings to the eye for tying on.
In the case of the Flatfish, a twisted, heavy wire pivot link was used. Later, this became a bent wire, figure 8 link. Both are seen in the pictures below...
Twisted wire link Formed wire loop link
This connecting link was the forerunner of the split ring, but it allows for a wider range of movement in my view. And that is what the Flatfish is all about.
NOTE: Charles Helin, the originator of the Flatfish, was adamant that no snap swivel be used with his Flatfish. He claimed this robbed the action, and he insisted you tie direct to the connecting link. I take him at his word.
Twisted wire link
Formed wire loop linkNOTE: Charles Helin, the originator of the Flatfish, was adamant that no snap swivel be used with his Flatfish. He claimed this robbed the action, and he insisted you tie direct to the connecting link. I take him at his word.
The Hooks - By now, some of you will have spotted an elephant in the room - those HOOKS! They are, in a word, small.
These spreader bars held smallish, "nibbler" hooks, one to either side, in a flexible, balanced arrangement that moved with the lure. These smaller hooks were favored by Charles Helin as they solved the other problem he wanted to correct with his lure - the poor hookup rates with lures in his day.
Seriously, a fish aint getting away with all those hooks in its face!
But THAT solution led to another problem: such a hook arrangement is very, "snaggy." People, even today, complain about that.
You could say at least part of this problem lies with the user. One look and you can see the Flatfish is not a snag-proof, weedless lure. But if you are casting one of those spreader-bar Flatfish lures into heavy cover and weeds, well...you're pretty much asking for trouble.
The truth is, a great many modern anglers aren't comfortable fishing any other way. Once out away from docks, rocks, weeds, and snag-choked shallows, they're in unfamiliar territory. Why is that?
Because this shallow water, "snag-proof" fishing idea has been heavily promoted by the industry. They target the wallets of those anglers, and keep the snag-proof dream going.
And while that has probably kept more anglers in the game and spending money, it also means that any lure that isn't "snag proof" gets left behind.
In response, later iterations of the Flatfish saw these hook spreaders removed and replaced with the more familiar (at least to us) inline treble hooks. This does help reduce snagging, and also eases manufacturing costs.
It also means that areas near snags or weeds are opened up to the Flatfish user, and it is probably best to use a Flatfish with the inline hooks for that.
For more open water, for trolling, casting or bumping over hard bottom structure, the spreader bars are a good way to go.
So really, the problem led to a solution that makes the Flatfish even more versatile that it already was!
Coming full circle, the current manufacturer of Flatfish, Yakima Baits, also offers conversion kits to switch from inline hooks to the spreader bar arrangement, if you choose. You really CAN have it both ways.
Fishing the Flatfish
The Flatfish has had a big following over the years among those anglers that practice the art of trolling. Unfortunately, I'm not in that group. I look to change that this year, but for now, my observations come from fishing the Flatfish as a casting lure.
In response, later iterations of the Flatfish saw these hook spreaders removed and replaced with the more familiar (at least to us) inline treble hooks. This does help reduce snagging, and also eases manufacturing costs.
It also means that areas near snags or weeds are opened up to the Flatfish user, and it is probably best to use a Flatfish with the inline hooks for that.
For more open water, for trolling, casting or bumping over hard bottom structure, the spreader bars are a good way to go.
So really, the problem led to a solution that makes the Flatfish even more versatile that it already was!
Coming full circle, the current manufacturer of Flatfish, Yakima Baits, also offers conversion kits to switch from inline hooks to the spreader bar arrangement, if you choose. You really CAN have it both ways.
Fishing the Flatfish
The Flatfish has had a big following over the years among those anglers that practice the art of trolling. Unfortunately, I'm not in that group. I look to change that this year, but for now, my observations come from fishing the Flatfish as a casting lure.
In that regard, the Flatfish is like most any other "crankbait":
1. You cast (or troll) the lure where you want it
2. You retrieve (or troll ) the lure where fish might be
3. You hope to catch a fish
But it is the subtleties that matter with a Flatfish.
1. Use a swivel 2 feet in front of the lure.
The Flatfish doesn't need it, but things can sometimes go wrong.
After reading this, maybe you don't believe me about the speed.
Or perhaps you loose your cool..., and so you "burn" the lure too fast.
Suppose you want to get it down, and put a big weight too close to it.
Or the lure may foul in some way.
You don't mean to cause such troubles for yourself, but any of these things can cause the Flatfish to helicopter and spin, instead of swim as it should. The swivel is insurance against line twist in that event. Use the swivel.
