Fishing off the bricks

Snapper is a recreational fishing favourite across New Zealand and Australia.

They can grow to over 1 meter in length and records show they can grow to weigh over 17kg. Most anglers dream of landing a 20lb snapper and becoming a member of the exclusive 20lb club, but it’s not as common as we’d all like it to be!

The average length for snapper is 3-50cm (fork length) and this equates to a weight of between 0.6 - 2.5kg (1 -5lb).

Snapper can be found in a wide variety of habitats including reefs, sandy areas near weed lines, mud bottoms, and shallow inshore rocky areas where they can hide in the kelp. They inhabit coastal regions and tend to live inshore during the spring and summer, when they spawn multiple times before moving offshore during winter.

Because of the range of depths and environments where you can find snapper (i.e. very shallow water out to 200 meters), they’re a key target for both landbased and boat anglers.

Snapper are a carnivorous species and they'll eat most things in the sea including sea worms, mussels, crustaceans, kina, and smaller fish. They're known for their adaptability. If one food source becomes scarce, they can alter their feeding habits quickly to target different prey.

If you're bait fishing for snapper, matching your bait to one oftheir food sources will always improve your chances of a bite.

Snapper is a prime target for anglers fishing off the bricks. Your strategy and gear set up will be a little different to when you’re targeting snapper off the boat, or from the beach; but the size of the fish you can catch from right at your feet make all the effort worth it.

Snapper generally feed at night as they rely on the low light conditions for camouflage. So early mornings and evenings are often the best times to target them.

During summer (peak fishing season), this can mean some very early mornings and late nights, but the benefits far outweigh the loss of sleep. Because snapper are actively hunting for food at these times, they’re more likely to be interested in whatever bait or lure you’re offering.

But snapper can be targeted off the rocks all year round.

Locations that are likely to deliver good fish are usually a little more isolated, which can mean they’re harder to get to, or you’ll have to move around a bit to find the right spot. If a landbased location is busy it usually means it’ll be overfished and you’re not likely to catch much, if anything at all.

When targeting snapper, you’re looking for areas with good current, a rock platform that has weedy or sand covered shallows at the water line and drops off that create deeper pools. Different environments can deliver different sized snapper. Trial and error in different locations, at different depths and with different underwater environments will help you identify what fish are living in the area, and you can adjust your setup to suit.

Before heading out, always check the tides and what the swells are doing. Your safety and knowing your own capabilities are important. If you’re having doubt’s, don’t fish. You don’t want to get trapped on a rock somewhere! Tools like Google Earth can let you see what an area will look like at low tide, gives you good visibility of the rock formations and the environment, so you can think through your approach before you even head out.

Areas with lots of current are ideal for lots of species, but particularly snapper. It can stir up the bottom, getting food sources moving around, which you can add burley to, to help attract in fish from deeper water.

Always start your rock fishing session by putting burley in the water. This will bring the local snapper into the area, and get them feeding, so when you deploy your bait into the burley trail, they’ll be keen for more. Some anglers will even send out the burley an hour or two before they start fishing, to increase the activity.

Fishing is all about balance. Match your mainline to the size and style of your rod and reel. Match the weight of your leader to your mainline, target species and environment. Match the size of your hook or lure to your leader. And lastly, match the size of your hook to the size of your bait.

At every stage of your gear set up, consider what species you’re targeting, what fishing style you’re using and what environment you’re fishing in. Set yourself up for success by using a balanced gear set up.

Most rock fishermen will use a rod between 2.3 and 3.5 metres (7.5ft – 11ft) in length. This gives you enough length to make longer casts, but not too long that controlling your fish in close becomes a handling nightmare. Your rod needs to be capable of holding 10-15kgline weights, which give you the strength to battle the big boys and the added insurance of slightly higher abrasion resistance due to the thicker line diameter.

Specialised surfcasting rods aren’t ideal for rock fishing. Bite detection and control is better and landing your fish is easier with a shorter 7ft – 11ft rod. There will be some scenarios when a much longer rod is required, but if it is, then your full gear set up would change. You’ll need a stronger, bigger reel, heavier terminal tackle and you’ll be fishing in much more difficult terrain and water environments.

Also consider a 2-piece rod, to make it easier to carry if you have to hike to your fishing spot. Carrying an 11ft rod through terrain isn’t easy, nor will they fit in some cars, so consider how you’ll transport your rod.

No matter rod and reel set up you choose, always buy the best you can within your budget. Fishing off the rocks and in rougher terrain requires a different level of durability, so focus on buying the highest quality gear you can – because when that big fish comes along, you don’t want low quality gear to be the reason you lose it.

When targeting big fish, lighter is not always better, particularly when fishing off the bricks as there is a lot of underwater structure that your mainline (and leader) will have to contend with.

