Southern snapper, What a profile!

The Hunch Back of Natradam was a hard working bell ringing freak. His local village ran in fear for the simple reson. He was an ugly bloke. As with all fairytales he became loved and respected for his strength and looks. The same could be said for the Australian snapper. It may be ugly but what a fighter

Glen with one of the many great snapper in Port Phillip bay

Glen working hard for the next days fishing

First the rawprawns then the garfish then the monster, Fish up the food chain!

One of the many quality charter boats to choose from.

Australian snapper was one of the fish I had hoped to have caught in Oz but we never really hooked the big one. Snapper come in two general classes: Pinkies, which are the younger variety and snapper, the fully developed adult. We rank over the three-kilo weight. We Australians are not the only ones that love this fish. New Zealand is also famed for its monster snapper. In Australia you can find these fish in our southern coast, from Queensland and around to NorthWest Australia. I have seen photos that would blow your mind of fish taken in the central bays of Auckland.

This must not detract from the southern Australian snapper as these photos prove. My mate Glen is the expert in this field so I asked him how it was we fished these species. To my surprise this led me to a small jetty in the middle of the night. Our aim was to collect bait. Garfish is his paramount bait and the fresher the better. Here we were sitting on a jetty with two-dollar rods and a bucket of smelly burly. Buy merely dropping a bucket of garfish mix under the jetty and tying a small float rig with a spilt shot above the raw prawn- bait and hey presto. It didn’t take long before we had enough bait for the next days fishing.

Here are Glens tips on how to fish these monsters

1 Use nothing smaller than 8/0 hooks

2 An average of 10-kilo main line. Don’t forget to use a twenty-kilo leader for the simple reason these fish will try and break you off on the nearest reef or rock shelf.

3 Use a heavy sinker with two droppers with the various baits (garfish, mussels, Octopus, prawn and tuna).

4 Don’t forget fish bite best when a berley trail is introduced and consistently drift over reefs it is claimed that the dawn period is always best.

5 Fishing before the full moon is an advantage.

Travelling to new countries can be daunting task but thanks to the international charter system all you need to find is boat owner that has experience and respect. Glen gave the number of a charter boat that he claimed was the best in his district. I’ve lost count how many times I have heard that statement but the man was spot on. The captain offered all I needed: rods reels, and rigs. This took the worry out of my day. As it will with you! As the photo’s show it didn’t take that long to find a monster. If you wish to land one of these hard fighters, I’ve found a few numbers that you can contact if you are in Australia

1. Calypso charters Telephone, 559858463
Mobil 01419537741
2. Proline charters Captain Andrew Horne
Telephone 0429846276
3. Sorrento charters Captain Phillip Stevens
04147735009

As I said earlier that these fish have big lumps on their heads well this got me thinking. How the hell does a fish grow such a strange head? A few hours reading led me to a brick wall. So my pee sized brain finally clicked in to gear. The world’s greatest source of information to me is my father. So I sent a few questions down under and here was the result.

Skot, dad thinks that one of the theories about lumpy headed snapper is " it is to do with their feeding habits. That is they prize shellfish from rocks - it is less prevalent in NZ, and it is only in older fish. Also should the snapper feed closer in to shore the shell fish are easier to remove from the rocks and the snapper develops only little lumps.... harder to remove the food, bigger bumps. This is according to "Encyclopaedia of Australian Fishing, VOL 11.

Allong with Australian snapper and monster shark there is another fish you can add to your "things to do when in Oz" list. I know it will not be long before I'll be back

Skot