As soon as another fisherman knows I've recently caught snapper in Australia's largest estuary, Port Phillip Bay, the first question they ask is "where were you fishing?" I suppose it's not surprising given that most anglers think they have the ‘how to' part of the snapper equation sorted. I'm not so sure they really do but regardless, the vast majority seem to have an insatiable appetite for up to date information about the ‘where to' component.

Plenty has been written over the years about Port Phillip Bay snapper, presenting different theories on when and where to fish. Despite this, identifying exact spots can be tough when information is painted with broad brush strokes rather than an HB pencil. That's where this article should be different.

Between the start of October and Christmas of 2005 I attempted to wet a line every fishable day. My goal was to tackle bay reds, cut through much of the hyperbole that surrounds Port Phillip snapper fishing and ratify some previously held beliefs. This is what I discovered.

Entry and distribution

Most anglers believe that snapper enter the bay in September. Slowly at first, then in huge numbers through October and into November. What happens next is a matter of conjecture. Some believe the snapper break up into two main schools. One working its way up the eastern seaboard in a counter clock wise direction and the other up the western seaboard in a clockwise direction. At any given time the two schools tend to be in similar positions up the bay, but on separate sides. I have some difficulty reconciling this theory. During last season, which was an absolute mind blower, fish initially turned up in places like Point Nepean and Mount Martha. Then, shortly after in mid October, large numbers started to get caught off Carrum but not at Mornington, which is much closer to The Heads.

I think a more likely scenario is that the fish initially school up off Mount Martha when they first enter the bay and then belt right up the middle. As they move north up the deeper water they start to disperse onto suitable feeding grounds. I don't think they munch their way up the bay stopping at every station along they way. Instead, they put their heads down and swim relatively long distances in short periods. This would explain why, in some years, they turn up in more northerly areas, such as Carrum and Mordialloc, before they do at Mornington. Ultimately though, who cares how they get where they're going. What's more important is their arrival time.

Shallows arrival

Snapper initially ‘acclimatise' in deep waters of around 20 metres, then move closer to shore in November and December.

They're so reliable that I believe it's possible to predict, within a 7 to 10 day period in late November or early December, when they'll arrive in the shallower water. I know this is a big call, but remember, we're dealing with a creature that runs on instinct.

I believe that snapper head to the same feeding grounds each year at about the same time. Last season I fished regularly out off Carrum, Mordialloc and Frankston early on in the piece, in water deeper than 15 metres. When the fish started to quieten down in late November I moved in close off Mornington, Mount Eliza, Frankston and Seaford. I didn't fish up the north end of the bay last year, but I bet my boots they turned up in the shallower water at about the same time.

What do I mean by shallow water? Anything from a few metres to 11 or 12 metres. The fish were so thick in shallow water at dawn in early December 2005 that my fishing mate Neil and I wanted to see just how close to shore we could get and still catch good size reds, which mean fish of 5kg and over. During one week about an hour before sunrise each day, we ventured into about 5 metres, about 50 metres from the shore off Mount Eliza. In a 20 minute period around sunrise, almost like clock work for the days we fished that week, we managed fish on each day between 6 and 8kg. It became so predictable that, as that 20 minute period approached, we'd get up from our seats and hover around the rod holders, ready for the impending strike. It's amazing how the tension really builds in a situation like this when you just know something is going to happen.

Habitual creatures

Snapper are habitual creatures so don't try to out smart them, just learn their behavioural patterns and exploit their weaknesses. If you were to get a bunch of top Port Phillip snapper anglers together they'd have one thing in common; they'd all know when and where to fish. This doesn't mean they all fish the same area at the same time, but for their own little part of the bay, they'll have it absolutely wired.

This is why 10% of anglers catch 90% of the fish. It's not just because they spend more time on the water, but also because they have done it for so long that they've got the ‘where' and ‘when' down pat. Now this is often the stumbling block for new anglers trying to get a grip on the vagaries of bay snapper. Rarely, if ever, is a switched on snapper fisherman going to give up knowledge they've acquired over time. They just go out, brain the fish and keep the details to themselves.

I had an interesting conversation with Trevor Hogan from the Patterson River boat launching facilities on this very subject. Except for the occasional newcomer who catches a good snapper, most fish that come back to the weigh station, whether it's a weekday or on the weekend, are caught by the same anglers. Time after time Trevor sees the same old faces holding trophy size bay reds.

Time on the Water

Maximising your time on the water is imperative. There's no use spending a heap of cash on rods, reels and bait if you're going to sleep in until 11am. If you don't like early mornings then expect to catch flathead rather than snapper.

Over the years I've found that dawn is the most productive by a country mile. Sure, you can fish at dusk and yes, you'll get some fish but I don't think is compares to the consistency of dawn, when big reds feed most aggressively.

Last year we caught a heap of fish between 6 and 8kg and, despite fishing through the day on occasion and at dusk, we every one of those big fish was caught at dawn. Enough said!

Getting specific

Let's get more specific about details on how and where to nail a decent snapper in the bay without listing a couple of dozen GPS marks that already appear in heaps of other publications.

Rather than simply listing a heap of common GPS marks, let's look at a snapper schedule to follow from October through to late December, prime time for Port Phillip Bay snapper. The following table contains information I've collected over the last few seasons so it is as current as magazine articles permit. To really be productive when fishing any GPS mark the other piece of essential equipment other than a GPS is a quality sounder. Personally, if I arrive at a spot at dawn and I can't sound up fish near the bottom, I cruise onto the next GPS mark and start sounding again. This isn't to say you will always get fish when they appear on the sounder, but if you sound around an area thoroughly and there are no signs of fish, from personal experience it isn't worth anchoring. When using the table below, for GPS marks that are near to each other can be used as a collection of way points and you can move from one to the other looking for fish on your sounder.

Manners

One thing I will stress though. If you fish some of these marks then be polite and if somebody is already fishing there then keep your distance. Anchoring within 100 metres of another boat is likely to result in neither vessel catching fish. The only thing you're sure to attract is other anglers, who will think you're onto a hotspot.