Seeing red

Bordered by every mainland state, South Australia is unique in its geographical location; however, it shares central Australia's harsh, arid landscape - two-thirds of South Australia's interior is classified as true desert. Interestingly, the area I was about to fish was once barren, almost desert-like in its appearance.

Today, Port Broughton in Spencer Gulf boasts hundreds of artificial reefs or "drops" as they're known locally. Constructed using old car bodies, barges, boats and building material, many of these artificial grounds are known to locals and visiting fisherman. Many more lie in secret, with devoted anglers closely guarding their private hotspots. With 10-15kg snapper as the grand prize, it's no wonder that the locations of these hidden wrecks are kept very close to the chest.

It was a Big Red that I was hoping to catch, and I was in good hands after organising a ride with skipper Trevor Bennett of Double Header Fishing Charters. Trevor has guided many recreational fishos onto their first double-digit snapper, and I was hoping to join the list.

SPORT OF CHAMPIONS
Joining me on this quest was three-time Australian fishing champion Kevin Sweeney. After telling me all about the ins and outs of competition fishing, and the fact that the Australian titles are usually held interstate, I knew that I was on a real winner fishing with two top anglers on their home turf.

A calm, warm autumn day greeted us as we headed out into the gulf at dawn. Spencer Gulf is a massive body of water, and it took us an hour at 15kt to get to Trevor's first drop. The wreck was clearly visible on the sounder, and after seeing some large shapes just off the bottom, Trevor positioned the boat up current.

I had brought three different rigs with me, including a 15kg Shimano rod matched with a Trinidad 30 with 30lb fireline and 2m of 60lb mono trace that was to serve as my heavy combo. A Shimano Thunnus outfit with 8kg line was my lighter rig and a nine-weight flyrod with matching intermediate line rounded out the trio. These days I always take the flyrod along, as you never know when it may come in handy.

Squid and yellowtail made up the baits, which glided to the bottom pinned on droppers on a paternoster rig. Hungry snapper immediately devoured the baits, and Kevin was the first to bring a double catch of what he referred to as "ruggers" aboard.

We released 10 snapper in the 2kg range before Kevin hooked into a true red. The fish turned on the afterburners, and after a torrid workout, we saw the majestic sight of a 9kg snapper flashing its silver and crimson colours boatside. What a fish! I stood in awe of this beast of a fish before snapping out of my trance and getting a fresh bait back in the water. Well, I thought, where there's one ...

BURNING RED
Another dozen ruggers made it to the boat, but it wasn't until we shifted anchorage that I hooked into a truly big South Oz snapper. The current had picked up pace and an unusual bow in the line suggested that something had picked up my bait midwater and proceeded to head back under the boat.

The beauty of fishing with a Shimano Trinidad combo is that its super-quick retrieve allows the angler to keep tension on the line at all times, and in this instance a few turns of the reel and a quick strike of the rod saw the line scream off.

There is nothing like braid to add excitement to a fight, and I felt every bump and head shake as the big red surged away. The thought of landing the snapper of a lifetime sent my heart racing and the pounding remained long after the 10.5kg fish lay beaten in the net. It surely couldn't get any better.

We had done what we set out to do, and on a day where fairytales seemed to be coming true, we decided to see how far we could push our luck. At our final drop, the heavy gear was put aside and out came the flyrod and light threadline outfits. A stream of chopped pilchard berley floated out from the back of the boat and Squidgee soft plastic lures were cast out and slowly retrieved. The odd flick of the rod gave the lures enough lifelike action to bring some pan-sized snapper of up to 2kg undone. Every cast saw snapper hit the Squidgees, often before they made it halfway down.

FLYING HIGH
It was time to break out the flyrod. I opted for a large brown and white Deceiver, and the fly was bumped several times on its first retrieve. I sped up the action on my second retrieve and was rewarded with a solid hook-up. Four 1-2kg fish came to the boat before I sunk the hook into what I thought must have been one of the three hungry 4ft whaler sharks that were cruising in the berley trail. Line spun off my Tibor reel and my eyes could hardly believe the sight of a 3.5kg red as it made its last power surge beside the boat. What a day - my biggest ever snapper of 10.5kg and catches on both lure, fly and bait.

Trailerboat fishermen have fished these waters with great success over many years. The peak time to fish is just after the closed season on snapper from January till May. Just three hours from Adelaide, there is comfortable accommodation at Port Broughton Caravan Park and the local hotel is a terrific place for a meal.

Access onto Spencer Gulf is via the local boat ramp, but if you want a better chance of catching the red of a lifetime, you can't go past Trevor Bennett's Double Header Fishing Charters. For more information, call Trevor on 0428 840 952.

Champion angler Kevin Sweeney is the owner/operator of Sweeney Spot On Tackle at Seaton in Adelaide. Call in and see Kevin if you want more hot tips on fishing in South Australia.