Winter is officially here and we are finally being rewarded with the beautiful sunny days we’re known for at this time of year. When it’s like this it is great to be fishing on the Sunshine Coast.

In the cold weather lure fishing is often forgotten. But it is worth knowing some of the lure fanatics are still getting good results targeting snapper and most commonly they are using soft plastics.

 

 

If you want to try out a few lures I recommend anchoring up and starting a berley trail. Then cast whichever way your burley is drifting and let the lure slowly drift through the burley until it hits bottom.

Then lift the rod tip in a jerking motion and wind the slack. Let it sink and repeat this a couple of times. If you don’t get a strike, wind in and cast again, this time trying a slower retrieval or perhaps a different colour lure.

Your jig head size will vary with the depth you are fishing in. Usually, half to one ounce is enough along with heavy guage hooks – 3/0 to 5/0. I have had good results with four to five inch Gulp and Berkley PowerBaits in various colours including nuclear chicken, pilly and pumpkin seed. Flick baits, jerk shads and grubs designs all work well.

 

 

 

If you are not getting results you might want to try drifting – casting forward to your drift so that your lure gets to the bottom.

It is not unheard of to troll deep diving lures for snapper. The best places to hook a snapper are along rocky coastline and over structure or bait schools, showing up on the sounder. Halco has a range of deep diving hard bodies that dive to eight metres. So if you want to try something more sporting than the traditional snapper fishing methods, give this a go.

Happy hunting!