Well winter is finally upon us, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to put the cover on the boat and store the fishing tackle away, in fact it’s quite the opposite when it comes to beating the winter fishing blues. Winter in the Shoalhaven opens up a whole range of great fishing opportunities from big bream, blue fin tuna, grouper and kingfish near the cliffs and in-shore snapper.
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Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be giving you tips and tricks on how to make the most of your fishing during the colder months in the local area. There has been some nice snapper inshore and in Jervis Bay lately so we have got a three-part special on fishing for snapper (Pagrus auratus).
First of all let’s address the elephant in the room when it comes to snapper, how do they really get those distinctive bumps on their heads. Well the bumps are caused through a condition known as hyperostosis, which is an abnormal bone growth, it’s nothing more than this despite the myths that it’s caused through them bumping into reefs or using their heads to open up shellfish.
I practically grew up fishing for snapper on the coast and my dad, John Johnson could be considered one of the best snapper fishermen in the local area, so I learnt from one of the best. Snapper are one of my favourite fish to target, they are awesome looking fish, they fight hard and they are also very tasty, they in fact make great sashimi if they are handled properly after capture.
You will find snapper around inshore and offshore reefs, they particularly like where the reef drops off into gravel bottom. They like also like bottoms with boulders and lots of kelp around. Since becoming a Recreational Fishing Haven, St Georges Basin has also been producing some good sized snapper, try fishing around the artificial reefs.
You will also find snapper in the wash zones around the cliffs around the Jervis Bay area as well.
When anchoring up for snapper offshore find where there is some structure like underwater humps, pinnacles and drop offs. Also target areas where the reef drops off into the gravel bottom.
The best time to fish for snapper is early morning or late afternoon, particularly when it coincides with a tide change. You will catch them throughout the day, but the mornings and arvos is when they tend to feed. My theory is that early in the morning the snapper are up feeding on the reefs and as the day progresses they move out on the gravel and return back in the afternoons.
If you are bait fishing for the snapper on the pick (on anchor) then burlying up is essential. Cut up any old bait that you have and get a steady stream of burly in the water. You’d be surprise just how far snapper will come up the burly trail to nail one of your lightly weighted baits fluttering down to the bottom.
Next week we talk in more depth about bait fishing for snapper and the tackle to use to catch them.
