Targeting Reef Rogues: Tips To Trap Snapper

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Variety really is the spice of life when you start fishing offshore reefs. Michael Hoogzard outlines some of the techniques he's used to bag snapper and a host of other reef rogues.

The aim of this article is to show what wonderful reef fishing is available to ordinary trailer boat anglers, no matter which state they reside. There's certainly plenty on offer whether it be snapper in the cooler southern waters, WA dhufish/jewfish out west or mouth-watering red emperor and coral trout up north. Best of all, you can reach these reefs not far from shore and with tackle that's no where near as expensive as the gear you use sportfishing. Obviously you do need a suitably equipped boat and an eye on the weather, but with the right preparation reef fishing is quite affordable for most people.

Plethora of Species:

The aspect that I really enjoy most about reef fishing is it's lucky dip nature. Every time you drop a line most times you'll never be quite sure what is going to come from the depths. Up north along the Queensland coast the catch may consist of snapper, mangrove jack, coral trout, spangled and red emperor, wrasse or cod. Making the northern list even more extensive is a lot of other by-catch species like pearl perch, teraglin, job fish, harlequin fish, tusk fish and parrot. Pelagic species such as tropical trevallies, cobia, tuna, mackerel of various species, yellowtail kingfish, sampson fish and amberjack will often make their way up a well laid berley slick. Alternatively you'll find these fish under working birds, chasing fleeing baitfish.

Down in the southern states snapper is the fish that gets anglers adrenaline pumping and knees knocking. Thousands of anglers put in literally hundreds of hours perusing these frustrating red fish on their local reefs. To keep anglers on the ball between snapper hits there are other species taken, some welcome others not so welcome. You'll often get parrotfish, wrasse as well as leatherjackets along with Sargent Baker, scarlet sea perch, nannygai, and blue groper. When we're talking southern fishing we can't forget about tasty King George whiting, silver trevally or the funny looking, but in my opinion quite cute gummy shark.

The latter are hard fighting and good eating. In fact, the gummy flesh is the flake that we buy in the local fish shop. Other oddities you come across in these waters include dusky morwong, the goatfish known as red mullet and grass whiting, which is not a true whiting member but a wrasse. Then there's the small, but delicious-eating orange roughy. One style of angling that has really become popular is deep sea bottom bashing. And when I say deep, I mean deep - 200m or so depths. Admittedly this sort of fishing requires a bigger boat, plus you'll need specialised equipment to get the heavy lead sinkers of over two kilos down and back from the bottom. I can assure you that hauling a couple of thumping big fish will have you exhausted after a couple of hours!

The most sought after angling species that inhabit these depths are Tassie trumpeter, blue eye trevalla, deep sea cod, gem fish, Rock ling and the hard-fighting firm fleshed hapuka which makes excellent eating. Western Australia is blessed with having access to a combination of both southern and northern reef species. According to TBF's Western Australian columnist, Bob Slight, the fishing is excellent. Bob points out there are some 15,000 kilometres of coastline - most of it fishable!

The big prize out west is the Western Australian jewfish commonly called dhufish. The scientific name of this popular reef species is Gloucosoma Hebraicum and they grow to over a metre in length and a weight of over 27 kilos. However, any dhufish fish over 15kg would be considered a good catch. The dhufish is a dumpy-bodied fish that is grey in colour with a big head and large jaws. The juvenile versions have a black diagonal stripe through their eyes that fade as the fish matures. These are prized fish and make for excellent eating.

Tackle and Techniques:

I have been very lucky in my short life to experience some terrific fishing sessions up north and down south. I've found that while the species may vary the basics of fishing remain the same. Sturdy tackle is required for reef fishing and a rod that's of a medium to heavy weight. Ideally the rod will have a light action tip and a long butt section to suit both bottom bashing and higher speed pelagics you catch closer to the surface. The light action tip will help with bite detection, while the heavy butt will help you to control the fish and dictate where you want him to go. I have already mentioned that bottom bashing over deep reefs is one of my favourite forms of angling. In my opinion the ideal outfit for this style of fishing is an Ugly stick, or Silstar power tip rod.

