Boat Fishing for Snapper - Part One

My first experience boat fishing for snapper was from a 2.3m pram dinghy. The flimsy plywood craft was ideal for the sheltered waters I fished. In that dinghy, I would troll up small Australian salmon for bait then remove the middle seat and use it as a bed during all-night snapper sessions. Sometimes the sleeping bag got wet, but at least it kept me warm.

Snapper were then, and still are, worth the extra effort. 'Big red' is the doyen of southern sportsfish. Places such as Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, Spencer Gulf in South Australia and Shark Bay in Western Australia annually host thousands of anglers who venture in search of this magnificent fish.

These days anglers make treks from one side of the country to the other in search of big red. I know of anglers from Cairns who travel to SA in search of snapper as well as Melbourne anglers who regularly hit both SA and WA.

And the simple, inalienable fact in all of this is that most serious anglers fish from a boat because snapper are more accessible to the angler with a boat than his land-based counterpart.

However, just because you have a boat doesn't mean you will be able to find snapper and, even when you do, catch them. Snapper are moody fish. Some days they bite like a ravenous school of barracouta, yet the same fish on the following day transform into timid, finicky feeders.

The successful angler needs to adapt methods and techniques, adjust baits - particularly size - and look closely at presentation to achieve consistent success.

WHEN TO FISH
The annual snapper migrations are well chronicled in most areas. In Port Phillip Bay, for example, the predictability of the movement of snapper is easier than in other areas. During spring, rough conditions, overcast days and discoloured water from heavy rain run-off offer ideal conditions for snapper to enter the bay.

But it is important to put the annual appearance of snapper into some perspective. Migratory movements of fish species are linked to other migrations. In Port Phillip the key is plankton. In early spring southern calamari squid come into the bays, schooling up and spawning over seagrass beds. When they are done they leave behind white clusters of eggs that can easily be seen on sunny days when the water is clear during October and November.

Salmon arrive soon after the squid. They turn up chasing juvenile pilchards and sandy sprats, which come into the bay at that time. Offshore, barracouta schools arrive seeking pilchards, and about midsummer arrow squid appear for the same reason.

So, bay migrations are not just about snapper. Rather, it is a multifaceted event involving a number of species. The key factor in the food chain is the plankton blooms that happen as the bay waters warm from September onwards. Phytoplankton blooms - small, single-celled plants - are fed on by small animal plankton (zooplankton or fish larvae).

Pilchards and anchovies feed on the plankton and they in turn are fed on by pelagic species such as salmon, couta and squid. The place for snapper in all of this is that their larvae, and later juvenile fish, feed upon the plankton as well.

As a rule of thumb guide, the best times to fish by state are as follows:

Snapper are also susceptible to water temperature. In southern waters large snapper will feed in water as cool as 12°C, but 16°C is about the optimum for most fish. These are only reference times and temperatures as there are no hard and fast rules. Most areas have some resident stocks of snapper hanging about the place for most of the year. For example, I have enjoyed excellent snapper fishing off Coffs Harbour in March, and winter snapper are no longer regarded as a phenomenon in Victoria or South Australia for that matter.

FINDING SNAPPER
Snapper are a fish of contradiction, capable of adapting feeding habits to suit the environment. I have caught them over sand, mud, reef and kelp. In my experience, deep water is a better option on sunny days, while discoloured water and overcast conditions are better in shallow water. And, while snapper have a justifiable reputation for being shy, they have an even more solid reputation for being contrary. I have caught snapper to 7kg in clear, shallow waters on sunny days. Unusual, but not unique.

The key is to understand how and where snapper are likely to feed. These fish graze like cattle on a plain, concentrating in selected areas for short periods of time before moving on. Sometimes snapper arrive and leave with a tide. This can go on for a week or more over the same patch of territory, or they can move steadily along a stretch moving at less than a kilometre a day.

During daylight they forage in channels and deeper areas over broken ground and reefs. After dark, snapper often move inshore into shallower water where they seek out small crustaceans and molluscs that inhabit mudflats and rubble grounds.

ELECTRONICS
There is no substitute for local knowledge, and the only way to develop that is to spend time on the water. Most seasoned anglers have their favourite marks. Smart anglers keep a record of these marks, complementing them with details including date, moon phase and tide.

Until recent years most marks were established by triangulation, lining up at least two, and preferably three, distinctive land-based objects to position the boat. The advent of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) did away with much of the need for triangulation.

While GPS units have really taken off among dedicated snapper aficionados the reality of the technology is that waypoints should only be used as a starting mark. These are not a guarantee to piscine success.

SONAR
The depth sounder is of equal, if not more value than the GPS. While being able to position yourself over a particular location is fine, seeing the bottom and whether or not there are any fish in the vicinity is even better.

The application of depth sounders as an aid to finding snapper has increased dramatically. A good sonar unit gives you the ability to target individual fish, find suitable terrain, know the depth of water being fished and can also be used to find baitfish. Snapper tend to sit on the edges of gutters and on top of crevices over reef systems. On rubble ground and mud bottoms you are likely to encounter them about one to two metres off the bottom.

Technological advancement in sounders has meant that the reading and interpretation of the screen is easier to digest. CRT and LCD sounders have given anglers more insight into the marine world below - specifically it is possible to zoom in on the bottom and the increased magnification brings with it a more easily defined picture.

A good sounder will show clear definitions that the angler can easily decipher. The greyline on the Lowrance units indicates the type of bottom. A deep greyline is a hard bottom, extended black areas above the normal black outline are weed growth, and the fish (well, they're easy) come up as arches or boomerangs. The bigger the arch the bigger the fish.

