Welcome to the Best Flathead Soft Plastics and Lures in 2025. Targeting flathead with soft plastics and lures is a fun a popular form of fishing. The options available at your tackle store are just about endless. Flathead are not fussy, these camouflage ambush predators will strike at just about anything cast in the right area. However, there are standout lures and soft plastics that consistently outperform others and I’m going to share that with you in this article and supporting videos.
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Our list starts with a variety of soft plastics and lures which we have caught countless flathead with. These will work best in the bay, offshore and estuaries. ( if you’re after a bigger dusky flathead then look a tad further down on our suggested best soft plastics and lures for dusky flathead ).
Best Flathead Soft Plastics
Flathead find soft plastics irresistible. There are so many good options on the market but the ones listed below are the ones we have had the most success with. They can be used in the bay, offshore and estuaries typically worked slowly with hops and length paused and even slow rolled. Some come presented and others you can add your own scent to. Take your time to rig them up correctly ensuring they go on straight to get optimal swimming action and take careful consideration of the jig head weight and hook gauge which will really depend on the depth and current of the system your fishing. It’s always a good idea to match the hatch and replicate the food source that these lizards will naturally be feeding on.
- Berkley Gulp 4″ turtleback worm ( camo or pumpkinseed )
- Zman Slim SwimZ
- Southern Edge Lures Flat Edge 80 ( Tan )
- Keitech 4″ easy shiners ( Silver Flash Minnow )
- Rapala Crush City Imposter
- Zman 3-inch minnows ( Babby Bass, Midnight oil, Goldrush )
- Holt Swim Prawn
- Savage Gear 3D TPE Shrimp
- Berkley 3″ Gulp Paddleshad ( black&silver, Nuclear chicken, BlacknGold )
- MMD Flat Fish 110mm
- Zman Streakz 4″ curl tails ( nuclear chicken and space guppy )
- Daiwa Bait Junkie 4.2″ paddle Tail ( Pilchard Glow, UV Yabbie & BlacknGold )
- Berkley Gulp jigging shrimp
- Zman 3.5″ GrubZ ( watermelon red )
- Munroe’s 3.75″ paddle tail ( Fools Gold, Swarf )
- Squidgy 100mm biotough bloodworm wriggler
- Zman TRD Craw
Best Flathead Lures
- Daiwa Double Clutch ( 75mm, 95mm )
- Berkley Shimma Shrimp ( 65mm )
- Jackall TN38 ( clear lemon squid, brown dog )
- TT Switch Prawn Blade
- Nomad Shikari 95
- Gan Craft jointed Claw
- Samaki Vibelocious
- Zerek tango shad
- Shimano Dive Assasin Flash Boost 99mm
- Bassday Suga Deep
- Ecogear ZX43 shrimp blade
- Savage Gear 3D shrimp XD hard body
- Nomad Squidtrex
- Daiwa Steez Shad 60DR in Matte Silver
- Halco Poltergeist
Best Dusky Flathead Lures and Soft Plastics
Dusky Flathead Fishing has improved so much in recent years thanks to commercial netting restrictions and slot limits. In areas around East Gippsland such as Mallacoota, Lake Tyers and Gippsland Lakes these fish are thriving and it’s common to catch them in good numbers between 50 and 90cm. These fish are primarily targeted in the warmer months and caught in shallow waters and sandy flats. Here are some amazing options to catch Dusky Flathead.
Dusky Flathead will take a variety of larger soft plastics, lures and swimbaits. Best to throw these around with a M or MH baitcast or M to MH Spin Rod.
