Top Water Snapper
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Popper and Topwater Fishing
Forum Description: If you're into a bit of action on top, this is the forum for you
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=68981
Printed Date: 07 Jun 2026 at 1:14am
Topic: Top Water Snapper
Posted By: albert wild
Subject: Top Water Snapper
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 3:43pm
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Hi all, hope you are all not shivering in the snow I plan to put a fair bit of time this spring and summer into chasing snapper on poppers and walk the dog style topwater lures. I'm keen to here from any members that have played around with this sort of thing. I have spotted the occasional fish on here that has been caught on a stick bait so I'm sure there's a few anglers out there that have some info to share on lure size-style, water depth, retrieve speed - cadence. A few guys over here in OZ starting to play with the reds and spangled emperors on poppers with some interesting results. Cheers, hope the weather warms up for you guys soon |
Replies:
Posted By: Telecaster
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 3:50pm
| I caught a couple of decent pannies on a kilwell hex wobbler off the rocks a couple of years ago, while spinning for kahawai. Really makes you challenge the preconceived ideas about snapper behavior! Keep us posted with your results! |
Posted By: Blue Asparagus
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 3:53pm
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hi there, we were targeting snapper some 30+ years ago mate from the rocks on what was then call mavericks brought in from ozzy by the Alvey boys, they had a single treble hook and were all sorts of colours, the best colour from memory was in rainbow, we got some very nice snapps of all sizes and generally they came in on the shallow water over the weed, we would target the gaps in the reefs and slow wind back, bear in mind back then we were using Alvey 1 to 1 retrieve. ------------- Ultimate GAME Fishing Adventures. Northland |
Posted By: albert wild
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 3:56pm
| Hi Tele, you're on the money, it's all about progression. Still a lot of stuff to play with to keep the fire burning. Cheers for the feedback. |
Posted By: Capt Asparagus
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 9:35pm
| Someone fishing off...mayor island in the BoP i think, nailed a very nice snapper last summer.... pics etc were posted here. |
Posted By: albert wild
Date Posted: 16 Aug 2011 at 10:26am
| Hi Capt Asparagus, I saw that post, it was an impressive capture. Most of the Snaps being caught on poppers over here in OZ seem to be coming out of water around the 5 metre mark in calmer areas, on 70 to 100 mm poppers that are worked with a reasonably long pause between pops. Warmer water temps seem to be a bit of common denominator. We still have 20 degree water off Nambucca at the moment, still catching Spotted Mackerel in August, so we may have a lash it over the next few weeks, I will let you know how it go's |
Posted By: Bunzo
Date Posted: 16 Aug 2011 at 11:08pm
Here is the link to Ginga's report of the 20pounder on an 'Angel' stickbait shown on my avatar, caught last March at Mayor, it was a goody  http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/giant-snapper-on-a-stick-bait_topic63925.html - http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/giant-snapper-on-a-stick-bait_topic63925.html
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Posted By: JoshW
Date Posted: 17 Aug 2011 at 1:30am
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not sure if warm water is essential albert, have seen/caught them in the middle of winter in water so shallow their dorsal spines are sticking out of the water, have also witnessed them chrashing piper schools in still glassy calm winter mornings. never caught one on a popper, (haven't really tried yet tbh), caught heaps on shallow diving bibbed minnows, even had the floating models crunched off the surface.
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Posted By: Mr Plastic
Date Posted: 17 Aug 2011 at 3:39am
| I think the sinking stick bait on the shallow foul would find a few.. Most other lures do so i cant see why not. A good place to start anyway. |
Posted By: albert wild
Date Posted: 17 Aug 2011 at 11:26am
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Hi Josh, It's funny bream will get right up in the shallows with there backs out of the water, even tail like golden trevs at times, they feed and attack artificials in very similar ways to snapper and the old breambo is a sucker for a top water presentation. In OZ we consistently catch flathead and whiting on poppers now, I know they are completely different species, but both of them were always considered bottom feeders and species that you would not consider a top water target. Like you said, snapper seem to be keen to attack most offerings that are put in the right spot at the right time and the water temp thing may not be such a factor if you can find them in the right spots. One things for sure I reckon we could have some fun with this, be pretty cool watching big fat snaps munching lures off the surface. What sort of hard bods do you guys use on the snaps Josh? Thanks for posting the link Bunzo, dam nice fish, well done Cheers for the feedback fellas
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Posted By: JoshW
Date Posted: 17 Aug 2011 at 12:10pm
| various sizes of rapala xraps, CD's and river 2 sea bibbed minnows mostly. the floating models are better as you can cast over snags, retrieve...pause and let them float over the snag and continue retrieving. Fished them quite a bit during/after work last year in water as shallow as 1m and did really well considering the locations we were fishing, very local, (straight out the front door of the house). Lots and lots of pannies and the odd 5-7kgr. Caught them casting and trolling but found trolling them a very productive way to secure a feed, esp in the middle of a storm when it's to windy to cast/anchor/drift or even leave the vicinity of the boat ramp. |
Posted By: albert wild
Date Posted: 17 Aug 2011 at 12:35pm
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Sounds like fun Josh, pretty versatile weapon the old floating crank bait, some of the yak guys over here are doing really well trolling hard bods at the moment, fishing with CD's and similar lures. Boys down in Port Phiilip in Vic doing well trolling super deep divers over the flatter terrain. I've asked Grant if he can add a hard body sub section to one of the forum's, lots of stuff to play with and share info on. Cheers mate.
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Posted By: Accident Prone
Date Posted: 18 Aug 2011 at 4:34pm
| I was planning on trying this out at the Mokes but unfortunately the weekend weather hasn't been the greatest and have had to postpone our trip twice now. 3rd time lucky!. If I have any luck I will let you know. |
Posted By: Bunzo
Date Posted: 19 Aug 2011 at 12:50am
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Not wrong Albert, Whiting are a blast on poppers, they chase them down and smash them. http://s224.photobucket.com/albums/dd207/bunzo51/?action=view¤t=GoboPopper.jpg">  http://s224.photobucket.com/albums/dd207/bunzo51/?action=view¤t=WhitingonaGoboPopper.jpg">  -------------
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Posted By: albert wild
Date Posted: 19 Aug 2011 at 1:04am
| Blood oath Bunzo, they come in on the popper like a striped marlin, fantastic fun and sweet to eat. Who would ever of thought we would be catching them constantly on topwater lures. I spent a fortune on small Jap top water lures last summer, I had the drug baaad!!! Be cool to get a few heads together and try to work out the snaps on top. |