Screaming Snapper in Slipper Shallows on Softbaits
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Fishing Reports
Forum Description: Share information about your latest fishing trip
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=23812
Printed Date: 11 Aug 2026 at 9:02am
Topic: Screaming Snapper in Slipper Shallows on Softbaits
Posted By: carlostairua
Subject: Screaming Snapper in Slipper Shallows on Softbaits
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2007 at 10:00pm
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Hey All
Geez, its been windy! Saturday morning we escaped the building northerly around the southern end of Slipper. After a hard morning north of Tairua we found heaps of gannets diving bombing a lot of fish pushed hard into the shallows - like 3m of water!!!. We fished the fringe of the reef, hoping to pick up some kahawai or the odd kingi, but instead of grey shadows chasing softbaits to the boat it was big flashes of red! The water was crystal clear and we could see the fish taking right beside the boat in 3-4m of water!! Amazing! Brothers John and Paul Ashely got into some brotherly rivalry and were netting some nice 5 pound snapper on GULP lime tigers. Paul kicked things into gear 
John followed 
But Paul nailed the fish of the day slowly retreiving a Nuc chook in pogy shape. A nice snap of 14 pound, hooked in 5m of water, we had the stabi full tit in reverse following it through the reef and around the bommies.... 
------------- http://theprovider.co.nz" rel="nofollow - theprovider.co.nz |
Replies:
Posted By: kaveman
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2007 at 10:04pm
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Nice one Carl, boys went up there also but found it hard going on Saturday. |
Posted By: Goneburger
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2007 at 10:05pm
| That last fish is a ripper Epic...! Must have been amazing seeing hits in the clear water - choice..! |
Posted By: Fred Onion
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2007 at 10:11pm
Enormus Pannies In Plain view of the boat epic  . Must have been awsomw to see them hiting the baits in broad daylight.
Great day out while most of us caught up on the chores around the house. ------------- FORD King of the Mountain |
Posted By: brown
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2007 at 10:37pm
good fish outta that depth epic sounds like a nice battle too
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Posted By: Mahiman
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2007 at 11:01pm
| Snapper in the shallows on the softies, now thats a lot of fun... |
Posted By: KeenAs
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2007 at 6:22am
Awesome Carl 
Love the war stripes them there Snap's be wearing
and that last ones a doooozie! |
Posted By: Boz19
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2007 at 9:13am
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Wicked!!!!!
Thats musta been farkin exciting seeing the snaps hitting the softies, wow ------------- http://www.legasea.co.nz" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: johnny_A
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2007 at 9:38am
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Thanks for a great day on the water Carl - sure was an 'Epic' Adventure.
Fishing with soft-plastics 'properly' was a first for me - and I was pretty surprised that we could catch snapper in such shallow clear water (being able to see the individual rocks and clumps of weed below). Wasn't until the fish started coming on board that I was a 'convert'.
To anyone thinking about a trip in the Tairua/Pauanui area I thoroughly recommend Carl's Epic Adventures for an awesome day out.
Cheers,
John
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Posted By: [email protected]
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2007 at 9:53am
Excellent work there chaps  ------------- http://www.blackbillsportfishing.co.nz/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Fishy Fingers
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2007 at 10:07am
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Nice one epic! slipper always abit thin, but when she fires lookout! ------------- Fresh kahawai that's where it's at!!! |
good to see. Keep up the good work.Posted By: munta snapa hunta
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2007 at 10:22am
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nice 1 looks like a kelpee they taste the best |
Posted By: phantomdeviant
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2007 at 5:29pm
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Nice one epic. Snaps are turbo charged on Sp gear in the shallows. Must have been awesome watching them too. The one in that 2nd photo has wicked bands/stripes ------------- Skirt Pulla |
Posted By: of2fsh
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2007 at 5:58pm
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Good one Epic ------------- 2009 and 2010 BERKLEY SOFTBAIT COMP CHAMPS,Runner up 2013 ( solo),winner 2013/14 longest kingfish nz fishing competition |
Posted By: Far Quirk
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2007 at 6:23pm
| IMHO an adult snapper with stripes is highly stressed. If you gut hook a snapper it will often have these stripes. The fish in the photo is not gut hooked, so maybe it's just a scaredy-fish and reacts more to the inconvenience of being caught than others. I saw something from an underwater camera survey in the Hauraki Gulf at night. The fish were all sleeping/resting near the bottom, and they all had these pronounced stripes. It may help the snap to look fierce when it is vulnerable. It could also help with camouflage in a weedy area. |
Posted By: the gas man
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2007 at 7:59am
| Great fish, Paul looks mighty happy with himself!! |