- Shimano Arma Joint Flash Boost Minnow 190SF
- Berkley Nesse Soft Swimbait
- Keitech Swing Impact “5.8 soft plastic ( whites & natural colours )
- EverGreen ES Drive Swimbait
- Sugapenn 120
- Berkley 120mm Bender
- Catch Black Label 6″ Curl Tail soft plastics
- Nomad Vertrex Soft Vibes
Watch our detailed video on the best lures and soft plastics for flathead
Below is a detailed rundown of our favorite soft plastics and lures in 2023
Berkley Gulp Turtleback Worm
Let’s start with an oldie but a goodie the Berkley gulp 4-inch and 7-inch turtleback worms are a standout option. Over the years I have caught countless flathead with this soft plastic. They come in a few different colours, my preferred colour is camo and nuclear chicken. There biodegradable which means they will naturally break down if left in the water. They are infused in Berkley’s fish-attracting scent, which is claimed to catch 30% more fish ( on the back of the packet ) and release 400 x more sent than any other plastics on the market. Now, this soft plastic is imitating a worm, when you look at this soft plastic it doesn’t look like much, it only has a very subtle tail action. I find these work best when you add that action yourself. That can be done with some hops and lifts or slow rolling. Surprisingly even with little action, this soft plastic catches many flathead, I have even caught flathead whilst drifting. When you finish fishing with these put them back in the packet otherwise, they go rock hard and you will not even be able to get them off the jighead. These also work really well for other fish species such as pinky snapper, bream You can rig these several different ways I tend to just use a standard jig head in 1/8, 1/6, or ½ depending on the depth and flow of the day. They’re about $10 bucks a packet.
Watch the video below highlighting just how good the Turtleback Worms can be in local waters.
Southern Edge Lures Flat Edge 80
This is certainly a strange-looking soft plastic that imitates the look of a flathead. Using flathead to catch flathead may sound like a weird concept however this soft plastic works so well. Its 8cm profile size and fluttering tail resemble many other curl tails we have seen on the market. Yet it has a bulged head and small wings. It’s a fascinating idea and as you can see in the video below it works remarkably well.
Watch the Southern Edge Flat Edge 80 in action below, a strange soft plastic with fascinating results.
Keitech Easy Shiner
The Kietech Easy Shiners are arguably the most natural-looking soft plastics on the market. They’re not very durable however they have stunning finishes and lifelike translucent colours which resemble baitfish so well. Species like flathead and snapper love them. It also has a fantastic swimming action when matched with stunning finishes and is surely a top choice whenever targeting flathead. They come in a variety of sizes with the 3 and 4 inch being our preference for big flathead.
The Keitech Easy Shiner in 4 inch has accounted for some big flathead as we show in the vid below.
Munroe’s 4-inch zip tail worms soft plastic
A good alternative is Munroe’s 4-inch zip tail worms. I have caught heaps of flathead on these. These are Australian-made locally. These soft plastics are a really good price, I buy them online shipped within a couple of days. The last packs I bought were $5.50 with 10 in a packet and only $3 for shipping which is a great value. Their 4-inch worm imitation, they have more action on them than the turtleback worms. The tail is buoyant so it means when you are not working them the tail will sit up off the ground and flutter with the current which is clever. There are 8 different colours I like UV motor oil colour. These do not have any scent, so I usually just rub some s-factor on them. Same thing I generally use a standard jig head. You can buy Munroes Ziptail worms here.
Savage Gear 3D TPE Shrimp lure
Let’s move on to something a little different, these are the Savage Gear 3D TPE Shrimp. Flathead love eating shrimp, and these were designed using 3D scanning and printing technology to mimic a lifelike prawn or shrimp. TPE is actually the jelly-like material that they are made from, and these come pre-rigged on an offset hook. There about 9 different colours to choose from, I like either really natural or really bright-looking colours. They come in 2.5 inch, 3.5 inch and 5 inch sizes. For flathead locally I generally use 3.5 inch size. The action on these in the water is great. There are slits in the tail which makes the tail bounce up and down when you work the plastic, and the little legs and antennas move to make it look realistic. These are sturdy I’ve caught plenty which has had very little wear and tear. The only downside at times is the hooks are quite large and you will drop some fish. Especially the smaller size ones. These sell for about $11 each and are really good for flathead as well as snapper, mulloway and more.