Arches are created when the fish enters the cone of the transducer signal. When the fish first enters the cone the signal at the outer edge has to travel a slightly greater distance to strike the fish than it does in the centre of the cone. In the centre of the cone the signal is travelling a shorter distance to reach the fish, so the signal rises to form the top of the arch. Leaving the cone the signal has to travel further to reach the fish, so the screen trace drops to complete the arch.

A perfect arch is only formed when a fish passes straight through the cone. Sometimes you only get half or part of an arch. A change of direction, speed or depth by the fish will alter the shape of the signal. Perfect arches form only if the face of the transducer is level with the bottom; if tilted it will only ever display half arches. The size of the arches received can be influenced by the size of the fish.

The standard cone angle from the transducer on my unit is 20° - this means that in seven metres of water the transducer signal cone stretches out to about two metres in diameter. But there have been advances. Lowrances' Dave Silva explains: "If you use Advanced Signal Processing, the angle is increased to 60? and coverage is foot for foot so that you will get about 20ft (six metres) of coverage."

WHERE TO START
As a starting point for offshore anglers, drop the pick on the clear ground near a reef or the edge of a channel and work the area regularly. Wherever possible fish parallel to a reef rather than on it. Snapper will work along the margins and the chances of hooking a fish are the same as if you were dropping a bait right on the reef. The advantage is that your chances of losing fish because of frayed line caused by broken shells or jagged rocks are reduced.

TACTICS
As I mentioned earlier, snapper adapt to their environment to feed. Similarly, anglers must develop techniques and strategies to suit the particular characteristics of where they fish. There is no single rig strategy for snapper. I have employed all manner of strange rigs in both Australian and New Zealand waters and these days go with the 'kiss' principle - keep it simple, stupid.

MODERATE CURRENT
Running sinker rigs are perhaps the most commonly used by snapper aficionados fishing inshore waters such as bays and inlets. Leader length can be up to one metre, but most anglers find a leader about half this length effective and more manageable. Sinker weight needs to be adjusted to suit tidal flow. If you are in a situation where you can eliminate the sinker, or perhaps cut it down to pea-size and allow it to run along the line to the bait, do so. The least resistance is always best, regardless of where you are fishing. I always fish with my reels in gear with a drag setting of about 1-2kg in this scenario.

NO CURRENT: FINICKY FISH
There will be times when you encounter snapper so touchy you will hardly believe they are snapper. Maybe they aren't. Sometimes, though, those small picks and gentle tugs are snapper and when they behave like this they are difficult to hook. The first secret is to fish without sinkers and offer the fish as little resistance as possible when it is testing the bait. Sometimes even a Baitrunner-style threadline reel offers too much resistance.

A method I employ in this scenario is similar to that used by trout anglers fishing baits under bubble floats in still waters. An unweighted bait is cast and allowed to sink, the rod is then pointed almost at the bait and about 10-15m of the line is removed from the reel and coiled neatly and loosely in a bucket. The rod is placed in a rest, the reel taken out of gear, and a small stone placed on a loop of line pulled from between the second and third guide to prevent it drifting out. A small piece of polystyrene is slit and threaded over the line in front of the rod tip. As the bait is taken the polystyrene moves out and drops to the water. It is best to wait until all the coiled line is taken before setting the hooks. In most cases a snapper will have swallowed the bait and be well hooked.

DAYLIGHT: SHALLOW WATER
Most bay anglers fishing in water of 10m or less concentrate their efforts for snapper in the nocturnal hours between dusk and dawn. Experience has shown that they catch far more snapper after dark than when the sun is shining. While this philosophy is correct for the most part, there are times when snapper will feed equally as well during the day in inshore, shallow areas of three metres or less.

The best days are usually overcast, often with strong wind churning up the surface and dirty water. If snapper are about you will often find the pickers go off, particularly the crabs. I tend to reduce my hook size to 2/0 to 3/0 and prefer a dark-coloured line, preferably brown, and fluorocarbon leader.

The depth of water is a factor to take into consideration. My rule of thumb here, based on experience, is that if a fish can swim in it and maintain normal posture there is no reason why you can't catch fish in it.

FAST WATER
In a strong current it can be necessary to use a lead of 1kg or even more. An adaptation of the paternoster rig, where the sinker is on a leader and allowed to run, is commonly employed. The length of leader to the sinker depends on the type of terrain.

It is a useful technique in areas of long, heavy weed where you need to keep the bait above the fronds. With this rig it is best to ensure that the breaking strain of the leader to the sinker is less than that of the main line. Snagging is common and it is preferable to part company with a sinker than a snapper.

Some anglers prefer to use heavy handlines in strong current. What they do is allow their bait to be drawn away from the boat by the current, when it is about 10-20m back they drop a 1kg lead. The lead is on a short cord lead that is looped over the main line. Once the lead is on the seabed they can adjust where they want their bait to be by simply letting out more line. Alternatively, raising and lowering the sinker moves the bait. Each time the sinker is lifted and let go it moves a bit further down the line. This has the effect of bringing the bait nearer the bottom.

The use of offset hooks like suicide patterns is not recommended in strong current as the twist in the hook creates frontal drag with the oncoming current. This in turn causes a propeller-type effect that will soon see your bait rotating vigorously around its longitudinal axis. Ideal model numbers include the Mustad 34007 and 8260D styles. These hooks also have extra length in the shank that gives added support when laying them along a bait during rigging.

Star sinkers should be avoided; bomb sinkers are the best. The absence of corners and edges gives the tide nothing to cause a spinning effect with as it races past. This helps to reduce line twist and frustration. The sinker is attached to a running clip that runs freely on the main line and the rig is complete.

(Ed: make sure you check out the next issue for Part Two of Steve's informative insight into boat fishing for snapper.)