2. The Flatfish resists retrieval - feel the lure.
There is a steady, vibrating resistance when the lure is running. It feels like the Flatfish fights back, and doesn't want to return. Some vibration is normal with crankbaits, except the vibration from a Flatfish is very wide and pronounced... almost loud. So if you DON'T feel that right away, you can be sure the lure is fouled somehow... and good thing you used a swivel.
1. You cast (or troll) the lure where you want it
2. You retrieve (or troll ) the lure where fish might be
3. You hope to catch a fish
But it is the subtleties that matter with a Flatfish.
1. Use a swivel 2 feet in front of the lure.
The Flatfish doesn't need it, but things can sometimes go wrong.
After reading this, maybe you don't believe me about the speed.
Or perhaps you loose your cool..., and so you "burn" the lure too fast.
Suppose you want to get it down, and put a big weight too close to it.
Or the lure may foul in some way.
You don't mean to cause such troubles for yourself, but any of these things can cause the Flatfish to helicopter and spin, instead of swim as it should. The swivel is insurance against line twist in that event. Use the swivel.
2. The Flatfish resists retrieval - feel the lure.
There is a steady, vibrating resistance when the lure is running. It feels like the Flatfish fights back, and doesn't want to return. Some vibration is normal with crankbaits, except the vibration from a Flatfish is very wide and pronounced... almost loud. So if you DON'T feel that right away, you can be sure the lure is fouled somehow... and good thing you used a swivel.
3. Most Flatfish float, barely.
When you cast your Flatish, it hits the water and bobs in the surface film, half submerged. Only a small portion of the back can be seen. You can twitch it there, much like a stick bait. But this not a "popping" or "walking" lure... the nose digs in and it wiggles and dives under at the slightest movement. It then wobbles and slowly rises back to the surface.
Chuck Scheerschmidt describes the way he might fish one on the surface:
"Fish ultra slow, until a bass or pike takes interest - then stop. After 30 secs or so, start a fast retrieve and hold on! I wait till the lure is facing to the side, then take your rod that direction just before hitting that retrieve."
4. On a steady retrieve, they head straight down to running depth.
Once you retrieve the Flatfish, your rod bends toward the lure, and you feel the characteristic throbbing as it wobbles back to you. This unmistakable pulsation becomes more forceful as it gets closer and the line angle changes.
If you stop the retrieve, the lure pauses, wobbles a bit in place, then slowly rises - this is almost neutral buoyancy. It is also a great technique for getting strikes.
5. Use weight to gain depth
Some Flatfish are designed to slowly sink; they tend to go a bit deeper.
But, if you need to get the Flatfish further down in the water, the maker has always recommended a small weight, 18-24" in front of the lure.
NOTE: Don't overdo the weight, and don't put it closer than this. Doing these things can spoil the action, and may cause the lure to helicopter as previously mentioned. So give it room to wiggle out at the end of your line and don't bog it down with any but just the right amount of weight.
4. On a steady retrieve, they head straight down to running depth.
Once you retrieve the Flatfish, your rod bends toward the lure, and you feel the characteristic throbbing as it wobbles back to you. This unmistakable pulsation becomes more forceful as it gets closer and the line angle changes.
If you stop the retrieve, the lure pauses, wobbles a bit in place, then slowly rises - this is almost neutral buoyancy. It is also a great technique for getting strikes.
5. Use weight to gain depth
Some Flatfish are designed to slowly sink; they tend to go a bit deeper.
But, if you need to get the Flatfish further down in the water, the maker has always recommended a small weight, 18-24" in front of the lure.
NOTE: Don't overdo the weight, and don't put it closer than this. Doing these things can spoil the action, and may cause the lure to helicopter as previously mentioned. So give it room to wiggle out at the end of your line and don't bog it down with any but just the right amount of weight.
Split shot are standard for weighting your Flatfish, but rubber core sinkers, or a dipsy sinker will also work. And with today's reduced stretch, ultra-thin lines, you might be pleasantly surprised at just how deep the Flatfish will run on its own.
When trolling, the same weighting ideas can be used, or you might switch to wire or lead-core lines, or use downriggers.
6. Fish the entire water column
The depth at which the lure runs is important, of course. From the surface down to running depth, you don't have to do much but be creative and let the lure do its job.
But, the instructions that used to come with each Flatfish stated clearly that the best fish are normally caught 1-2 feet above the bottom, both in rivers and in lakes.
