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Snapper Secrets &
New: Snapper Tactics
Snapper fishing tips and secrets for Port
Phillip Bay
 
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Snapper Fishing Clinic
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As gentle breeze laps over the calm bay.
The hooks are baited and rods cast, all in anticipation, of the
season’s first Big Red.
With rods set and burley flowing the
angler waits resolutely for a screaming ratchet as a Big Snapper
charges off into the unknown abyss below.
Each year from September till early
May thousands of keen anglers descend on Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay in
search of the elusive “Big Red”.
Don’t have a boat! Mornington Boat Hire can get
you Snapper Fishing!
Port Phillip
Bay Snapper GPS hot spots
This guide will hopefully
give you the tips, hints and secrets that will see you become a Port
Phillip Bay Snapper Fishing expert.
The run of Snapper in Port Phillip
Bay coincides with the blossoming of the Tea-Tree. The Sunday
after the AFL grand final sees many of the keen Snapper anglers ready
their gear in expectation of the first blossoms of the Tea-tree. It is
not long after this that reports of snapper flood the local tackle
shops and boat ramps, and so the cycle has begun as another snapper
season is on in earnest. Will it be better than the last year? Who
knows? One thing is for sure now that Scallop Dredging has been phased
out every body has a chance of connecting to one of Victoria’s
favourite sport fish.
The annual migration of Snapper into
Port Phillip Bay is believed to be one based on the fishes urge to
breed. The run of Snapper starts slowly as individual fish enter
the Bay, as time progresses these fish invade in schools, at times the
number of fish entering is so great it creates a so called “Red Tide”.
Snapper prefer to move into the Bay under the cover of a murky
discharge of rainwater through the Heads.
There are many factors that determine
the volume of Snapper that enter the bay. All fish have cycles that
follow weather patterns; these patterns determine the rate of growth,
activity, feeding patterns and so on of all fish.
My experience has shown
the more early season rain (September-November) the better the season,
this is due the amount of organisms flushed out of all the local creeks
and rivers. This Plankton feeds the Pilchard schools. The Pilchard
schools in turn feed the Squid, Salmon and Barracouta schools that
enter the bay at the same time as the Snapper. Hence the more
food, the bigger and longer the run of Snapper. Lets face it as soon as
the beer and steak run out at a BBQ we all head home too.
Snapper are a grazing feeder; they feed
on anything that is easy prey. The majority of the Snapper’s diet
consists of molluscs, crustaceans and any other easy feed on the
seabed. The Snapper is a bottom feeder; its teeth are suited for
grazing and foraging not hunting. Snapper are adaptable and
opportunistic feeders if they are hungry they will eat most quarry.
Snapper are in PORT PHILLIP BAY at a time when food is prolific so
fresh well-presented bait will out fish all other offerings, this is a
very important hint.
Snapper tend to School and populate
areas where there is a high incidence of their favoured foods,
therefore shellfish beds, reefs and sea-grass beds are prime Snapper
grounds. Snapper like good cover; they tend to spend the daylight hours
in deep water. Snapper will venture into shallower water under the
cover of darkness or murky water to feed. After rough seas
opportunistic Snapper invade swallow reefs and sea-grass beds to feed
on dead and injured prey, namely cephalods, crustaceans and fish. These
are the times when most land-based anglers encounter and target
Snapper.
The key to Snapper fishing in Port
Phillip Bay is being prepared. There are many keen anglers who struggle
to find consistency in their results due to their lack of preparation.
Each year I have a very good guide to the location of Snapper schools
through my fishing diary. Snapper are a fish of habit; they have an
uncanny habit of being at the same place at the same time each year.
Yet they are not totally predictable, this in my opinion adds to their
mystique.
There is a lot of
debate about the best boats for Snapper fishing in Port Phillip Bay. To
me this is a matter of opinion; all have their pros and cons.
