Species
Bar-tailed Flathead
Platycephalus indicus
Also known as river flathead · yank flathead
Tier 2Eating8/10light tackleQLDWANT
0 waypoints40–70 cm (max 100 cm) typical
Overview: about bar-tailed flathead
Long, slender tropical flathead of northern Australian estuaries and inshore sand flats. Caught on prawns, small fish baits and soft plastics worked along edges of channels and gutters. Common in NT and northern WA estuaries.
Biology: Bar-tailed Flathead size, diet & habitat
- Habitat
- Estuary, Flats, Inshore
- Typical size
- 40–70 cm (max 100 cm)
- Weight
- 0.8–3 kg
- Depth range
- 0–30 m
- Diet
- small fish, prawns
- Most active
- diurnal
- Global range
- Indo-West Pacific
How to target: Bar-tailed Flathead angling strategies
Generally fished with light tackle — match gear to the conditions and the size of fish you expect.
- soft plastics worked along sand drop-offs
- live prawn baits in tidal creeks
Safety & handling
In the same waters
- venomous spines
Recent community catches: anglers who caught bar-tailed flathead
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More information: bar-tailed flathead references & sources
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