Snapper Season

Snapper

FISHING SEASON

By Kevin Ballantine

Perfect float line conditions off the Gold Coast rewarding Kev with a solid fish

Col Powell with a beautiful early morning squire destined for the table Scott Fleming with a cracker 97cms nobbie snapper Metal jigs, are micro or Octa-style

With the east Australian current all but stopped, winter and early spring provide perfect conditions to target arguably the country’s most popular offshore species, the snapper. With a distribution ranging from central Queensland right down the east coast through the southern states and up past Shark Bay in Western Australia, it truly appeals to a huge percentage of the population. Different names are often attached through various growth stages with just legal fish referred to as pinkies, and squire being the next size bracket up varying between 1 and 3 kilos. These are great eating fish and are eagerly pursued. Nobbies are the true giants; these snapper can be over ten kilos in weight and over a metre in length, and they are trophies at that size. The bump on their forehead can be very pronounced and gnarly from feeding in dense reef structure. Habitats vary from tidally influenced shallow bays, such as Moreton Bay, to rocky coastlines and breakwalls, to the offshore grounds with water depths of over one hundred metres. Structures, whether it be natural reef and rock formations, one of the many wrecks that litter the ocean floor or a man-made artificial structure, provide shelter and are a magnet for baitfish, snapper and other predators.

TECHNIQUES The lack of depth across Moreton Bay requires a stealthy approach as nervous fish move into the margins around the bay’s islands and rock bars. Rising tides with low light conditions allow snapper of all sizes to feed in comfort among the rock and coral sheltering shellfish, baitfish and an endless supply of squid, ensuring the venture into the skinny water is worth it. Soft plastics, lightly weighted natural baits, and even trolling diving hard bodies with an electric motor all work well. For offshore applications, bait is still king. Float lining from a stationary vessel requires a constant regulated trickle of burley with a lightly-weighted bait consisting of a Western Australian pilchard, a piece of squid or a nice strip of fish flesh free spooled down the trail to where you have marked fish on your sounder or over a structure of some description. A little bit of current is good as this disperses the burley over a wider area drawing fish into the trail and up off the bottom making this technique deadly. Working a soft plastic through the trail catches plenty too, as does a paternoster-rigged live bait, which can be left in the rod holder until something shows some interest. Drifting baits along the deeper reef or gravel areas with paternoster rigs is a time-proven method on squiresized fish, pearl perch, and parrot fish. Large weights are needed to bomb the baits right onto the fish, which are located on the sounder. Float lining is still the gun technique on big fish in the deep. Adjusting lead size so that the bait floats into the bite zone is critical; too much and it’s straight to the bottom, too little and the bait won’t get down to the fish, keeping the line angle to around forty-five degrees seems to work perfectly. Metal jigs, whether they are micro or Octa-style, are both deadly and are rapidly gaining a huge following. Techniques used for micro-jigging combine a carefully balanced light graphite rod, ten or fifteen kilo colour-coded braided line matched to either a small high-speed overhead reel, or a four or five thousand-sized spinning reel. Fish are located on the sounder before dropping in depths from 30 to over 150 metres. Once it reaches the fish, the jig is fluttered and bounced through the show, not ripped up quickly as you would for kingies or amberjacks. The Octa-style jig is a totally different animal. Dropped to the bottom, it is lifted a metre or two up and is fished with the rod locked into a rod holder with the reel drag set firmly, and only the motion of the boat providing any lure action. Octa jigs allow you to fish multiple rods, increasing your chances of success.

TACKLE

Overhead or spin outfits are equally effective; the lengths ideally will be between six or seven feet. Line materials can be either braided gel-spun fibre or traditional nylon. But in water over 60 metres in depth, the zero stretch-factor of braid and its ability to transmit and detect bites, make it very popular. Fluoro-carbon leader sizes vary depending on conditions, technique and water depths. Five metres of 20, 30, or 40lb certainly help with presentation. Hooks should be well exposed regardless of how you are fishing and be of the highest quality as the snappers' powerful jaw configuration is used to crushing mollusks and shellfish.

CLOSED SEASON

Don’t forget snapper-fishing has a closed season, which runs from July 15 to August 15, and strict size and bag limits apply. Minimum size is 35cm and a bag limit of 4 per person with one over 70cm, or 8 per boat in total with 2 fish over 70cm allowed.

