Get ready to rock, lobsters
FOR some people, the start of the new rock lobster season heralds the start of the saltwater fishing season, and boats are dragged from their winter shelter in anticipation of opening weekend.
For those who are not into winning or losing footy teams, the fishing has already started and has been well under way in the brine for some time.
Flathead of good sizes, some nudging the “magic” 50mm mark, have been caught in shallow waters around Blackmans Bay and Kingston, mainly on soft plastics and big sloppy baits.
For those who are keen to wet a line or drop a pot when the starting pistol is fired, your weekend will begin on November 3, with the East Coast region to open on December 8.
For full season dates and more information on what’s open where, because there will no doubt be some waters closed due to biotoxin alerts, go to the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment website and check out the section covering recreational fishing seasons.
Many people are now hanging up their gear because it’s getting too complicated and hard to understand, which is a shame because the Tasmanian rock lobster season opening was traditionally an event to be celebrated within fishing circles.
Calamari closures
WHILE on seasons, here is a reminder about the calamari squid closed areas.
The Upper South-East Coast waters, including Great Oyster Bay and Mercury Passage, are closed from October 15 to November 14 inclusive each year.
Tasmania’s North Coast will be closed from October 1-31 inclusive from Cape Grim east to Cape Naturaliste.
The striped trumpeter season closed on September 1 and reopens on November 1.
Snap to it
FISHING for snapper is well under way in northern estuaries, and many people are trying offshore reefs and deep holes because spring and autumn are the best months for this species.
Snapper are often found over sandy and shelly bottoms and a few underwater caves and reefs are the ideal habitat for this species.
Late afternoon and early morning are the best times to fish for snapper, and an incoming tide works best.
Some will have you believe that you need the latest and greatest rods and reels for snapper. Sure, some of the new gear available is awesome, but keep your rods and reels simple and you can’t go wrong.
I use an old Daiwa 5000 reel, loaded up with 5kg braid and a long mono leader with a running sinker as a rig for my snapper fishing. That coupled with circle hooks 1/0 up to 3/0 are all you need.
You can’t beat fresh squid heads for bait, and if they have the “candles” and some tentacles attached, all the better.
Berley is an essential ingredient, and I make my own. Sure, the commercial types are fine, but I like to add bran to my mix.
My base ingredient is chicken layer mash, which gives a fine dispersal rate when mixed with fish oil and frozen.
You can freeze it into ice cream containers and just lob the whole thing (without the container of course) into the water underneath your boat or at your feet if onshore. Alternatively you could make cricket ball-sized lumps and throw them in occasionally, which is my favourite method.
Whatever method you use, just keep it simple and you will find your experience fishing for snapper that much more fun.