MELBOURNE SNAPPER MISSION

Eight years ago, I reeled in my first decent lure-caught fish in a newly acquired Hobie kayak. It was a 35cm pinky snapper, just a few metres to the right of the Mordialloc pier. My mission to master the snapper began on that day and continues now. While I am still a long way from achieving mastery, I have learnt a few things that give me an increasingly better chance of landing the big red every time I launch.

BAIT VS LURE

The battle of bait vs lure is an exciting one regarding snapper because the contenders are so evenly matched. The “old school” snapper fisho will typically head out in a big boat and anchor up on a proven mark. He or she will berley up with pilchard cubes, cast out multiple baits of whole pilchard or squid, and settle in for the waiting game. These old school fishos consistently catch good fish. The “new school” angler is likely to head out on a boat with a casting deck or a kayak. He or she will cruise around a proven area but is less likely