Hot Session on snaps

[Scalem]

After spending some time working on my boat trailer with Matt Chew during the week, a suggestion to have a fish in Matts boat on Saturday was eagerly accepted. No point in taking mine out through the bar while the swell is still up there, I really have not had a chance to smack some local snapper on light gear for what seems to be light years.
We launched from fishermans and were fishing a couple of Matts spot x on the way to Mud island at around 6am. The results were astounding, I really have not had a hot session of snaps in the bay for a long time, and thanks to a post I read recently, I really managed to supress the Paul W giggle at the peak of the bites but it took a lot of self discipline. It went nuts for a while, both Matt and I lost count of the number of legal size snapper hitting our plastics. With the hysteria of this much action, we guessed the numbers to be somewhere around 20 each, no exaggeration. Two were kept for the dinner plate, Matt pulled out his suicide rig ( 4lb leader) just for some more entertainment, and got smacked even harder, losing a few of my beloved home made jig heads, but hey, plenty more where they came from, who cares??
We were using 1/4oz walley made on light guage Gammakatsu 2/0 hooks, my best results were on Zoom baby bass jerk shads.. These were the gun, as Matt immediately found out when he changed over to using them. We really had to keep the drag set light, the poor hooks started bending as we cranked the drag pressure up after losing a few good fish, but we found a happy medium in between, playing fish for a while longer to preserve the hooks.

Matt wanted a change, so we upsized our gear to the other rod and reel combos, fishing 30lb and casting into snaggy territory for Cod. And find them we did, although 2 fish was a bit light on the score board, Matts 51cm was a good result. The fish that followed one of the squire up to the boat earlier was much, MUCH bigger than that. We doubt if we could have boated it, it looked like a monster!

We canned it after trying one of my spots, got home, washed the boat, and over to Matts place to drop a couple of new brake pads into his car, done and dusted quickly.
Thanks Matt for a top day in your boat Mate! Could not let a day like that go past without putting a post up. No photos, seen snapper and cod B4.

Scalem

[Scalem]

Actually, I typed in a hurry this morning, didn't get it right. We started with 1/8thoz and 2/0 light wire hooks. As soon as I started using 1/4oz heavy wire hooks the bite slowed right down.

Scalem

[llourd]

great to hear there are still some legal snaps out there, i was becoming convinced they were all cloned to the 30cm mark! well done, great report.

[charleville]

No photos, seen snapper and cod B4.

Not good enough, Scalem!


You know the drill; if there are no pix, it did not happen.


Consider yourself admonished. Now go back out there and do it the correct way.


.

[fishfeeder]

Makes you wonder why you spend the extra to head offshore some days !!

[Scalem]

Not good enough, Scalem!


You know the drill; if there are no pix, it did not happen.


Consider yourself admonished. Now go back out there and do it the correct way.


.

Sounds like a good excuse to get out there again alright, I consider myself admonished.

Note to self, put digital camera on charge the night before, not 5 mins before leaving in the morning!! Unless Matt has the shot taken on his iphone? Matt?

Scalem

[Poodroo]

I came so close to getting the boat on the water and heading over to Mud myself however I received an early birthday pressie. A new crowbar of all things and I think there was a motiff involved. We had this Pony Tail that had outgrown its pot for such a long time and the only thing that could be done with it was to plant it in the ground (Huge tree) hence the need for such a great digging tool. My other half is pretty smart. So I found myself digging mammoth holes in the ground in the early hours whilst is was still cool enough and dreaming of being on the water and hearing the snapper calling me and here you are getting in amongst them. Oh well, good on you Scalem and Matt. There will always be "Next Time."

Poodroo

[Horse]

It sounds like you fellas had a great session. For some reason a lot of us have forsaken our great sessions around Mud and Green with the light gear in search of the bigger fish in deeper water. It wasn't unusual to have 1/2 dozen Ausfishers led by (Aquarious, Foggy and the usual suspects) working Mud and having a ball. I really don't know why we don't do it more. Its great fun and a cheap day on the water. I will have to give it a go very soon

[Scalem]

It sounds like you fellas had a great session. For some reason a lot of us have forsaken our great sessions around Mud and Green with the light gear in search of the bigger fish in deeper water. It wasn't unusual to have 1/2 dozen Ausfishers led by (Aquarious, Foggy and the usual suspects) working Mud and having a ball. I really don't know why we don't do it more. Its great fun and a cheap day on the water. I will have to give it a go very soon

Snapper are nowhere near as prolific as years ago, it's hard work finding them. But we might be seeing a change for the better now mate, just like old times I hope. I have said it before, seemed to coinside with big Jellyfish numbers, and they are back that is for sure. One fish spewed Jellyfish on the deck and another blob of it landed on Matts arm somehow. Must have been when it was thrashing around while I was trying to remove the hook.

Here is a scoop for those reading my thread, Mossy and Netmaker thanked but didn't post so I know you guys are watching..... Ask Dayoo to make multi colour jigheads instead of solid colours. We have come up with this idea which is better and I have named it the Apache. Why do it this way?


Too sexy a blend with the gun plastic I used on Saturday, the baby bass zoom.

[rosco1974]

bullsh#t brian u used a pilly tim d told me himself saturday arvo while i was havin a beer with him and mick, u just tryin to gee up the plastic fisho's for the meet and greet...hope it works cause you's will need all the help you can get.....but sounds like a great session fellas well done even thought it was on pillies
cheers rosco

[Scalem]

bullsh#t brian u used a pilly tim d told me himself saturday arvo while i was havin a beer with him and mick, u just tryin to gee up the plastic fisho's for the meet and greet...hope it works cause you's will need all the help you can get.....but sounds like a great session fellas well done even thought it was on pillies
cheers rosco

Pillies would have lasted all of 2 seconds amoung this ravenous pack they're too smart. You would spend 90% re baiting. Plastics all the way Rosco!

Scalem

[Horse]

Very nice jigheads Brian. Much better looking than the commercial ones. What hooks would you use if you were chasing the bigger class of fish with a few KG of drag?

[TimD]

Go the plastics



cheers tim

[Scalem]

Very nice jigheads Brian. Much better looking than the commercial ones. What hooks would you use if you were chasing the bigger class of fish with a few KG of drag?

Hi Neil,
I have caught 80+ cm on a 3/0 Gammakatsu Hard wire, but expect a long run nearly to the end of a full 4000 series spool using 12lb. More drag than that and you should be using stronger still, possibly 4/0 and 5/0. But as soon as you go to a bigger hook you really need a bigger plastic.
The two jigheads to the left are experimental where we have found a Mustad that seems to be the goods, shorter shank and fits in the 1/4 oz cavity perfectly where previously I have used the 3/0 Gammakatsu. The biggest hook in the top photo is really for offshore, using a 6/0 Gammakatsu.
Scalem

[rosco1974]

hey brian you are right i would of spent 90% of the time rebaiting with a pillie cause i would of got that many fish the other 10% would of been cause i was that buggered from the fish i brought up i needed a beer