Mono line has a higher level of abrasion resistance than braid, so is a more common choice when landbased fishing. It also has more stretch than braid, which can act as a shock absorber if a big fish attacks your bait.

Some anglers like to fish with a high visibility line, like our Velocity Surf, as this gives them a better visual of where their line and bait are in the water. But others prefer to fish in stealth mode, which a clear mono line, like our IGFA or Premier Tough line, can help with.

However, for situations where casting distance from your stationery location is needed, use a specialist casting braid, like Hyperglide® 13x Braid. Use of a casting braid can deliver extra distance and improved accuracy in your cast, meaning you can drop your bait (or lure) right into a school of fish, or to your solitary target.

RECOMMENDED LINE WEIGHT – 10 - 15kg mono line or 50lb - 80lb braid

Your choice of leader is important for a number of reasons.

1. It will impact your bait presentation

2. It needs to have a high level of abrasion resistance to cope with impact from underwater structure and the powerful jaws of snapper

3. Depending on the water clarity, you may need to consider how visible your leader might be to the local snapper

Fluorocarbon can be a good choice as it has a much higher level of abrasion resistance than mono so it can handle being scraped and rubbed against sharp or rough objects for slightly longer periods. Mono leaders will also work very well when fishing off the bricks, but you just need to consider that it may not handle as much wear and tear as fluorocarbon.

Knowing the limitations of your gear is imperative to success. For example, fishing for snapper off the rocks with 40lb Tough Trace might seem stealthy, but when you connect to a big fish, the risk of the leader breaking is going to be pretty high, and you might be left wishing you’d gone with 100lb fluorocarbon instead. Fluoro will handle more damage than mono, but neither will last forever if constantly under strain.

If you’re fishing in murky or rough seas, in low light conditions (or at night) then leader visibility isn’t such a concern, so a mono leader will be ideal. Some mono leaders, like our Tough Trace, are manufactured to have a slightly higher level of abrasion resistance meaning they can handle some rough and tumble from structure and fish.

But others are manufactured to be more supple, like our Supple Trace. While Supple Trace maintains a good level of abrasion resistance, you really need to consider what is more important – suppleness (to deliver natural looking baits) or abrasion resistance.

A pink mono leader can also work well in these situations. This is because red is the first colour in the spectrum to disappear underwater. Our Pink Shock Leader is a good option to use in shallow murky water for saltwater species. It has very good knot strength combined with very good abrasion resistance.

Straylining is one of the most common ways to target snapper off the rocks. Unweighted, naturally presented baits, cast in amongst your burley, will entice the local snapper out from their cover. Straylining doesn’t require much current as you want your bait to look as natural as possible.

The size of your hooks is determined by the size of the baits you’re using, which is determined by the size of the fish you expect to find in your fishing location. Strayline rigs can use either recurve or J/suicide style hooks, but recurve hooks are most common. If you’re fishing with recurve hooks, ensure the hook point isn’t buried in your bait. Remember not to strike when the fish takes your bait. Just let the weight come on to the rod and apply some gentle pressure, maybe a slow wind or 2, and only starting winding in when you know you’ve secured the hook.

You can fish with 1 hook or 2 – each setup has its benefits. A single hook is less likely to get snagged on underwater structure, however 2 hooks can increase your chances of a bite.

You can read our full guide to straylining here.

Snapper are a carnivorous species and they'll eat most things in the sea including sea worms, mussels, crustaceans, kina, and smaller fish. Match your bait to one of their food sources can improve your chances of a bite.

Whenever you’re targeting snapper, you never know when the big one will come along. Always ensure you’re prepared for whatever size fish you land. Bigger fish need their weight supported by a net, or a gaff – don’t just start swinging them up the rocks. Have someone with you to help you land your fish or get down to the edge of the water and bring your fish right to you, so you can float it into your net.

- Just like any style of fishing, there is no one size fits all when it comes to rock fishing. Testing and learning is key, just as you would with fishing a new spot off the boat. Always consider your gear set up, your personal set up and how to keep yourself safe

- Burley is important as it brings snapper into the immediate area

- Fish your feetfirst.  Big snapper will happily mooch in a metre of water if there is weed cover or a food source present

- Be aware of tidal movements in your fishing spot, so you don’t get trapped out on a ledge

- Don't always fish the spots that "look good", as it’s likely that lots of other anglers will have thought the same thing and the area has been overfished

- Vary the baits you use – sometimes a specific bait will work better than others, but you won’t know unless you try different baits throughout your fishing session

- If you’re exploring a new area aim to fish three hours either side of low tide. This way you won’t get stuck or have to get wet to get home

- The days following a big swell can be highly efficient as the bottom will be stirred up, delivering all kinds of prey and food to the local predators and scavenging fish

- Ensure you know the minimum legal size and bag limits for the area you’re fishing in, and only take what you need