Arrived just before 5am, and made a beeline to the same postion as last time when the pinkies were biting hot.... inside the harbour, at the very end of the wooden pier leading towards the harbour entrance. After 30-40 minutes here , with no bites, I decide to move around to the bayside of the rockwall.
Buy now the sun is beginning to show, I hurry to get 3 lines out, one of which is a new 13ft graphite Shimano AeroWsve from Anaconda yestrrday. (50% off, thanks Bowl for the heads up during the week).... For a change I brought along a pack of white bait and put one of the rods out with the white bait on a running sinker with a small circle hook. A bit unorthadox, but no harm trying. Got the burley going well, attracting plenty of small fingerling sized fish.
Not a lot happens for an hour, and then bang! A rod buckles and the line peels off, heading out wide at a fair rate of knots. Tighten up the drag, a fraction and let it keep running... so long as its going for open water I know I have enough line , for now. The fish finally stops, and I get to work recovering the lost ground.... and off it goes again. The battle ends up being short ... the fish doesn't quite have the stanima and its soon close enough to start showing some colour...ahhh ha!! Snapper.!!! Happy Days.
Last time I had a sizeable Snapper on the hook I lost it during the landing, I was adament not to have a repeat experience. With nett at the ready, I brought it closer to the rocks, a wave picks it up and deposits it on a rock, recedes leaving the fish stranded.... wait, next wave, and into the nett it goes. Finally landed, and brought ashore. Lucky I had some help with that nett... a beautiful 59cm, ~5Kg Snapper would have been hard work on my own.
So there we go, a PB for LB Snapper, and my first for this season, all on the only bite for the whole morning.
Whitebait on a light running sinker rig
Burley'd hard