For certain fish, at certain times, say for lake trout or striper, this may need to be adjusted to match their feeding depth at any given moment. But in general, the Golden Zone is that area nearer the bottom.
If, "deep water is the home of the fish, "as Buck Perry used to say, then you'll need to get that Flatfish down eventually .
One of my tactics is to put just enough weight on the line so the Flatfish follows the weight down to the bottom. I've even had bass hit them as they are wiggling on the way down!
When at the bottom, retrieve your Flatfish so the rig just bumps along. Don't plow a trench with this technique; just keep it ticking the bottom and adjust weight until you achieve that action.
Once that is working, I stop it from time to time, so it slowly floats back upwards. In this way, I'm sure to keep it down in the zone and it looks suspiciously like a crawfish or baitfish.
Sometimes, I will hop it so the weight rises, then glides down - with the Flatfish wiggling along behind.
Another neat trick involves those Flatfish that have the hook spreaders. What you do is fix split shot to the SPREADERS. Use two shot of the same weight, and pinch them evenly spaced, one to either side.
With some experimentation, you can use this hack to make a floating Flatfish submerge like a submarine, suspend in place, and most anything in between. Just ensure the weights are the same size, and mounted as described, and you wont affect the lure's action!
Of course, any time you are fishing near the bottom, you risk snagging your lure. So avoid brushy, heavy weed, and snag-prone areas. My lake has a mostly hard bottom, though, so this works. As long as just the right amount of weight is used, and you pay attention to the feel as it bumps along the bottom, hang-ups are few.
Flatfish Colors
No discussion of artificial lures is complete without getting into lure color.
Most anglers give a LOT of attention to color, and millions are spent on whatever "hot colors" are trendy, or most beloved.
Me, well,... I think in terms of color washout as depth increases. This was covered in a recent post on color*, but it can be summarized this way:
Whatever kind of lures you use, have them in two "tones" - light tones and dark tones. Which absolute color hue you choose probably matters very little.
The man who created the Flatfish, Charles Helin, said that, as far as he was concerned, the single best color to have is orange with black spots. But of course, that will never do for most anglers - they want a full rainbow of finishes and colors, and they insist on having them all.
The Flatfish came in 37 colors by 1971, and since Yakima Baits bought rights to the lure in 1988, they have brought that count to over 100!
Given all that, there is no way I can tell you what color will work best. For simplicity's sake, I will defer to the lure's creator:
Choose orange w/ black spots, - - - or whatever you like.
But, I do want to add a general rule on the subject....
- On brighter days or in very clear water, stick to darker more natural looking Flatfish lures. These more natural colors are better seen under well-lit conditions, so try to match them to the available food.
On darker days, or when fishing deep, experiment more with brighter, flashy colors. The flashy colors tend to get reaction strikes more than natural imitations. (7)
Or, do whatever suits your mood at the moment. Sometimes "logic" goes out the window when fishing!
* - Another Look At Color (<- - click the link)
Writers should always strive for a job well done... even mediocre ones like me. So if you found value in this article, please like, comment, and share it.
Would you like to add the catching pattern(s) seen here to your own fly or tackle box? Do you have questions, gripes, or suggestions?
If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com
Thanks so much for reading, and...
Tight Lines,
Dave Hutton
© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2023
- references1. https://www.outdoorcanada.ca/canadas-11-all-time-top-lures-for-brookies-browns-cutthroats-lakers-and-rainbows/3/
2. https://skyaboveus.com/fishing/Top-5-Trout-Lures
3. http://tackledelivery.com/product/wordens-lures-flatfish-lure-silver-1-3/
4. https://www.etsy.com/shop/rwiggins
5. https://www.onthewater.com/featured-lure-original-flatfish
6. Spreader Kits - https://vandamwarehouse.com/flatfish-spreader-bar-accessory-kits-by-yakima/
7. https://www.troutrods.com/flatfish-lures-for-trout/
© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2023
- references
1. https://www.outdoorcanada.ca/canadas-11-all-time-top-lures-for-brookies-browns-cutthroats-lakers-and-rainbows/3/2. https://skyaboveus.com/fishing/Top-5-Trout-Lures
3. http://tackledelivery.com/product/wordens-lures-flatfish-lure-silver-1-3/
4. https://www.etsy.com/shop/rwiggins
5. https://www.onthewater.com/featured-lure-original-flatfish
6. Spreader Kits - https://vandamwarehouse.com/flatfish-spreader-bar-accessory-kits-by-yakima/
7. https://www.troutrods.com/flatfish-lures-for-trout/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are moderated