PHENOMENAL!

I really wanted to open this month’s report with that word because it’s the only word that springs to mind when I think about the snapper fishing this ‘off’ season. Get excited everybody because if this snapper bite continues, and all signs point to that being the case, then this September is shaping up to be the best we have seen in quite a long time!

I am going to structure this report a little bit differently this month. Before we talk about the snapper it will be beneficial to all if we talk calamari first. You will see why a little bit later in the report.

The calamari fishing is still as consistent as ever and I would be hitting those top end banks right now and stocking up the freezer a little bit for later in the summer when the short, sharp after-work trips come into play. All of the usual haunts are holding great numbers of squid so make your way over to the Quail and Tyabb banks to stock up.

If there has been one little difference of late it has been the colours in squid jigs have continued to change and new trends are being discovered as the season continues. Matt ‘Cato’ Catterson discovered that it was the browns and silvers that were out fishing everything this time and is further proof that it pays to have quite a diverse range of colours in your arsenal, just to be covered.

Now, let’s talk snapper!

The shallow water around the Bouchier Channel has been a great place to fish and September is typically where it all really begins to fire up here. Most of the reports I have received from here are reporting snapper from 3.5-5kg and fresh squid has done the job in the bait department. Zoran and Vito are two of those anglers getting amongst the snapper and their fish have come from only 4m of water!

That big snapper beacon known as Joes Island has been attracting snapper like nobodies business and, let’s just say, it would be a hard decision to drive past it if you were after an early red. The 8-10m range around the island has been the magic depth and I have also heard whispers of fish to a whopping 7kg, however, most fish are anywhere from 3-5kg and the run-out tide has been the pick of the tides. Once again, fresh squid rings and squid tentacles are the best baits – are you starting to notice a trend here?

The snapper bite continues along the north arm and I think this is where we will start to see a little bit more consistency as we push further into September.

The first few better reports have started to show up around Lysaughts with a few nice fish popping their heads up. There were reports of a cracker 5.3kg fish so some nice slightly larger fish are starting to take residence in the area.

If you want a snapper in the north arm then Hastings is where it’s at! It is here that the most solid reports have come and some really nice fish have come between 15-17m of water with the bottom of the tide being the most productive. Some seriously big snapper have come from these waters too. The usual 3.5-4.5kg specimens are in great numbers but some bumper fish to 6.5kg are definitely around and, surprise, surprise, fresh squid has been the best bait.

Now it’s not just snapper that have been on the chew. The whiting have still been around and although a little harder to find than the snapper the rewards have still been there.

The top end of the Middle Spit are where the most recent reports have come from and with the whiting averaging around the 35cm mark it’s well worth having a good poke around to find them. Shucked mussel and pipi combined with a slither of fresh calamari has been the best bait. It is more important than ever to stay on the move if you want to find the whiting because multiple anglers have commented that the bite time has been quite short. The action is thick and fast but can only last as little as 20 minutes, so make sure those mussels and pipis are pre-shucked and the squid strips are all pre-cut so that you can make the most of the quick bite period.

So to throw in a quick summary, September is shaping up as follows:

If you want to catch a snapper, first catch a squid, cut it up and send it to the bottom. If you need to catch the squid, make sure you have brown and/or silver jigs, and if you want to catch a whiting be prepared for an action packed little session so make sure you make every bait count!

Bring on the footy finals, which as a Collingwood supporter I may just write off this season, so that we can turn our attentions to the water and participate in hopefully one of the better snapper seasons on record!

Good luck and keep the reports coming.