As Mitch says in the video, the Jackson Artist FR Lure has caught us more flathead than any other lure we've used, and we've used all the favourites. This comes from it's realistic action and it's ability to remain in the flathead strike zone the entire time it's underwater whether you're winding in or not. The best part about it? It's SO EASY to use. All you need to make sure you do is out yourself in the zone where the flatties are and you're laughing!

How To Use the Jackson Artist FR Lures

• Step 1. Cast it out as far as you can and let it sink to the bottom (or close to the bottom) where the flathead are.
• Step 2. Lift the lure off the bottom around 50cm - lift relatively slowly rather than twitching like a soft plastic - and you'll feel the vibration/wobbling action of the lure.
• Step 3. Let the lure sink back down to the bottom and wind in the slack line.
• Step 4. There isn't a step 4, it's that simple! Just repeat the lifting and winding in of slack line over and over until you land a fish! You can also add in slight twitches, pauses, or a mixture of both, all techniques have worked well.

Note: that's one method of catching flathead with the Jackson Artist FR Lure, but not the only method. Another really effective way has been a simple slow wind of your reel that pulls the lure along the bottom or just above the bottom, and you wind just fast enough to feel the wobbling action through your rod.

The Size Options

Mitch got it wrong in the video... There are actually 6 different options when choosing a Jackson Artist FR Lure, from 55mm through to 105mm long, and varying weights between them. The FR70 and the FR80 have been our most successful sizes in catching flathead, and along with that you'll find yourself getting plenty of bream, whiting, trevally, tailor and other typical estuary species too. The FR85 HW and FR95 HW are a great choice when fishing in stronger currents or deeper waters, say 4-5m+, but because of their heavier weight they're also great for offshore fishing because you can cast them a whole further and that's often needed off the rocks or out of a boat, plus of course they sink much quicker. You can target and catch many fast moving pelagic species with them like salmon, tailor, bonito etc when the baitfish are relatively small. The FR105 is great for targeting larger flathead with less smaller fish and less bycatch, and again this size is great for targeting pelagic species offshore as well. The size not mentioned in the video is the newer Jackson Artist FR55 Lure, a size dedicated to trout fishing, but again one that will have you catching plenty of bream, bass, perch and other similar species in the right locations.

Size Summary

• Artist FR55 - Ideal for trout, bream, bass, perch, and more.
• Artist FR70 - Ideal for flathead of all sizes, bream, whiting, trevally, tailor, and more.
• Artist FR80 - Ideal for flathead of all sizes, bream, tailor, and more.
• Artist FR85 HW - Ideal for flathead of all sizes, jewfish, tailor, salmon, bonito, and more. Better for deeper water and faster moving currents.
• Artist FR95 HW - Ideal for bigger flathead, jewfish, dolphinfish, tailor, salmon, bonito, and more. Better for deeper water and faster moving currents.
• Artist FR105 - Ideal for bigger flathead, jewfish, dolphinfish, smaller barramundi, tailor, salmon, and more.

Our Single Best Option For Flathead

If you were going to choose one size in particular to land as many flathead as possible, trophy fish included, the Jackson Artist FR70 would be our best flathead lure. It's been our most successful size, and has caught some really big fish regardless of its small size. You can fish it shallow and anywhere up to around 4-5m effectively (deeper if there's no/little current). You can also target other species with it such as whiting and bream, so it's a fun all-round estuary lure. If you were going to add a second lure to the arsenal, the FR85 Heavy Weight would be the other size that would compliment the FR70 and allow you to fish deeper waters, faster currents, and target offshore species as well.

It Won't Let You Down!

All-in-all the Jackson Artist FR Lure is one of our all-time favourite lures and always will be, it's constantly surprising us with its fish catching ability and the number of species being added to that list. And the best part about it is just how easy it is to use, so anyone, even those who haven't fished ever before can enjoy using them. We highly recommend grabbing one, you won't regret it!

If you have any questions about these or anything at all fishing and diving related, make sure you give us a call or send through an email from the contact us page, we're always happy to help and make sure you get the most out of your next fishing sesh!

Cheers guys and happy fishing!