The search for red October

by Jarrod Day, FishingBoating-World Editor on 7 Oct 2013 So who is responsible for turning on the snapper switch? Victoria has just exploded on the snapper front and despite the unpredictable weather; we are in for an epic season.

After the AFL football Grand Final, anglers in droves began descending on the local launching ramps all keen to get out and get amongst the action. While October is still early in the season, the reds are a little temperamental.

Each day is very different from the next with one day the fish coming on the bite while the next you can find them but just can’t manage to get them to take a bait.

Many factors come into play in this instance but all in all, a slight spike in the barometric pressure and it is on for young and old.

I jumped on board with good friend Matt Cini from Reel Time Fishing Charters on Wednesday to offer some deckie services for the morning. For my first trip of the season, clambering out of bed at 4.15am wasn’t the most fun things to do, especially on a Sunday morning.

Over night, the barometer dropped two points and with that, the snapper went all sulky. When this happens there is absolutely nothing you can do except to sit over a school of fish and hope one decides to take a bait. Unfortunately for us, the fish we found didn’t take our offerings. Most of the other anglers out that day also had the same thing happen but hey, tomorrows another day and I will be back out there this Wednesday when hopefully they go off.

In the world of all things fishing, around the country things are really on the upside. Just today I was speaking with Lee Hodgetts from Weipa Sportsfishing who had just come back in from a day up the creek. Lee said that the Barra fishing was quite good at present with some nice fish caught and released.

A little south at Cairns, fellow work colleague Scott Harper had just returned from a two week holiday and managed to get out for a bit of reef bashing with his mate Tam. The boys had plenty of fun flicking soft plastics at Cobia amongst a plethora of trevally and other bottom dwelling species.

South Australia is also firing up on the snapper front with some cracking reds being caught. Being connected to Facebook I do get to see and stay in touch with quite a few fishing friends and Local Victorian angler Scott Gray recently fished with his friend Lubin Pfeiffer. The boys got suck into some monster reds using a variety of methods off Adelaide.

And just when you had thought you had heard enough about snapper, my good friend and local Western Australia angler James Parrish hit the mother load this week after a night fishing session out of Perth. Jimmy and his mate managed to get into some fantastic snapper with two fish well over the twenty pound mark and one over 24 pounds, talk about good fishing.

So, with all that mind blowing fishing, where ever you reside in this fantastic country, I hope you also have the opportunity to get out and get into the action in your local area.

This week at fishingboating-world we have been under the pump to say the least and while we have been spending more time on the water than off, we have still managed to compile a neat line up.

On a recent fishing adventure, Lee Brake tells us about how he was forced to be a little innovative! When the fish are tough, it pays to think outside the square.

I take to the shoreline with rod in hand around Phillip Island in Victoria’s south. Phillip Island is a magnificent location and during the holiday season is a very popular fishing destination. With its rocky headlands and sandy beaches, there is plenty to offer the foot bound angler.

Past articles worth a re-visit:

Carl Hyland
Renowned for its trout fishing, Tasmania also has on offer, some of the best game fishing in the world. The Southern Bluefin fishery is recognised as being amongst one of the most sustainable tuna fisheries anywhere and at this time every year, recreational and visiting anglers are breaking records on world class fish.
http://www.fishingboating-world.com/Fishing-Australias-Apple-Isle/114631

Gary Brown
For many years anglers used to think that to be able to catch at least one stud whiting you need a hand full of blood worms when fishing in the estuary or a hand full of beach worms when chasing them off the beach. Lure fishing for whiting is not that new. The practice has been around for a number of years. It’s just that not many anglers have taken it. They mainly think that catching stud whiting on lures is a by-catch to say catching flathead and bream with lures but this is not the case as Gary explains.
http://www.fishingboating-world.com/Whiting-on-artificial---Does-it-really-work?/112811


Until, next week,

Jarrod Day fishingboating-world editor.