Headland Winter Snapper

There is a lot to love about winter in SE Queensland. Cool dry days, westerly winds and plenty of fish on the chew! One aspect of the winter fishing that I enjoy, is the fact the snapper tend to sneak closer and closer to the rocky headlands that abound our coastline. What this means for anglers that are prepared to fish those wash zones around the rocks is that you could be in for some knee rattling action! Any angler that has targeted snapper close to the stones will attest to the fact that they know how to find their’ way to safety in record breaking time!
My ideal tackle for this type of fishing includes a 6’6 – 8 to 10kg Dropshot Rod matched with the 806 Abu Cardinal. My reels are loaded with 20lb Stren Superbraid or Stren Microfuse and combined with leaders of 20 to 30lb Berkley Vanish. I use Nitro jigheads in ¼ to ½ Oz size for most of my headland exploits.
My plastics of choice at present include the 6 inch Gulp grubs in New penny, Nuclear Chicken or Camo. The 7inch jerkshads are also a great bait in these areas, but there is something about the fluttering action of the grubs in wash zones that I believe snapper find irresistible!
To start your fishing – first establish that you can safely get a boat near enough to the headlands to fish effectively. If you cant – DON’T be tempted, just find somewhere else to fish! My approach to fishing the headlands includes targeting the points of the bays along a headland. You will often find that the sections of rock that run out into the sea as part of a point will typically include an extension of the structure at depth. By this I mean there is a fair chance there are more rocks running out into the sea beneath the water you can see off a point. What this means to me is that snapper may be feeding anywhere from 100 metres off a rocky point to right up in the wash zone around it. To begin your fishing – simply start a 100 metres or so off the chosen point and start casting your plastic along the line of the structure. Having cast out, keep your line tight and allow the plastic to slowly flutter to bottom. If the lure isn’t slammed on the way to the bottom, allow it to hit bottom and then hop the lure off the bottom before retrieving any slack and then allowing the lure to sink back to bottom. Repeat this process back to the rod tip. By working the water in this fashion – gradually work your way into the rocks to the point at which you can cast into the wash zones around the rock.

This style of fishing is not for the faint hearted. It requires some team work in that one angler is often required to operate the boat while the other fishes tight against the rocks. When fish are hooked don’t try to muscle them – it nearly always ends in tears! Try instead, to lead hooked fish away from the rocks by driving the boat slowly out to sea. You might be pleasantly surprised by how many fish can be saved from the rocks in this manner.

Winter is upon us and the snapper are out there now – I can hear them calling, so go get amongst em!

Happy Fishing,Nige