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Snapper in the Suds: Fishing the Wash

By Cameron Cronin

With the transition into winter well underway, most anglers begin to shift their attention over to cool water target species. While this may vary depending on where you are located, one species that is synonymous with winter throughout the southern half of Australia is without a doubt the snapper.

In past years, I have largely neglected this species in favour of larger quarry such as mulloway. In recent times however I have enjoyed some exciting fishing for these crimson hued brawlers up in some shallow, gnarly country that has sparked a newfound interest in figuring out how this species ticks. With that being said, I am certainly no expert when it comes to snapper fishing. I pen this article from a learner perspective, with the hope that in future writings I will be able to share a lot more of what I have learnt along the way, as I dedicate more time to the species.

Part of the learning process in fishing for me always involves trying a heap of different locations and techniques, in a variety of conditions. The hope is to come across a winning scenario that can readily be repeated. Although fishing deep water can certainly be productive, recently it has been the ultra-shallow water 'wash' fishing that has really captivated my attention and I believe this is a great arena for anyone looking to get started on snapper fishing.

The fishing is simplified by having a wash zone to visually target. Strikes come quickly and the fights are memorable, usually won or lost in a matter of moments. If this sounds like fun, read on and I hope to share a few of my early experiences with this type of fishing that will hopefully help anyone looking to get started.

The first step to your wash fishing adventure will be picking a suitable location, along with suitable conditions. The first part isn't rocket science, however I have certainly found that not all wash zones are created equal and some are certainly a lot more productive than others. The first thing that I found interesting is that it is not always the deepest of washes that are the most productive. Sure, these rapidly sloping areas will hold some great fish, however far more important, in my experience so far, has been wash generating features.

In most cases this may be an isolated bommie, separated from the main headland, or a cut out in the headland where the foamy water from receding waves is funnelled back out to sea. Whatever it may be, look for features that generate a more consistent wash cover and the snapper usually won't be lurking far behind. Although you will also catch plenty of snapper out in the clear water, down deep under the boat, it never ceases to amaze me just how close the snapper will sit to the rocks and often within the top few metres of the water column.

Just recently, for example, we fished a wash for around fifteen minutes and landed a few snapper, although we hadn't managed to get any casts within a few metres of an exposed bommie due to safety concerns with the swell. After spending some time in the area we were able to get a better read on the swell and creep in closer from another angle. Like clockwork the first casts against the rocks were met with an instant double hook up as soon as the lures touched down, despite relentlessly peppering the area earlier on.

With lure placement so important, cast distance also plays a big part in this type of fishing. Personally, I have found rods around the 7'6" mark work well for this purpose and I have found 20lb Platypus Bionic Braid on a 3000-4000 size reel to be a great happy medium between cast distance and stopping hard pulling snapper in their tracks. Additionally, I have found it beneficial to carry a secondary outfit with lighter 10 or 15lb braid, which can be used to make longer casts in closer to the rocks when swell conditions don't allow you to reach the zone on your heavier outfit.

The fight can certainly go either way on this gear, so I don't like to bring this setup out unless I think I might be missing an opportunity with the heavy gear. Leader wise, I have found 30lb Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon to be a good starting point and personally I haven't experienced more bites by dropping down any lighter, as the fish in these zones are usually feeding very aggressively.

On the subject of gear, I have had most of my success on a mixture of 10X Tough ZMan plastics. Although other non-ElaZtech brands are very popular among snapper fishos, I have always found this to be a very expensive way to fish, that usually involves going through packets of lures each session to small or undesirable species and spending key bite times replacing lures and often catching less fish at the end of the day due to this.

One of my personal favourite lures would have to be the ZMan 7" Scented Jerk ShadZ, which I usually rig on a 1/4oz 7/0 TT lures HeadlockZ HD jighead. The weight of a larger lure, combined with the slender profile of the Scented Jerk ShadZ, casts well on heavier gear and gets down under the wash quickly. Here it attracts the attention of the snapper and even smaller snapper have no hesitation in scoffing down this sizeable lure.

On my lighter gear I also employ the ZMan 5" Scented PaddlerZ and ZMan 5" StreakZ Curly tailZ, usually rigged on a 3/8oz 6/0 TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jighead for additional casting distance. While a 3/8oz may be considered heavy for some wash fishing, the ElaZtech material of the ZMan is positively buoyant, meaning additional weight is required to sink the lure. This comes in handy when casting as you can fish heavier jigheads than usual to achieve extra distance and this can often be the difference between getting a bite and coming up empty handed.

Colour wise I like to stick to bright colours, such as Nuked Chicken Glow, Bleeding Banana and Coconut Ice Glow in low light conditions and will progress to natural colours, such as Nuked Pilchard Glow or Bruised Banana as the sun gets higher in the sky. On all of my snapper plastics, I will usually apply a liberal coating of Pro-Cure scent as an extra attractant, with Bloody Tuna or Squid being a personal favourite.

Speaking of times of day, it goes without saying that low light periods such as dawn or dusk are ideal for this type of fishing. Don't neglect the washes throughout the day however, especially during overcast conditions. Swell wise, slightly larger swell does tend to create a more aggressive bite, however for this type of fishing safety is paramount and if it doesn't look safe, don't bother fishing it.

An electric motor with spot lock is great for wash fishing as it allows you to stay 'anchored' just outside the wash zone, or stealthily patrol along the edge of the wash line and make casts into structure. The same thing can be done without an electric, despite being slightly more difficult and requiring anglers to take turns positioning the boat while another casts.

All in all, wash fishing for snapper is a great way to get your foot in the door for this species and has been an enjoyable transition from my usual estuary angling exploits. Whist I'm yet to stop one of those rampaging 80+cm fish, I am looking forward to working on that goal over winter and hopefully that will be a story I can share with you next time around.

Cheers, Cam

Gearing Up:
Platypus Bionic Braid
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader
TT Lures HeadlockZ HD Jigheads
ZMan 7" Scented Jerk ShadZ
ZMan 5" Scented PaddlerZ
ZMan 5" StreakZ Curly TailZ
Pro-Cure Squid Super Gel Scent
Pro-Cure Bloody Tuna Super Gel Scent