Snapper & Trags

[Larkin]

Gday Raiders,

Headed out with a mate on our JetSki’s to fish the Fads off botany.
With perfect conditions this morning - the local ramp had a line up of keen fishermen. We knew what we were going to see out there & by the time we arrived it was like a parking lot - more than 20 boats and no one catching anything. My other mate was one of the first there and managed 3 Dollie’s. Unfortunately for us two the fish had gone by the time we arrived at 7.30. After about half an hour we decided to hit up a deep water flatty spot, but no bites for 20mins & the call was made to go for snapper and trags instead.

We get to a new spot somewhere off maroubra I think. As soon as we hit the mark, I start dropping baits (my salted bonito strips) - up comes snapper, snapper, trag, trag and so on. I tried my secret snapper weapon - half a bonito head that’s been split down the centre. This is too large a bait for small fish, but not for a trophy snapper. After a few minutes the rod buckles over and it’s big and heavy with unmistakable head shakes. I’m on and fight for about 5 mins, only to lose a solid fish. 
We troll back in and I manage a Mack tuna and a good sized bonito.

half the fish I caught went to my mate, who was feeling green out there and not in the fishing mood.

My tally

4 pinkies 34-44cm

3 trags to 64cm

1 X bonnie around 50-55cm

1 X Mack tuna

 

[wazatherfisherman]

Another excellent bag of eating fish. Pity about the Dollies but they get boat-shy with that many boats there

[XD351]

Ripper feed of fish mate ! Awesome to see someone using a jetski for good and not evil 😂

[Isaac Ct]

Great stuff Larkin, well done. I managed a few snappers in the hacking yesterday as well with a few being legal and a few bonnies around as I got bit off a few times.

Good feed.

[noelm]

I would prefer a bag of Snapper and Trags to eat over Dolphin fish any day, nice catch.

[bessell1955]

A great day of fish and how kind of you to share with your mate.

[Rebel]

Top haul.

Great photo.

Well done.

[Larkin]

11 hours ago, wazatherfisherman said:

Another excellent bag of eating fish. Pity about the Dollies but they get boat-shy with that many boats there

Thanks Waza! can’t complain about a bag of trags and snapper!
My other mate was keen to head out there, at least he picked up a few before the hoards arrived.

Personally I prefer south fad if I’m going out far for Dollie’s, as it gets much less traffic.

7 hours ago, XD351 said:

Ripper feed of fish mate ! Awesome to see someone using a jetski for good and not evil 😂

Thanks XD! Was happy with the result - esp fishing a new area.

Love JetSki fishing - been doing it for two years now - such an easy way to fish. Agree about the louts - gives us a bad name ☹️

8 hours ago, Isaac Ct said:

Great stuff Larkin, well done. I managed a few snappers in the hacking yesterday as well with a few being legal and a few bonnies around as I got bit off a few times.

Good feed.

Thanks Isaac!

Well done mate! Especially on a public holiday with all that boat traffic. Good to see some pinkies being caught inside.

8 hours ago, noelm said:

I would prefer a bag of Snapper and Trags to eat over Dolphin fish any day, nice catch.

Thanks Noel!

mahi are good fun to catch but I’m with you on that one. 
The family favourite is good old beer battered flathead!

7 hours ago, bessell1955 said:

A great day of fish and how kind of you to share with your mate.

He wasn’t feeling the best out there - it’s hard to fish when the rocking plays on your mind. He felt better once we started to troll back in.
Sent me photos of dinner later in the night & also said he’s cats thanked me 😂 

4 hours ago, Rebel said:

Top haul.

Great photo.

Well done.

Thanks Rebel - a few different fish to change up the menu! 

 

[jenno64]

Great sesh Chris!

Bad luck about the lost , sounded like a belter!

[Larkin]

1 minute ago, jenno64 said:

Great sesh Chris!

Bad luck about the lost , sounded like a belter!

Thanks Rob - win some loose some.

i think this spot holds some good fish. Can’t wait for the next session there.

[Pickles]

Nice mixed bag Chris - especially impressed with the Trag. A shame the Dollie’s didn’t want to come out and play.

[Larkin]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

Nice mixed bag Chris - especially impressed with the Trag. A shame the Dollie’s didn’t want to come out and play.

Thanks bob. 
my mates been catching trags consistently at this spot over the last month. They seem to hold up there.

[Yowie]

A nice bag of fish for the table. Bugger about the bigger one, but the larger reddies are a good eating size.

[Larkin]

4 hours ago, Yowie said:

A nice bag of fish for the table. Bugger about the bigger one, but the larger reddies are a good eating size.

Thanks yowie!
The big ones have a very bony jaw and can be hard to get a good hook set.

Haven’t had snapper or trag on the plate for a while, so a welcome change.

[kantong]

nice bag of fish mate! Good eating to be had

[bookwa]

Not sure if it’s legal but if you want to bag out on trag this is what you do.  Handline spool loaded with braid— brickies string is ideal substitute, probably better.  On the end tie a large game swivel . First trag you catch, handle very gently using a wet cloth and tether him using the game swivel by threading it through the jaw and locking it up.   Lower the fish back into the water and pay out to a depth halfway to the bottom.    Then start fishing at that depth and you’ll clean up as the fish school up around their mate!  

[big Neil]

10 hours ago, bookwa said:

Not sure if it’s legal but if you want to bag out on trag this is what you do.  Handline spool loaded with braid— brickies string is ideal substitute, probably better.  On the end tie a large game swivel . First trag you catch, handle very gently using a wet cloth and tether him using the game swivel by threading it through the jaw and locking it up.   Lower the fish back into the water and pay out to a depth halfway to the bottom.    Then start fishing at that depth and you’ll clean up as the fish school up around their mate!  

An interesting process bookwa. They certainly hang around in numbers. Not bad as a table fish either.  bn

[Larkin]

On 4/28/2023 at 11:44 AM, kantong said:

nice bag of fish mate! Good eating to be had

Thanks kantong!

shared them around - both went down well. Bonito went to my mate - who made sushimi.

16 hours ago, bookwa said:

Not sure if it’s legal but if you want to bag out on trag this is what you do.  Handline spool loaded with braid— brickies string is ideal substitute, probably better.  On the end tie a large game swivel . First trag you catch, handle very gently using a wet cloth and tether him using the game swivel by threading it through the jaw and locking it up.   Lower the fish back into the water and pay out to a depth halfway to the bottom.    Then start fishing at that depth and you’ll clean up as the fish school up around their mate!  

Very interesting method @bookwa! Similar to leaving a hooked kingy in the water to get its mates to come up.

I do find their jaws very soft though and can split - would have to be careful handling.

[chris_55]

@Larkin I remember watching a DVD on NZ Snapper fishing and the use of a Bonito head split down the middle

was the go to bait for big Snapper for that reason

[Larkin]

13 minutes ago, chris_55 said:

@Larkin I remember watching a DVD on NZ Snapper fishing and the use of a Bonito head split down the middle

was the go to bait for big Snapper for that reason

I watched it on vhs over 30 years ago 😂

it was called “Snapper Secrets”. They caught a huge red at the end using this method.

The head once split is a tough bait and is quite bloody. The only issue is the spinning if there is any current.