Chasing winter snapper With Zane Levett
by Zane Levett, Berkley Fishing 7 Jun 2024 23:55 BST
Chasing winter snapper With Zane Levett © Berkley Fishing
The thrill of getting XL snapper on a lure makes me froth almost harder than anything and the Gulp! range over the years has been a huge success story for myself and my dad who run a sport fishing charter business out of South West Rocks.
The reason big snapper gets me so worked up is because you are catching big fish often in shallow water on light line. The intense battle when fighting a big red always gives me the sensation that my heart is in my throat, and I can vouch that it would be the same for even the most seasoned anglers.
When targeting a snapper in the shallows on lures, you're generally fishing some gnarly reef which can often leave you in tears due to the old reef dweller knowing his way around his "town". A tip I can give here is don't get hung up on the ones you lose because there will be plenty of moments to come just like it.
I personally love to fish for snapper during the dawn and dusk periods due to them being most active at these times, swimming around looking for a feed! During low light, reds are often fired up but can still be quite picky in what they will eat. I believe they love a bit of a sniff before they devour a lure, and this is where the Gulp! range comes into my success on the water.
Over the past few years my go to lures for chasing reds has been both the 7" & 9" Gulp! Jerkshads, mostly because I'm targeting that fish of lifetime and generally, I find that most big fish eat big baits. The Gulp Nemesis 6.5" and 6" Gulp! Grub are great slow fall lures which I run as my drifter rod (a lure that is out the back of the boat in a rod holder). The Gulp! Nemesis and Grub also play a major role in my deep-water fishing and often picks up all sorts of reef species like snapper, pearl perch and tuskfish with their enticing curly tail and slower sink rate.
Recent times has seen me mix it up and try new things, and the new Gulp! Nemesis Paddle Prawns in the 5" sizes are quickly becoming a favourite, producing a heap of good fish for me!
I am a firm believer that colours don't make a difference when fishing for snapper, but the colours I have built my confidence off of would have to be the natural options such as Yakka Snack, Camo, Blue Pepper Neon, Pilchard, Watermelon Pearl and Gar Licker as well as the common favourites amongst Aussie anglers - Pearl White and Pink Shine.