Gearing up for snapper

by Jarrod Day on 21 Sep 2005 Snapper season for Victorian anglers is just around the corner. September is a sure sign that the reds are coming and with the blossoming wattle trees and warmth in the air, anglers are biting at the bit for the first reports to filter through so they can begin their quest.

Don’t burn yourself out:
When the snapper begin to arrive in September reports often get the better of anglers. Early mornings and late evenings endured by the keen eager to get a glimpse of their first fish for the season can often burn anglers out by the time the fish are in full swing.

Late October until December is when the reds are in plaque proportions and for those that begun the quest early often switch to other species as they have fulfilled their snapper fishing dreams. Though some might like it this way, by not fishing during November you will be missing the most active month of the season.

If I can offer advice for those chomping at the bit to head out, just wait. Sit back and get all your gear and boat in good working order and head out in October. By doing this, the snapper season will be more plentiful and productive.

Baits at the ready:
Snapper are a scavenger and will take almost any bait offered. In saying that, the most popular frozen baits are pilchards, silver whiting, squid, sauries, scad and garfish. Though frozen baits are economical being purchased from most service stations and tackle stores they can still be passed by in the early season or when the fish are finicky.

As the saying says 'fresh baits are best' and this couldn’t be further from the truth. There are plenty of fresh baits that can be used and they do increase your chances of success. Right around the coastline of Port Phillip Bay and Western Port calamari are a viable catch on the inshore reefs. These can be caught just prior to heading out into the deep. Garfish are also great baits that can be caught. Most anglers catch garfish when the weather is unkind out wide as gars can be caught in close around the weed beds and rocky points.

When collecting fresh baits, they are best used the same day, but if your gathering bait for future trips, freezing them for long periods can make them become freezer burnt if not stored the correct way.

Catching fresh baits takes time and money and preserving them is extremely important to keep them in the best quality as possible. When storing bait in the freezer, it pays to place them into sealed containers full of saltwater from where they were caught. When frozen, the saltwater preserves the fish and when thawed, they look, smell and feel as if they were just caught.

Berley basics:
Being a scavenger, snapper are always on the lookout for a feed and using berley is a great way to attract them to your fishing location. Before berleying anywhere, it pays to find a few fish on your depth sounder first. Once found, set anchor and toss a few handfuls of pilchard cubes over the side. This process should be done every few minutes to keep a constant flow of pilchard cubes heading to the bottom. Over a period of time, any snapper in the close vicinity will follow the source finding your baits which are cast into the trail.

Early season locations:
During the early season, snapper tend to hug the reefs where schools of baitfish seek shelter. It is this time when their metabolism is slower and they are quite difficult to catch. In saying that, anglers might put in many hours for few fish but for those that have patients and are willing to sit and wait for the bite may catch one or two fish per session.

Top locations for early season snapper are Ansetts and Morrisons Flatling off Mornington, The Inner and Outer Artificial reefs off Carrum and the Gasso.

There are plenty of known locations in between but the above marks have never failed anglers that anchor around them.

Gearing up:
When it comes to gear for snapper, a 6’6'’ 6-8kg rod is ideal matched with 4000 series reel. I prefer the Australian Made, Wilson Texalium RLFTX05. This rod packs a punch in hook setting with substantial butt strength. As for my chosen reel, A Shimano Twinpower 4000 loaded with Black Magic IGFA 4kg and 30lb leader. Snapper aren’t known for busting you off but early season fish have sharp teeth can bite though lighter leader. Alternatively, the most popular snapper outfit is a Shimano Baitrunner 4500B matched to a 7’ fibreglass 10kg rod.

Specialty techniques:
As mentioned previously about the slower metabolism, snapper will only feed spasmodically throughout the early months; this usually coincides with a rising barometer. Of course, there are certain things which also stimulate snapper to feed including a tide change and sun rise.

Ideally, the best chances at catching early season fish is a spike in the barometer and fishing sunrise with a high tide change. If these three events can be combined close together you’re in with a very good chance at success.

If you are fishing during these times, always keep your baits as fresh as possible and cast into the berley trail. This may mean having to change them every 10 minutes or so but it is vital. When early season fish take the bait, they often grab it and run and quite often drop it leaving you pondering as to what happened. This is just normal feeding behaviour and your patients wears very thin especially if they only bite for 15 minutes and you don’t hook one.

In trying to eliminate this from occurring and to hopefully increase your chances at landing your catch, try circle hooks. Circles will allow the fish to swallow the bait and as they try to spit it out, the hook will rotate in the mouth pinning the fish in the jaw hinge.

When the fish does take the bait and rod buckles, refrain from striking. Striking will only pull the bait back out of the fish’s mouth resulting in a lost catch.

Snapper are a lot of fun to catch and now that it the season is fast approaching you should be doing your homework on where to head. Garfish and calamari are about in plague proportions meaning if the weather is kind, you should be out stocking up on these to use as fresh bait for when the red arrive in numbers.