PHP Warning: Use of undefined constant VBA_SCRIPT - assumed 'VBA_SCRIPT' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in ..../includes/functions_navigation.php(802) : eval()'d code on line 1 Basic Snapper advise PLEASE
First post after spending lots of night reading older posts and getting tips.
Basically I have fished for as long as I can remember but has been land based for a long while. I finally got a boat again and I have had so many unsuccessful trips to Peel, Harry's etc. My winter plan is to target snapper around Peel, Goat and Harry's. I know it will take me ages to learn a lot of the tricks but I would like to get the basics right first. Like what moon phase, tide, times in the day or wind direction, signals a good chance to catch a snapper.
Best baits, rigs or soft plastic and techniques. Burley or not and method.
I just got the Lowrance Elite 7 Combo so any tips to look out for as far as bottom structure goes. I am all ears and if anyone really would like to help me with some GPS points into a private message , I would really appreciate that or rough directions. Cheers Dave
Whilst I don't fish the southern bay area, the things I find with snapps in shallow water that are critical are:
Water slap on the hull. Position your boat so there is the least amount of wave noise.
I never anchor for snapps anymore, always drift and preferably using an electric motor to control the boat attitude to the water and wind.
10lb braid is more than enough and I use a maximum of 14lb leader.
Structure is handy to find but not essential, snaggy bottoms are though. That means gravelly or rubbly or mussel/cockle beds are their main feeding habitat and often times these do not show on the sounder.
Suspended bait schools will often have a few snapper underneath them.
When fishing with plastics cast as far as you can with the wind and work it back towards you lifting it a metre or so off the bottom then letting it swim down again. Control the slack line, you want contact with the jig head but still have a bit of a droop in the line between the rod and the water. Watch that droop for inconsistencies, strike on every anomaly. Do not try and feel a bite, you will get your tails nipped off, watch the line......big strikes you will never miss.
Be at your fishing target zone a full 30 minutes before the sky starts to lighten, arrive as quietly as you can. Have everything pre-rigged and baited so you are not thumping tackle boxes or dropping things.
The best feeding period is the 45 minutes before the sun breaks the horizon. Once the light shines on the water they have already stuffed themselves with food as are less inclined to keep feeding. Generally there is a second period about 10-11am when they get picky again, but the chances are there are boats ripping around and have moved them off your target zone.
Snapper are an educated fish these days they have learned the noises and things that give them that pain in the gob.
Thanks Tunaticer for the tips. I will definitely have to work on the stealth approach. Also lighten up the tackle.
Mull ,dog I have some old BnB mags so I will dig them out to find some winter ones.
Another approach Dave is small hardbodies cast and trolled around the reef edges and dropoffs. Again stealth is important and we usually drift or use our electric motor.
Our gear is generally 2-4kg rods with 1500 or 2000 size spin reels spooled with 4lb braid and using 6lb to 12lb leader. Lures are suspending minnow profiles between 45mm and 60mm long. We regularly catch snapper to 60cm on this gear and bycatch includes bream, tailor, cod and flathead.
The most important factor is to get to know the area you are fishing, especially any structure, channels, dropoffs etc. Tides, moon phase and other factors will very much be personal preference after you build up your bank of knowledge - suggest you note conditions and keep a trip diary...
Cheers
Pete
PS Our favourite hunting grounds are Peel, Goat, Bird & Green Islands...
Dave,
I pretty much only fish Harry's. Jump on the DERM website (I think that's what its still called), and download the map that shows where the structure is. Stay away from the crowd as much as possible, and fish as light as you're game. I like 12-14lb FC leader.
I only use soft plastics (and Transams), and only ever drift. I tend to use two rods, one 'deadsticked' (cast out, toss in rod holder and leave alone) and work the second one. I seem to catch as many on the 'deadsticked' rod as I do on the one I'm working. I do seem to catch more around the tide changes, particularly once the current starts to move a bit, and prefer sunrise/sunset. That said, due to work etc, I often fish in the dark and catch plenty at night.
Tunaticer pretty much covered it all, but if you're fishing Harry's, do your best to stay away from the crowds, and be as quiet as possible.
In regards to soft plastic choices, I like options in the 4-5" range that have some sort of 'inbuilt' action, like a curl or paddle tail.
I've caught plenty of snapper over 75cm this year, doing what I do. That said, my last two trips have come home empty handed, so don't give up too easily.
Fish light and quiet.
In addition, I absolutely love the transams. They're an amazing lure, in my mind. That said, at $30 a pop, coupled with light leaders, fishing can get expensive. A lot of people love the threadybusters as a cheaper alternative, and I know people that have had plenty of success on threadybusters. I've personally never caught a fish on one, and still have the first one I bought, but maybe it's a dud one?
Around Redcliffe I have two favorites, slabs of fresh yellowtail pike about 6cm long and no more then an inch wide or hardiheads threaded onto the line and hook. Both fished unweighted.
