The days are ticking by and soon the snapper will begin entering the bays for the late spring and early summer run.

The Snapper Point Angling Club 31st Tea Tree Snapper competition will be held on Friday 31 October and Saturday 1 Nov at the beginning of the season and history shows that the timing is perfect. This will again be a great event and that big chance to get out there amongst the fish and get in the pool of anglers competing for more than $130 000 in prizes including 3 fabulous boat/motor/trailer packages.

2014 will again be a very positive year for bay snapper stocks so the competition is guaranteed to be a success.

SPAC strongly advocates responsible angling and for this reason sets the competition limit of 2 fish per angler, each of which must be over 40cm. To be in the running to be drawn for one of the many great prizes, your fish must be over 40cm, but you must be an entrant in the competition.

There is now some scientific evidence starting to emerge suggesting that snapper caught from water deeper than 11.5m and held out of the water for even a short time can suffer barotrauma. Returning unwanted fish to the water quickly or releasing them at the side of the boat will greatly improve the chances of released fish surviving. What is released is available for another day and helps maintain stocks. Upgrading provides no advantage in the competition. If the legal bag limit has been reached and another fish taken on board, then this breaches Victorian fisheries regulations.

It’s time to start planning, getting your crew together, getting the boat, trailer and safety equipment checked and preparing your gear and most importantly, entering the competition early as entries close well before the competition dates.

Fish can be weighed in on Friday night 31 October at several ramps and on Saturday at the Mornington Racecourse. The entry form and rules need to be read carefully and the times strictly adhered to as no fish can be accepted under any circumstances after the published competition times. The Racecourse gets busy as the end of weigh-in time approaches and traffic can cause delays, so don’t leave your run until the last minute.

The presentation area at the Racecourse is a great place to be with many tackle, boat and equipment exhibitors showing and demonstration their products with entertainment for the kids and a juniors casting competition. It’s a great family day so why not plan to be there and be part of the excitement.

All you have to do now is to enter the competition either by completing an entry form that can be obtained from most tackle shops in the southeastern area of Melbourne or by getting on the web at www.teatreesnapper.org.au and either entering on line or downloading an entry form. – David Little, Snapper Point Angling Club.