Snapper galore

Well, it is now the end of November, and this year is racing by. However, it is also a great time of the year as well – the light is in the sky very early in the morning and there is lots of good fishing to be had if you can get out on the water. 
 

Fishing has continued to be amazing in the Top of the South, and I would go as far as to say some of the best snapper fishing the region has seen for decades. There are huge numbers of fish being caught and everyone is catching them as well, and from all areas.  Some nice fish have been caught off the beach with drone fishing really coming into its own this year. 

There have been some good fish caught this year, but I would not say there have been a lot of really big fish caught, and I think that is due to the sheer numbers of snapper at the moment – the really big fish don’t stand a chance of getting to the bait. But who knows, that is just my theory, and there could be other reasons.

Great eating-sized fish are around in numbers. 

On my last trip out all the fish were between that 65-70cm size range, so they are very nice, conditioned fish and they are a great eating size as well. 

There are a lot of baitfish in Tasman Bay at the moment, with large schools of jack mackerel on the bottom and at the surface, which you can quickly see by putting some berley in the water. These make great fresh bait, and the snapper do like them.

We have been lucky to not have had many sharks over recent months, which again could be down to the increased snapper population.

The odd kingfish is now being caught along the Boulder Bank as well, so certainly worth an option early morning or late afternoon, trolling a few diving lures along the Boulder Bank. 

The weather this weekend coming is looking pretty good and I am sure there will be plenty of people out on the water. I know I will certainly try to get out should the weather stay the way it is forecast! Anyway, get out and enjoy some time on the water if you can over the next month as there should be some great fishing to be had. 

Cheers!

Dan Govier 

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