I fish around Mud mostly and cannot stress enough the theme of the previous posts from the plastic boys, stay away from other boats as much as you can. Snapper don't get big in the bay from being silly and they learn the sounds of fisherman in the bay. Also I have done best in the afternoon from about 2pm to just after dark but againg thats probably cause there are less boats around.
I pretty much only fish bait, have tried plastics from time to time with limited sucess.
A few tips i have for bait fishing (apart from being on your own) is use only fesh bait in the bay. Frozen bait may work offshore but next to useless for decent bay snapper. It doesn't really matter what it is as long as its fresh. I have done best on slabs of tailor, pike and mullet. Doesn't need to be a big bait either but well presented.
Again from the plastic boys use as light a leader as you can, i use braid 20 to 30 lbs and FC 20 to 30 lbs leader only. Have sharp hooks as snapper have very hard mouths.
Keept the rig simple with a small running sinker on top of the hooks.
Week after the full moon has been best for me but have caught quite a few bay snapper from 60 to 80cm at all times and tides etc. Just keep away from the crowds there are plently of spots out there and all of them will have snapper keeping an eye on the bait at times.
Thanks so much Nabba 1.
I am salivating waiting till I get out and try some of the great tips. I will either sneak out late one day this week or I will have a crack early Saturday morning.
That is very interesting what you say about frozen baits. I was assured in my last 3 trips that I would bag out in no time on frozen yakkas. Well that certainly couldn't have been further from the truth. Still, that is part of learning. I put that down to bait shops trying to sell a bit more bait.
My 12 year old lad is so keen and I can't wait for him to land something decent.
Could any of the bait guys please give me a bit more detail on the rigs they use. EG hook ,size, type and brand, knots ,trace length where the sinker is best placed if any at all. Also I would be interested as to where the best place is to buys fresh baits on the southside or Redlands area? I am happy to travel or head out a bit earlier and try my hand at throwing the cast net again if any locals could suggest any places for livies. My plan is to use plastics in the daylight and a bit of dark and a set bait. Then at night change over to baits only. Does that sound OK ? Thanks heaps again
Any fresh fish shop that stocks unfrozen fish will do. The one I go to is at 2946 Logan Road, Underwood. It usually has fesh mullet and yakka's. They are a good start but definately slab up anything you catch (make sure its legal though). Very important to make sure the bait is well presented. I like to cut into strips maybe 10 to 15cm long and 3 or 4 cm wide. Rig so it is straight (use a half hitch on the top if need be). When fishing you will get a lot of little bites from undersize squire. Let them go until either they hook themselves or a bigger one comes along and grabs the bait. I leave the rods in the rod holder to resist striking. Have the drags on the reel done up as tight as you can for the line class to set the hooks.
I use gang hooks (either 2 or 3 hooks with swivels in between) and a two hook rig depending on the bait size/shape etc. Mustard 7766 for the gangs in about 5/0 or 6/0 and mustard big guns for the double hook rigs in about the same size. Rig is just a running sinker (no sinker if possible) with as small amount of lead as possible to get the bait to the bottom. You don't want it anchored to the bottom but close to it. You might get a few snags if the boat is swinging around but that means you are close to the right area. Try a few different size sinkers initially and when you get a fish on one swap to that. Change them though if the tide changes.
You sound keen enough so don't be discouraged if you don't get anything initially. Put in the time and effort and try different things and eventually if you follow all the advice given to you above you will work it out and catch some good fish. Not every time though but thats fishing.
Although, when I used to bait fish, I preferred a rig that was 2 3/0 hooks snelled together, with a running ball sinker (at Harry's, in 20m, I think I mainly used a 3 ball sinker?).
I also liked using a paternoster rig, again with 3/0 hooks, but the simple running sinker rig almost always got better action. Paternoster probably caught more fish, but much smaller.
For buying 'fresh' bait, I like Aussie Seafood House in Capalaba.
Best Snapper I ever caught on bait (went 78cm) was at Harry's on still-bleeding Tailor flesh. Son and I were drifting over Harry's, saw birds working the 'shallows' to the East/South East, fired a slug into the birds, pulled out a (legal) Tailor on the first cast. As I dispatched the fish and cut a slab bait off it, we'd already drifted back into our favourite Harry's spot. Dropped the bait down, and within about 3 minutes, I was on.
To compare, my son LOVES to use frozen squid. He catches heaps of squire on the stuff, but there's never much size to them.
Where are you launching from? I always run over the reef off the north/north east of Green Island. There's pretty much always plenty of Pike hanging on the reef in the cooler months. If I'm not so strained for time next trip, I might even try and scrounge up some Pike just for kicks. See if I can still catch a fish on bait!
Another thing, if you're drifting at Harry's (probably anywhere in the bay where there's other boats) and hooking up, EXPECT someone to come and anchor on the drift line you've been using. When they do, expect them to make more noise than you thought possible with the anchor. When this happens, be prepared to move. In my experience, the fish almost always shut down. There have been a couple of exceptions where they haven't , but you'll know when they have!
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