PURSUIT S 428

THE ICONIC FLAGSHIP OF THE PURSUIT CENTRE-CONSOLE SPORT BOAT SERIES

The size, power and amenities built into the brand new S 428, deem it the epitome of a legend—with the ability to fish, cruise and entertain in unrivaled style and comfort. The iconic bow features removable tables with designated storage, bow sun pad chaise for two people, with adjustable backrests, armrests, and drink holders. Remarkably, not only is the S 428 the largest boat Pursuit has ever built, it’s also the most powerful and the most spacious. Quad Yamaha 425 XTO engines work in perfect unison, becoming the driving force behind your adventures. Controlled with a Yamaha® Helm Masterex™ it has full maneuverability steering system control, and a single joystick operation with autopilot. The boat is wired with an 8-battery system, a 60-cycle 7.5 kW Cummins Onan diesel generator and the hull is fitted with a Zipwake Trim Control System, Series S interceptors with fully automatic pitch and roll control and, for easy docking, a bow thruster. With the largest aft cockpit in its class, you can haul in your record-breaking catch through either of its hull-side doors. This grand footprint has an abundance of rod holders, three fish boxes, ample tackle storage and bait prep areas, plus extra-large fridge and freezer boxes. The cockpit tackle centre has storage with trays and drawers. There is rod storage under the gunwales, under the hardtop, in the cabin, and above the hardtop radar, antenna and outrigger mountings. There’s even an industry-first second row of powered, convertible seats under the oversized hardtop. The Pursuit cockpit boasts a JL Audio custom-tuned entertainment system, and all equipment can be easily accessed by a helm machinery access hatch. There is LED lighting throughout. The helm has a molded fibreglass aft-tilting helm with instrumentation visor, electronics mounting surface, and fold-out fibreglass footrest. The stainless steering wheel has a control knob and non-slip grip on a Yamaha electric steering control with programmable steering friction, Yamaha® Command Link Plus display with optional Garmin electronics. In the rain, there is a single windshield wiper with washer control. When it’s time to entertain, your crew will have plenty of social zones to choose from, whether it’s the multi-function forward lounge seating or the plush aft-facing seat. There isn’t anyone who won’t be begging to tag along for the day. A spacious and tastefully designed interior has plenty of light and great views, thanks to the innovative cabin and the hightech molded hull which features frameless tempered glass hull-side windows. The cabin boasts a dinette that converts to a double bed, and it has a skylight. There are warm and inviting solid wood veneers on the interior cabinetry, and there is plenty of well thought out storage. On either a cold or hot day the reverse cycle heat or air conditioning, and a microwave for heating food, will make you comfortable. There is also a separate head with vacuum flush and a shower with hot/cold mixing valve and shower wand. Ideal for Queensland waters, the hull draft with motors up is a mere 0.86 m and with motors down just 1.14 m. The Pursuit S 428’s overall length is 13.33 m, with an impressive beam of 3.96 m and a dead rise of 22°. Under the floor there is a 2,071 L fuel tank to take you way offshore, and you can carry 265 L of fresh water. There is also a 90 L diesel generator tank. For added safety each vessel is fitted standard with two 5500 LPH bilge pumps with electric switches. The S 428 has a self-draining cockpit with molded water management and 316L stainless steel drainage grates. The S 428 is covered by a Pursuit® Protection Plan, 5-year hull and deck structural warranty, 5-year blister free warranty, and a 2-year limited warranty. The hardest part? Trying to decide what to do first. The S 428 sport boat is brimming with amenities so you and your family really can do it all. Whether that’s swimming up to the electro-hydraulic hull-side beach platform, fishing from the generous cockpit, or getting ready to grill in the wellappointed entertainment centre, every detail was designed to go beyond your wildest expectations. Powerful, sleek and grand, this is the stuff of legends. For info. contact brett@cobaltqld.com.au

WHITTLEY CR 2600 OB

OUTBOARD POWERED - LEGALLY TRAILERABLE

Longstanding Australian fibreglass boat builder, Whittley Boats, is leading the market with their CR 2600 OB (outboard) boat. It's a purposebuilt, legally trailerable outboard-powered sports cruiser that’s designed for the unique Australian boating lifestyle.

The CR 2600 OB was created with the Queensland boater in mind. The outboard motor enables beach and shallow water access from the rear with ease. More storage at the rear of the boat is made available where the sterndrive once went without compromising large areas of the swim platform space. The leg and prop can also be tilted up out of the water, lowering maintenance during mooring.

Locally, the company opened a new showroom at The Boat Works on the Gold Coast, where new boat buyers can view the latest outboard-powered packages for larger cruiser models. The research and development team at the Whittley Factory have worked closely with feedback from customers, to design outboard versions of their popular CR models. The key was to be able to trim the engine up, as well as minimise the room lost on the large rear swim platform. Consumers can also enjoy a weight reduction in this new OB model over the traditional sterndrive model, which makes the package lighter to tow behind a suitable vehicle. This boat was built for the Queensland market based on their feedback and input.

Eye-catching and spacious, the tightly drawn lines and subtle curves hint at something special, and stepping on board only confirms your first impression. Making the most of its 2.49m beam, the CR 2600 is both spacious and innovative. An elegant helm console with twin seat provides the captain and first mate a commanding view through the panoramic windscreen. Ergonomics have been well considered, and everything falls easily to hand. The sliding curved, solid cabin door reflects the detail Whittley is renowned for.

The Whittley CR 2600 OB combines the awardwinning quality of the sterndrive version, with the widely known benefits of outboard power. The outboard version offers additional storage and cabin space, whilst still providing a wraparound swim platform at the rear of the boat. Customers can enjoy increased reliability and lower service costs from an outboard engine; one of the many reasons why Whittley have seen outboard-powered packages continue to increase in popularity.

The CR 2600 OB ticks many of the boxes that families want in an all-round weekender package. The removable rear clears enable maximised airflow for those hot days, and the lockable cabin door midship means valuables can be kept safe while the boat is docked. Being under the legal towing beam of 2.5m, customers can trailer their boat nearly anywhere, anytime, with a suitable tow vehicle, making trips to unique locations a reality. With every new boat sold, the Whittley customer automatically becomes part of the Club Whittley QLD, where they will have the opportunity to explore new boating locations with the confidence of a friendly and knowledgeable owners' group.

Making boat ownership a reality has become even easier via seamless boat-motor-trailer finance services where customers can access competitive finance options.

Interested parties can now view detailed videos on the new model online and even take a virtual on-screen tour of the boat from the privacy and convenience of their homes. Quoting for the new model can also be done by consumers via the Whittley website and unique ‘build a boat’ feature.

The Whittley CR 2600 OB is on display at the Whittley Gold Coast Sales showroom. Customers can view details of the package online via whittleyboats.com.au.