Personally I like to fish out of a 4-5 meter tinny with forward and aft
seats, this gives me the ability to fish all around the boat. Creating
a distinct advantage when the tide is opposing the wind. The open
layout also gives a large area in which to fish and move about. The
down side to this style of boat is that it gives you very little
protection from the elements. A Snapper boat and its skipper should be
capable of handling waves up to two meters, this is due to the fact
that not always will the fish bite on nice sunny days and Port Phillip
Bay is a large shallow expanse of water that roughs up quickly. Boats
should not be underpowered as quite often it is necessary to make a
hasty retreat from an approaching squall line.
All boats that plan on fishing for Snapper
in Port Phillip Bay should be setup so that anglers can fish at least
eight rods. The most common method of doing this is with the use of
rocket launcher style rod holders. When fishing this number of rods
it’s imperative that the boat not drifts. To ensure the boat stays at
rest while at anchor make sure your anchor rope has sufficient chain
and rope and that the anchor is the large enough for your craft. I
prefer the sand dredge style of anchor. Anchor chain is the shock
absorber in this system. I like to employ a chain length of over three
quarters of the boats length.
Serious Snapper
Fishermen have both a depth sounder and a GPS. Most of the time I find
a GPS the most important tool of all as it puts you on your spot each
time without fail. Always have a notebook with your GPS marks written
down just in case of a system failure or sudden loses of power causing
memory erosion. Many anglers have found very productive Snapper grounds
while drifting for Flathead. They have done this by finding that their
lines are snagging and or bringing up Mud Oysters, Sea cows and sea
grasses over other wise vast expanses of sand or mud. These slight
changes in the seabed are not always detected on a depth sounder. This
is the reason that I find a GPS of more use than a depth sounder.
Snapper anglers should have two
quality landing nets as it is quite common to have one fish tangled in
a net and another fish hooked and about to be landed.
No Boat licence required, and we’ll get you on
to the fish!
Hooking a snapper is a subject of much debate.
There are two distinct methods employed by most anglers, free spooling
/ zero tension or fishing the reel in gear with 1 kg of drag preset. My
preference is to fish with the reels out of gear, there are a number of
factors behind this style. Fishing out of gear enables the angler to
entice timid fish that are easily spooked by resistance. Also fishing
out of gear gives the fish time to swallow the bait allowing a better
hook-up rate. When free spooling for Snapper let the fish run with the
bait for around two seconds before striking. This gives the fish time
to swallow the bait. One of the final reasons for fishing out of gear
is the fact that Gummy Sharks are a common by catch, Gummies often
mouth a bait before swallowing and are also easily spooked by
resistance. The most important thing to remember in hooking a Snapper
is that you must have suitable and sharp hooks. Hook size depends on
bait size. It is common practice for snapper anglers to fish with hooks
ranging in size from 2/0 to 6/0. My preferred hook size is a 5/0 or 6/0
with a 2/0 to 4/0 keeper tied on a running sinker rig with a 1.5 meter
40 lb Floro-carbon trace. The use of a keeper enables the angler to
fish baits of varying sizes. Don’t have a poor quality keeper as you
will find a vast number of fish are hooked on the keeper, especially if
pickers like flathead are about. Chemically sharpened hooks are the
choice of most angles as they are sharp enough to use straight out of
the packet.
Snapper fishing gear can be as simple
or as complex as one desires. My personal preference is to use a
seven-foot fast tapered rod (soft tip, solid butt) with a quality
overhead reel. My brand preferences are combinations that incorporate
Shakespeare Ugly Stick or Silstar Power Tip rods with an Abu
Ambassador 6500 or a bait runner style of reel. I do have a preference
for overhead reels as they are less prone to line twists. This is a
great consideration when fishing in tidal movement with large baits.
The most common cause of the line twists is the angler winding while
the drag is feeding line. In overhead or bait caster reels the spool
will not turn so line twists that are caused in this fashion are
eliminated.
