Comments Off on 10 Tips for Catching Snapper
Here are ten must-know tips to reel in those snapper:
- Get out of bed early or fish in the evening – snapper feed at those times, as they prefer low light for camouflage.
- When fishing for snapper you’re best to fish in reef areas with a consistent current.
- Snapper are bottom feeders so make sure your line is weighted properly.
- Use berley. Anchor up, berley up and wait.
- The best snapper fishing is between October and December when the snapper are in close feeding on shellfish beds and worm beds and putting on condition before spawning.
- Try a variety of baits – pilchards, squid, shellfish, mullet, mackerel, bonito, fresh kahawhai, and even small live baits.
- Using soft baits is a great way to bag a feed of snapper, especially if you are drift fishing. Please refer to our soft baiting techniques.
- Try stray-lining a full pilchard or baby squid on a basic rig with two hooks and an optional running ball sinker. This technique is a great way to pick up a large snapper as the bait slowly sinks.
- Use flasher rigs. Available at all fishing shops, flasher rigs are a proven way to bag snapper. Put an appropriate weighted sinker at the bottom of the rig and put a decent strip of bait on each hook.
- Take care presenting your baits – take time to learn the best methods of presenting baits to maximise your chances of hooking fish.