Zman Streaks 4 inch Curly tails soft plastic
One of my favourite soft plastics is the Zman Streaks 4 inch Curly tails. They come in about 15 different colour choices But I really like this bright colour called Nuked Chicken Glow. Zman Soft plastics are awesome for a number of reasons. Firstly they have naturally built-in action is amazing. The tail flutters all over the place, their buoyant so the tail will lift when they’re on the bottom. And these will catch fish being slow-rolled or hopped with a lot of success. Secondly, they are super strong the claim is there 10 times more durable than other soft plastics on the market. They’re probably right many times You only use 1 plastic in your whole fishing session. You get 5 in a packet for $11 which probably isn’t as good value as other soft plastics, but these are durable and they work remarkably well on flathead also really good on snapper. No scent so I just apply a small amount of s-factor or procure along the tail. use a longer jig head. Best Flathead Soft Plastics and Lures 2021
Savage Gear Fat Curl Tails
A really good alternative to the Zmans is the Savage Gear Fat Curl tails. You have seen me feature these in many videos recently. I generally use the 8cm in UV motor oil and they catch just about everything, flathead, snapper, snook, salmon, mulloway I even caught a squid on one. Mimicking a live baitfish. You can slow-roll these or hop them. These come in 2 different sizes and 5 different colours I generally use 8cm Blood Gold and Motor oil. No scent so I just apply a small amount of s-factor or procure along the tail. These are really good value often see them for 4 packets for $20. You can see this lure in action on many of the FishingMad videos.
Gulp jigging shrimp
In a similar profile, you also have the 3-inch gulp jigging shrimp. These work really well, especially in bright colours like this one. These too are infused in Berkley fish-attracting scent. I have just found that if the liquid in the packets dries up then they turn rock hard and you need to throw them out.
Zman Grubs
These are probably the most popular soft plastic choice of all time, more renowned for bream fishing because of that they initially just came in 2 inches and 2.5 inches, then z-man added 3.5 inches and 9 inch sizes and more colours. You can certainly catch big fish with small soft plastics but I really like the 3.5 inch size for targeting flathead. These come in a handful of colours but I have done really well on flathead using watermelon red. Like the curly tails, these have naturally built-in action is amazing. The tail flutters all over the place, their buoyant so the tail will lift when they’re on the bottom. And these will catch fish being slow-rolled or hopped with a lot of success. Again, they are really strong the claim is there 10 times more durable than other soft plastics on the market. These are very easy to use if you’re just starting fishing with soft plastics then this would be an ideal choice. Just add some scent such as s-factor or procure. You can target a whole range of saltwater and freshwater fish species with them. Redfin and trout love them too. You get 6 in a packet for $11 so there is a great option.
Daiwa Double Clutch hard body lure
Fishing with hard body lures is a little more complex. You really need to understand the depth of the location you are fishing and the diving depth of the bib on the lure. There are countless options in this space however the Daiwa Double clutch is the big hitter in this space. The double clutch is best fished in areas in 3 meters deep and less where you can get the lure to dive into the sand causing a stir that will get the attention of predatory fish. These come in 3 sizes 6cm which dives down to 1.3 meters, 7.5cm which dives down to 1.5 meters and 9cm which dives down to 2.0 meters. They suspending lures which means when you pause, they maintain their depth. Basically, they won’t rise or sink they’ll stay at the same level. The drawback with these lures has cost there usually about $25 each, there have also been complaints about the trebles breaking easily however the new ones come with St36 Owner trebles. You can work these by trolling, slow-rolling, and hoping with pauses. Mix it up until you find what’s working on the day. Best Flathead Soft Plastics and Lures 2021
Now there are some really good alternative options
Savage 3D shrimp XD ( extra deep )
The Savage 3D shrimp XD. Now, these are half the price of a Double clutch. 5 cm profile, They come in 6 different colours. Dives to almost 3 meters deep.
Halco Poltergeist
The 5 cm Halco Poltergeist also dives down to about 3 meters and the 8cm dives down to 5 meters. Rapala also has a lot in this space like the XRaps They are probably a little bit too large to specifically be targeting flathead.
Thanks for reading this Best Flathead Soft Plastics and Lures in 2025. If you have any questions, corrections or additions then please direct them to enquiries@fishingmad.com.au and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
