Fishing Tips for Catching Snapper

Snapper is a tasty saltwater fish found along Australia's southern coast. Snapper is targeted by both recreational anglers as well as commercial fishermen as it is renowned as a good game fish.
Most snapper weigh 1 to 2 kilograms, but there are monster sized fish weighing 8 to 10 kg in the Southern waters. Though the larger ones tend to congregate at depths of 20 to 30 metres, you will come across schools of little snapper over reefs, on gravel beds near river mouths and shallow bays.

Snapper aren't particularly picky about their food. They tend to jump at whatever bait is offered to them without much ado. Offshore snapper go readily for live bait or soft plastic fishing lures such as Tsunami Rigged Tazers whereas inshore snapper appear to prefer a wide variety of dead bait and unrigged lures.

Hooking the snapper is considered the main challenge while catching it. They are likely to be easily alarmed by resistance on the fishing line when they first mouth the lure. So you'd be better off making use of free spooling techniques and letting the snapper swallow the bait and give it 2-3 seconds to get hooked before striking. Also remember to use sharper hooks.

Rising tides in the mornings and late afternoons are the best times for anglers targeting snapper. Although the weather appears to have little impact on snappers' keenness to snap at lures, seasoned anglers assert that they take bait best in the hour before a thunderstorm.

Fishing rods that are great for targeting snapper include the Jarvis JW Pro PS 950 and Shimano Raider. These can be used with spin fishing reels. Smaller snapper are sensitive to line diameter, so bear this in mind when choosing a line.

All said and done, it's great fun fishing for snapper--the fish put up an impressive fight even after they are hooked. What's more, landing large snapper delight the pros and hobbyists alike.