Tiger Flathead

Habitat Distribution

• Endemic to Australia — found on sandy and silty continental-shelf and upper-slope bottoms from Coffs Harbour (NSW) south through Bass Strait, around Tasmania, and west to eastern South Australia.
• Juveniles use shallower inshore shelf waters; as they mature they move to the outer shelf, typically 30–160 m, with some fish reaching 400 m.
• Rests on the bottom during the day; moves up into the water column at night to feed — a pattern that shapes when and how deep you fish for them.
• During summer, spawning fish shift into shallower inshore waters; in autumn some of the population drops into deeper water, 200–350 m.

Key Locations

• Bass Strait — the heart of the recreational and commercial fishery; Victorian and Tasmanian offshore anglers target tiger flathead here year-round.
• South and east coasts of Tasmania — the most productive Tasmanian grounds, where tiger flathead dominate commercial Danish seine catches.
• Continental shelf off NSW from Coffs Harbour south — the northern limit of the range; trawl fisheries here have historically centred on this species.
• Eastern South Australia — the western edge of the range; fish are present on the shelf but less targeted by recreational anglers than in Victoria and Tasmania.

Specific Spots

• Sandy and muddy bottom patches on the continental shelf — tiger flathead lie flat and wait, so a clean sand or silt bottom at the right depth is the starting point.
• Depth transitions between the inner and outer shelf (roughly 40–160 m) concentrate fish, particularly where current pushes baitfish and crustaceans over the edge.
• Inshore grounds during summer when spawning fish move shallower — this is when recreational anglers in Victoria and Tasmania have the best access from smaller boats.