I use these in conjunction with a Shimano TR 2000 LD, or an Abu 7000 reel. I find these reels are best spooled with a gel-spun line such as Fire line, or Spider wire with about 20-40 pound breaking strain. The reason why gel-spun lines have become so popular with anglers is pretty self-evident. Because they have no stretch you can use less lead to get to the bottom. Best of all they give you sharper bite detection. The best rig to use when bottom fishing, in my experience, is the humble paternoster rig that is two hooks on droppers above a snapper lead.

Up north seasoned reef anglers paint their sinkers red. They firmly believe this increase their hook up rate considerably. The fact that many tackle shops up north sell fluorescent coloured sinkers confirms they might be onto something! Glow bead and fluorescent lights above the hooks are also gaining good results especially for chasing ooglies in the deep! To me the use of beads is nothing new. I often used them when targeting King George whiting in my beloved Westernport. They do increase the catch rate.

In all fishing I use the freshest possible bait that I can get my hands on. Obviously catching your own bait is the best way to go, so always be prepared with bait jigs to catch your own live yellowtail, slimy mackerel, mullet or herring. These baits are deadly effective when used live, or freshly cut into strips. Always take squid jigs, as they are one of the best fresh baits going around. I mean, how does a fresh plate of calamari sound to you? It sounds so good as I'm starting to salivate over the keyboard. Just imagine how attractive it is to the fish.

Octopus is another good bait that is firm and stays on the hook well. However, out of all the frozen baits available the humble pilchard is by far the best as long as they are in good condition. And I mean good condition, because it will be no use if it's something the stray cat would reject! A new bait that I feel will quickly become a hit with southern snapper and gummy shark anglers are saurys. These look like a garfish without the snout, but are bloody like a pilchard and best of all, are tough and stay on the hook.

Chums For Your Chums:

A new product that has taken off in a big way is the fish attractant spray Chumline. I've used it with considerable success, and believe me it does work. Another bait system I use with a lot of success is a floater. The rig is basically just a hook (single or ganged) tied directly to the main line. If a sinker is used it's usually a pea-sized ball sinker, running directly down to the hook. This rig is allowed to just drift slowly through the berley trail. However, don't forget to properly set your drag as when a fish grabs your floater they can go like the wind.

The beauty of using the floater system is it allows you to fish the top and middle sections of the water column, which can prove very productive on the larger fish. Many a trip we've set up a floater in search for snapper and have had big mackerel and tuna tear away with the bait. This only stresses the importance of correct tackle because a drag set too heavily, or a rod that has too much flexibility can prove disastrous in this sort of situation.

Reef fishing is not just limited to bait fishing, as many species will respond to lures. Up north there are mangrove jack, tuna, mackerel, cobia, tropical trevallies and a host of other species that will respond to jigs, silver slices, slugs, surface popper and squid style lures in an aggressive fashion. Down south species that hit lures with aplomb are salmon, tailor, bonito and yellowtail kingfish.

Saltwater fly-fishing is starting to take off in a big way and flies such as deceivers and pillie imitations are deadly on northern blue fin and mackerel tuna. Fishing like any other hobbies seems to have fads and fly-fishing is one of the latest. However, I have no doubt that its future popularity is pretty assured. Young anglers like myself are coming through all the time and open to try new ideas.

Reef Rogues Are Waiting:

I hope that this article has inspired you to hit your local reef this summer and target local reef species. I've only brushed the surface of what's involved, but there's nothing quite like getting out there to build your experience and find out what happens. Anyone who lives within reasonable range of the coast can enjoy this style of fishing, particularly in the summer months when the species are more plentiful and conditions are warmer. Make sure that you abide by your local fishing laws in regard to size and bag limits. What I'm saying is you should fish for the future, not just for today. I hope to see you out there because you gain a lot of satisfaction when you have a good day chasing your local reef rogues!

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