Where to Find Snapper?
As the distribution and seasonal movements of the various size groups
of snapper are quite complicated and as they vary somewhat in different
areas, the angler must get to know his own fishing grounds. There are
few simple rules to snapper fishing and only some general guidelines are
given here. The rest must come with experience. The keenest and most
experienced boat anglers get up before dawn to get out to favoured reefs
by daylight, as snapper generally bite best from dawn until a little
after sunrise. This is usually also the calmest period of the day,
before the prevailing winds blow up between 8 and 9 am.
In Australia the best snapper fishing is had over reefs and gravelly
bottom, but in New Zealand good catches are also taken over clear
bottom. In both countries the larger runabouts and launches use modern
echo-sounders to locate offshore reefs. The sounders show the depth as
bleeps on a cathode ray tube, as flashing lights on a dial or as a
tracing of the bottom contours on sensitized paper; with practice, the
type of bottom mud, sand or rock can also be interpreted from the
strength of the echoes.
Without sounders boat anglers must use known cross-bearings on
coastal land-marks or drift-fish with the current until they find the
snapper, anchoring or kellicking when they come to the best patches.
Drifting over reefs or rough ground is a good way to locate snapper as
long as you can afford the occasional piece of gear which snags on the
bottom. The speed of the drift is crucial, as it becomes impossible to
get the bait down to the snapper and keep it there if the drift is too
fast or the current too strong. This is one reason why it is important
to get out to the chosen area at the right stage of the tide. The other
reason the tide is important is that it controls much of the behaviour
of the snapper.
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