These critters go through four

growth stages throughout

their life.

When spawned and up until a

size around 120mm, they are

known as Cockneys, from here,

until they achieve a weight

around half a kilo they go by

the name of Red Bream, then,

we know them as Squire until

they attain a weight of 1.5kg

approx.or develop a bump

on the head and thereafter as

Snapper. From all reports this

fish reaches a length around

1.2m with a weight of 19kg

approx. Hot fires of hell, I’d love

to meet up with one that size,

but in all honesty, around these

parts keep the expectations

around the 3 to 8kg mark. It’s

probably fair to say, that in our

area, some of the best catches

of snapper have occurred in

the late summer to early winter

period. Favourite conditions to

us, will have a rising tide, either

in the early to mid morning, or

the late afternoon to evening

period, with a south/east breeze

blowing up to 15 knots. Sky

conditions appear to worry

snapper very little. Clear, cloudy,

overcast or rain all seem suitable

to snapper.

This fish will take a wide

range of baits, but to keep

things simple we’ll give you a

few, which are easy to obtain

and readily available. Fresh

fish strips of mullet, tuna or

slimy mackerel, squid, cut

pilchards, large prawns, and

whole gar or W.A. pilchards,

which should be used on

gang hooks.

RODS, REELS AND RIGS

If you like the feel of a rod in

your hands, get yourself a

strong and sturdy offshore rod

and attach either an egg-beater,

overhead or sidecast reel to it.

Other suitable choices will

include a handline, or for the

lazy angler, a deck winch. The

problem with a deck winch

though, is that it takes the

thrill of the fight away from

the angler.

HOW TO CATCH SNAPPER

If using the paternoster or reef

rig, lower bait, sinker and rig

over the side until the sinker hits

bottom and the line goes slack.

Retrieve slack line until weight

of sinker is felt and then raise

and lower the rod tip causing

the bait to rise and fall. This

is often referred to as bottom

bouncing. If using the floater

rig, hold onto the bait and

lower the sinker over the side

allowing it to pull line off the

reel. While this is happening,

it pays to throw a bit of cut

pilchard over the side, thus

creating a berley trail. When

about 10 to 15m of line has been

played out throw the bait over

the side and it will sink slowly

with the berley. Get yourself set

and wait for the strike.

With snapper the first indication

of a bite can go from a timid

touch to a fierce bite followed

by a strong run and fight. At the

first indication of a bite, strike,

set the hooks and do your best

to stop the fish from getting

back down to the sanctuary of

the reef where you’ll most likely

get cut off. Have the drag set

reasonably firm at this stage. A

good rule of thumb is to set the

drag at about one third of the

lines breaking strain. After hook

up, stay relaxed and use a gentle

lift and wind motion when

retrieving the fish. Nearing the

surface there’s a good chance

the fish’s swim bladder will over

inflate and protrude through it’s

mouth. Any fish to be released

will not survive unless the swim

bladder has been deflated. This

can be done by simply pricking

the bladder with a hook and

allowing the air to escape, thus

enabling the fish to return to

the bottom.

When handling snapper take

a little care around the gill

area as they are capable of

inflicting cuts.

The variety of species you’ll

encounter when deep sea

fishing is endless. Some of the

by catches when using the

paternoster rig will include

parrot fish, sweep, jewfish,

venus tusk fish, gurnard,

flathead, rosy and green jobfish,

morwong and nannygai. With

the floater rig by catches will

include yellowfin tuna, wahoo,

dolphin fish or mahi-mahi,

cobia, small striped or black

marlin, yellowtail kings and

spanish mackerel.

“Makes for a fabulous feed and a ferocious fight”

SNAPPER - SQUIRE

PATERNOSTER/REEF RIG

Brass ring

30cm x 10 to 15kg mono50cm x 10 to

15kg mono

50cm x 10 to 15kg mono

30cm x 10 to 15kg mono

Brass ring

Sinker to 450g depending on

current strength

Mainline10 to 15kg

mono

3/0 to 6/0 Mustad hooks, depending on bait size

FLOATER RIG

Mainline 10 to 15kg

Medium to large free running ball sinker to suit conditions.

4/0 to 6/0 tarpon hooks, depending on bait size linked by 80lb black swivels

BAIT: Fresh Fish Strips, Squid, W.A. Pilchards.

If using whole fish as bait , push the hooks through from the underbelly and place the last one through the lips or jaws of the bait.

The line strength given in the rig diagram is suitable in water to say 25m deep. Add 5 to 10kg for depths 30 to 55m and add an extra 5 to 10kg when fishing waters of 60 to 85m. If using a hand line, increase the line strength 5 to 10kg on those recommended. This will give you a better grip on the line. Wear a pair of gloves to stop line cutting your hands. It’s also a good idea when hand line fishing to use a fish bin or large plastic container, such as a clothes basket, to place retrieved line in. I.e – let the line fall safely into the container, not onto the deck where it will end up getting tangled up by some thrashing fish or walked on.

SNAPPER - SQUIRE

MEDITERRANEAN SNAPPERIngredients 2 snapper fillets or 1 whole cleaned squire1 medium red tomato - finely diced12 black pitted olives - finely dicedPinch of dry crushed chilli to tasteMethod

4 shallots - finely diced½ tsp dried mintSalt & cracked pepper to taste

Plain flour¼ cup virgin olive oil1 tbsp virgin olive oil

Gently mix tomato, olives, chilli, shallots, mint, salt and pepper. Set aside. Lightly flour fish. Heat ¼ cup of olive oil in fry pan. Fry fish until cooked to taste. Transfer to plate. Keep warm. In clean fry pan heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add tomato, olives etc, mix to pan and stir fry until heated through, approx 1 minute. Evenly spoon mixture over fish. Serve with mashed potato or fresh salad.