Most snapper caught on Port Phillip
Bay are easily landed using four-kilogram line. Yet due to the ground
that I fish for snapper I use lines ranging from six to ten kilograms
braking strain. Snapper baits may sit on the seabed for up to an hour
before you move them, it is at this time that your line may come into
contact with abrasive objects such as Oysters or reef. These objects
can leave your line damaged and worn. This is the reason why I choose a
stronger line than required, as previously mentioned this factor also
dictates the way I fight the fish.
The fight of the Snapper is
quite distinct. When first hooked the fish will run hard along the
bottom before tiring, the fish will then start head shaking, giving a
distinctive nodding feeling, when the fish sights the boat it will run
a second time. The second run usually does not have the power of the
first, after this most fish just circle to the boat providing the
angler with an easy net opportunity.
When fighting a Snapper I initially
have quite a firm drag to help me penetrate the fish’s bony mouth, once
I have hooked a fish I progressively reduce the drag setting as the
fish gets closer to the boat, I do this because the line has a reduced
stretch and with the rubble bottoms Snapper inhabit nicks in the line
are quite common. This results in fewer break-offs and pulled
hooks as well as easy net shots as fish are tired when brought to the
boat.
Now you have your prized snapper beside
the boat, net the fish head first as it lays on its side. This way you
should never loose a fish while landing it.
A good net for snapper fishing is a
sturdy large mouthed model with a long handle. I like the long handle
as it gives the angler a longer reach. This is a great advantage as
most anglers use seven foot rods and leaders up to two meters long, in
rough seas and strong currents it can be quite difficult to bring your
prized fish close to the boat.
Bait for Snapper is a boat ramp
topic. “What ya getem on ?” Is one of the chief topics at local boat
ramps.
Snapper will take on any
given day Squid, Pilchards, Whiting, Barracouta, Salmon, Mackerel,
Bonito, Flathead, Cuttlefish, Crabs, Garfish, Octopus, Mullet the list
is endless.
My preferred Bait for snapper fishing
in Port Phillip Bay is fresh Squid, with the head being the bait of
choice. Many people religiously use Pilchards. As a hint find what bait
works best for you and your style of fishing, or listen to what other
people are catching fish on. As a tip try to always have a variety of
fresh baits at your disposal. Although I fish for snapper using a
free spooling method of hook-up, when I use pilchards as bait I fish
the reel in gear. This is due to the Pilchard being a soft bait easily
dislodged from a hook.
There is much debate about using
burley for Snapper. I swear by it. I find that the burley will hold a
school of fish around for a longer period of time. Burley I frequently
use is a amalgamation of fish pellets and tuna oil with a little bit of
squid, garfish or pilchard depending on which bait I’m fishing with.
The most effective way to use burley
is to have a dispenser on your anchor as well as the stern.
Try and arrive at your fishing spot
three quarters of an hour before slack water this gives your burley
trail the ability to attract fish from a wider range of water.
The use of burley does attract
rubbish like Stingrays, Flathead and sharks, yet it also attracts
garfish. When the garfish enter the burley trail I catch them and use
them as bait. When using burley learn to take the good with the bad.
Time of day is not critical when
fishing for snapper. I find that if you fish a change of tide rather
than a time of day your chances of hooking a snapper are greatly
increased. There have been many times that I have put the boat in the
water at eleven am to fish a two pm tide and had other anglers laugh at
me. They say “Its too bright. Snapper don’t bite in the middle of the
day”. At four pm as I’m pulling the boat out of the water, I show them
the value of fishing a tide. A typical Snapper sortie will see me catch
Squid prior, then Snapper, Gummy, School and Seven Gill Shark and
Flathead while on the Snapper location. With all that said I should
also tell you that the best catches I’ve ever had have happened when a
tide change has occurred at the beginning or end of daylight.
Now lines have been cast, rods set
and burley flowing, the angler patiently awaits the arrival of a Big
Red. Will the next fish that takes your bait be the mystical twenty
pounder we all search for? Who knows! Isn’t that the very reason that
we all go fishing?
 
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