Hervey Bay Snapper

By Brendan Blackburn

Throughout winter, the majority of my time on the water is spent chasing snapper. I have a love hate relationship with snapper as they can be the most painful fish to target. However, when you align all the elements and produce a bite there is nothing more rewarding.

During winter snapper congregate throughout the bay, on both the inshore & offshore reefs and can be quite easy to locate with the aid of good electronics. If you're new to the bay then a good place to start is fishing the array of marks located on the internet and then go from there. As you spend more time on the water your knowledge will grow.

A well set up sounder is crucial when targeting snapper and I find I am constantly adjusting the settings to get the best out of my units. Another great way to catch snapper is to fish under the feeding tuna schools that can be found all over the bay. Snapper will sit underneath the tuna and pick away at the scraps sinking down from the feeding frenzy. Both methods will see you catch snapper, with trevally, cobia, nannygai, jewfish, trout and cod being the most common by-catch, to the point that they can often be a pain when specifically targeting reds.

The next important factor is boat positioning. Once the fish have been located I like to spend some time watching my sounder and reading the behavior and movement of the schools, allowing me to best predict where I need to be drifting. This is where many anglers go wrong, as they find the fish, throw their anchor out and start fishing.

If you have found that the school is remaining tight to the reef and you have an electric motor you can use the 'spot lock' / 'anchor' function and position the boat slightly down current from the school of fish, allowing you to work your lure back to the boat with the current. If you find that the school is actively patrolling the whole area of the reef, then you can use your GPS to work out your drift pattern and position your boat to allow you to drift directly back through the middle of the reef, giving you access to fish all areas.

When using this technique and the structure scan option found on many sounders you will have the best possible idea on the schools location and be able to present your offering right on their nose. Another technique is using a parachute anchor to slow your drift right down and give you maximum fishing time when you drift back over the reef.

I find the best times to target snapper are around the full and new moons, when the tides are much larger than usual. Around these tides is when there is the most movement and stronger current. These big tides bring large quantities of bait into the bay and as the old saying goes 'no run, no fun'. In terms of time of day, the low light periods (dawn & dusk) are often the best time to target snapper. However I have consistently caught snapper during the middle of the day, so really it's up to personal preference. A key to my success has been fishing quickly. If I sound around a reef and nothing shows up on the sounder, I'll normally have a few cast and if the area is quiet, I'm back on the move in search of productive grounds with active fish.

I like to fish as light as possible when chasing snapper. My main outfits consist of 3000-4000 size reels, 3-5kg rods and 15lb braid, with 15lb-20lb leader. The benefits of fishing light include better feel for the lure and also it allows you to detect the smallest of bites. Another benefit is that the line diameter is a lot thinner, allowing your lures to sink quicker as there is less drag in the water.

When fishing heavy reef structure I generally up size to a 5000-6000 size reel, 5-10kg rod, 20lb-30lb braid and 20lb-40lb leader, just to give me the upper hand in turning the fish's head and getting them away from the reef. It is extremely important when chasing big snapper that your knots are the best in the business. I like to use the FG knot for all my leader connections as I believe this is the strongest knot around. At first this knot can be quite difficult to tie, however with some practice they'll become much easier. A strong knot like the FG will give you the confidence to put some serious hurt on the fish when hooked.

My main lures when targeting snapper consist of jerk shad and curly tail style soft plastics, along with micro jigs. When chasing snapper I have an array of rods setup with a range of lure styles as this allows me to constantly be changing lures to hopefully produce a bite.

When it comes to soft plastics I use the ZMan range as they are the only soft plastics on the market tough enough to withstand a hard day snapper fishing. I use a variety of the range, including the ZMan 5" Scented Jerk ShadZ in Electric Chicken and Coconut Ice Glow colour, rigged on a TT Lures 3/8oz 5/0 HeadlockZ HD jigheads, 4" and 5" StreakZ Curly TailZ in Electric Chicken and Coconut Ice Glow colour, rigged on a TT 1/4oz or 3/8oz 4/0 HeadlockZ HD jighead and 3" MinnowZ in Sexy Mullet colour, rigged on a TT 1/4oz or 3/8oz 3/0 HeadlockZ HD jigheads. Another style that I have found to be deadly when fishing offshore is the ZMan 5" StreakZ in Bubble Gum colour, rigged on TT 1/2oz - 1oz 6/0 jighead. I also like to apply a little bit of Pro-Cure scent on the plastics to give them that little bit extra appeal.

Another method I use is micro jigging. A benefit of using jigs is that when fishing in strong current or deep water, the jigs sink fast and get down to the fish when plastics can't. In terms of micro jigs I like to use the TT Lures Vector Jigs in both 40g and 60g sizes, along with the TT Arrow Jigs in the 60g size. These jigs have an unreal action that draws bites like no other jig on the market.

When chasing snapper I use a wide variety of retrieval techniques, depending on the location I am fishing, tidal movement, depth and lures. When using Jerk ShadZ you have to impart all of the action into the lure and therefore I like to use an aggressive retrieve. This consists of 2-5 quick & erratic whips of the rod and I then give the lure plenty of time to sink again, imitating a wounded baitfish.

When using the ZMan 4" and 5" StreakZ Curly TailZ I like to use a more subtle retrieve as these lures have a large curly tail that requires little to no movement to get them swimming. For this retrieve I start off with a slow constant lift in the rod tip and then let the lure sink back down, while watching the slack as snapper will generally always hit the lure on the drop. I then mix up the retrieve, with two slow to medium whips. I find this retrieve works great when the fish are finicky.

For the MinnowZ I use a slow roll, with one or two lifts and the odd pause. I find this really ignites the snapper and draws bites even on the toughest of days. At times when the snapper are really shut down I will alter my techniques completely and change them up regularly just to try and produce the bite. Don't be afraid to try new things as all fish will react differently.