Snapper fishing South Aust.

[Geoff]

I'm thinking of heading to SA with a few mates around mid 2015 to do some snapper fishing most likely on a charter boat.

Any one been there , done that , if so , would appreiciate your experiences or a few "do's & don'ts"

Geoff

Edited August 25, 2014 by Geoff

[Crossfire63]

Geoff

As they say in the Nike ad "Just do it"

Whyalla and Arno Bay are brilliant.

Spent 10 days down there 3yrs ago and the fishing is absolutely brilliant.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Crossfire63

[Geoff]

What time of the year did you go , we're a bit concerned about being there at a bad time of the year , eg like July /August in Sydney when the big Westers blow

Geoff

[Crossfire63]

We were down there April May. The problem down there is the Southerlies that blow up

[Stash]

From SA, Snapper season starts roughly in October and heads thru till around march. November is closed for Snapper (until the 30th). Best time to go is just after the closure (ie November 30 at midday) and up until Christmas, before everyone goes on holidays. Arno/whyalla are awesome. Closer to Adelaide you can head South to Cape Jervis /Kangaroo Island.

Hope that helps

[Geoff]

Tks for the replies. Stash , I was aware of the Nov / Dec /closure period , but , If your not aware there are some areas that are closed through to the end of Jan. That not going to effect us as we would not be going during school holidays.

Geoff

Closure

State-wide Snapper fishing closure from midday 1 November to midday 15 December for all fishing sectors.

Snapper spatial spawning closures in five key breeding areas – four sites in Spencer Gulf and one site in Gulf St Vincent – from midday 15 December 2013 to midday 31 January 2014. During this time all fishing sectors will be prohibited from possessing, fishing for and taking Snapper within the four kilometre radius of each spatial closure area. These spatial closures are currently being reviewed for 2014/15 summer.

Map of closures
Frequently asked questions

Location of Snapper spawning spatial closures Location Location coordinates Spencer Gulf Illusion 137^o 32.600’ E, 33^o 28.900’ S Santa Anna 137° 36.300’ E, 33° 36.300’ S Jurassic Park 137^o 19.100’ E, 33° 54.700’ S Estelle Star 136° 50.900’ E, 33° 58.900’ S Gulf St Vincent 138° 00.000’ E, 34° 25.860’ S

[C85]

Will start picking them up in October but the fish will generally hang around until June. Best time is probably after the closure to about mid April, although this will depend on where abouts youre heading.

Arno Bay and Whyalla are obviously awesome, but you dont need to head that far afield. Plenty of big fish are landed off Adelaide, with a couple of charters operating out of Glenelg that seem to get good catches. As Stash mentioned above, you can head south to Cape Jervois/KI/Wirrina, or north to Ardrossen and the Yorke Penninsula. All within 1.5hrs drive of the city.

Good luck.

[Geoff]

C85 Thanks , I was interested to find out about charters out of Adelaide. How long to drive around the Whyalla , I was thinking about half a day.

Geoff

[C85]

Whyalla is about 4 hours drive (maybe a bit more?). I guess what I'm getting at is you don't need to drive far for quality fish. (sent you a PM).