Flying the Flats

It was the last hour of the run out tide at Minnamurra River as I started to waded across the sand flats. I am fishing a 7wt rod with a weight forward floating fly line with a 16ft 10lb fluorocarbon leader, with a pearl crystal flash Crazy Charlie with a red thread head I had tied earlier.

I like to fish the last of the run out and the first odd hour of the in-coming tide, in Minnamurra the tide moves slowly at this period making it easy to fish with a floating line and lighter flies. I moved across the flats till the edge of the channel was in view along this section of the flats there are large patches of weed and a nice drop off into the channel. With the morning sun on my back I peered into the water with my polaroid glass looking for fish or areas where to cast. My retrieval is slow I strip about 10cm of line and let the fly have a small rest before stripping line again , this help keep the fly deep and bouncing along the bottom in the strike zone. 

The tide had turned and bang I'm on !! A short long burst of line screamed from my reel and shit, its gone. I re-tied my fly and cast my fly towards the train bridge along the edge of the channel drop off , a perfect cast into the honey hole 1, 2, 3 strips BANG!!! I'm on !!!! Fly line ripped through my fingers as I tried to slow the fish and fumble with the reel to retrieve line so I could play the fish from my reel. A dark brown shape appeared from the depths, and with a big head shake the flathead took a look at me and took of in another run, I played the fish back to me before running again.I soon had the fish on the bank which came in at a new fly fishing PB for a flatty at 55cm .

Released to fight another day.