Snapper Fishing Reports

Snapper fishing reports consistently show the season starts as the waters warm up after Winter.

The succulent fish is highly sought after by recreational fishing folk Australia-wide.

Scientific Name: Pagrus auratus

Getfished records Snapper fishing reports whenever possible. Including how and where they are biting where details are available.

Latest Snapper Fishing Reports

Snapper Fishing Reports include adult Snapper and Juveniles – aka Pinky Snapper – below.

We record the number of catches of each species when we prepare our Snapper fishing reports. All Getfished Fishing Reports are aggregated from multiple resources. Including dedicated submitted fishing reports, Youtube videos, and more. Top Spots: Offshore Barwon Heads, Corio Bay,Vic, Offshore Barwon Heads,Vic, Eagle Rock Western Port Bay,Vic, Cunningham Pier,Vic, Geelong Waterfront,Vic, Bellarine Peninsula,Vic, Anglesea, Vic, Geelong Waterfront, Corio Bay, Outside Port Phillip Heads, Docklands, Lakes Entrance Six Mile Reef, Top End Western Port, Reef Island, Mordialloc Pier, Lang Lang, Hastings, Western Entrance, The Warmies, Geelong Yacht Club, Corio Bay North End, Tamboon Inlet Western Bay, Lime Burners Boat Ramp Geelong, Lagoon Pier, Corinella, Tortoise Head, Rocks Off Northshore Geelong, Torquay Surf Beach

Snapper Year To Date Reports

Snapper Lure Reports Year To Date

Snapper Bait Reports YTD

The most sought-after saltwater fish species, by recreational anglers, in Victoria. Snapper fishing reports begin in earnest towards late September most years. Continuing strong until early December. Numbers taper a bit over the following months until May and after when snapper reports are thinner on the ground.

For good reason! Larger specimens are fantastic fighting fish. At the same time, smaller “pinkie” snapper over the legal size (currently 28cm) makes a succulent table fish.

Snapper Season: Can be fished all year round. Larger specimens are less common during cooler months. Far more abundant between October and March.

Snapper Fishing Report Videos

Recommended Snapper Rigs

My preferred snapper rig is always a Paternoster. These rigs give you twice the bait on the line, twice the hooks, and twice the chance of hooking a fish.

I’ve had a great deal of success with the rigs listed below. I would recommend any of these for adult snapper.

Different colours are available.

But I’ve had the most success with the Bleeding Pilchard. With yellow coming a close second.

I particularly love using the Bleeding Pilchard colour scheme. Because it works so well. I’ve tried cheaper variations. But in my experience, they don’t come close to the build quality of these rigs. The exception is my own DIY rigs where I add my own skirts and lumo beads.

You will be amazed at just how effective these rigs are when the snapper is one. Both in a boat, a kayak, and from the pier or land-based location.

Find out more by clicking here.

When targetting smaller snapper – eg: while fishing the Warmies where I might catch bream, etc – I’ll often use smaller hooks and rigs. So a size 4 or 6 hooks on a paternoster rig.

I’ll often add some lumo beads, feathers, etc to enhance the effectiveness of the rig. Similar to the suggestions above.

In all cases, I’ll add chicken strips (with my own special sauce), or squid tentacles (strips from the hood are good too!) to the hooks. Sometimes mixing and matching one on each hook, or even a cocktail of both on the same hook!

Recommended Bait

While my favourite snapper and pinky bait is chicken, prepared in my own “special sauce” there’s a lot of other bait used to entice this amazing table fish. Including: Australian Salmon Fillets, Squid, Bluebait, Pipis, Yakkas, Pilchards, Slimy Mackeral, Baracouta, Silver Whiting.

Possible sauce combinations you can try are Gulp alive juice, SFactor attractant, Pro Cure (especially garlic) or make your own up (as I do.)

However, the most popular snapper bait is hands-down pilchards. With a generous tuna oil berley trail. This oily bait seems to set the taste buds of the snapper schools firing up.

Calamari is a good runner-up in many locations. With a “bait cocktail” of pilchards and bait on a paternoster rig often works well. In fact, calamari can be used on the same hook as the pilchard to help keep the softer fish on the hook.

While the tuna oil berley may seem odd to novices the fact is it’s the enzymes in the oil that attract the fish. The pilchard bait, also an oily fish, matches close enough to be extremely effective.

Berley

Berley is essential when snapper fishing. It brings the fish to your bait. It’s important to use small particles so as not to “feed the fish.” Breadcrumbs, chicken pellets or the commercially available blends specifically designed for snapper all work well.

I nearly always add crushed prawn or crab shells, bits of fish, fish frames etc to the mix. Plus I’ll add some combinations of sauces etc that I mix up. The latter I’ve found takes good berley and makes it killer berley.

In a boat, I’ll use a berley bucket. Land-based I tend to use a feeder cage if possible. Though I have a small berley bucket I throw out, tied to light-grade rope/string, and let it float if the area is snag free. The latter works best on beaches.

Snapper Land-Based Hotspots

While land-based snapper fishing is a lot tougher than from a boat the fact is it’s possible to catch good-sized snapper – bigger than pinkies.

The following locations, between September and December, have proven to be worthwhile in recent years. Particularly during a blow from the southeast.

• Mt Martha Rocks
• Mornington Pier
• Mordialloc Pier
• Beaumaris Jetty

Pilchards and fresh calamari have proven to consistently do damage in these locations according to snapper fishing reports over the last decade. Berley with what’s on your hook in the mix, with tuna oil all being essential.

Snapper Quick Tips

When Is Snapper Season In Melbourne?

While a few adult snapper and Immature Pinky Snapper are caught during the Winter months the snapper season really gets underway in late September or Early October. Depending largely on water temperatures. The season then extends through to March. Again water temperature plays a significant role.