Australasian snapper (pink snapper)

A deep-bodied, pinkish-silver sea bream (not a true snapper) covered in tiny bright blue spots on the upper sides. Big old fish grow a large hump on the forehead and a swollen nose. The tail is forked, with a white lower edge. Called "snapper" in Australia and New Zealand, and also known as pink snapper or squire (small fish).

12–24 in and 1–8 lb; fish over 20 lb are the trophy (called "knobbies").

About 4 ft and over 40 lb (about 20 kg).

Crabs, shellfish, sea urchins, worms, squid and small fish.

Moves into shallow bays and harbors in spring and summer to spawn, then spreads out over reefs and gravel beds. Can live over 50 years. Big snapper are wary and often feed best at night or in low light.

Found from South-East Australia & Tasmania, New Zealand, Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef and Northern Territory & Western Australia. Rocky reefs, gravel and sand bottoms, harbors and bays from southern Queensland around the south of Australia to Western Australia, and all around New Zealand's North Island and the top of the South Island. Port Phillip Bay, the Hauraki Gulf and Shark Bay are famous.

Rocky reefs, gravel and sand bottoms, harbors and bays from southern Queensland around the south of Australia to Western Australia, and all around New Zealand's North Island and the top of the South Island. Port Phillip Bay, the Hauraki Gulf and Shark Bay are famous.

10–650 ft; mostly 15–150 ft.

15–120 ft.

All year; spring and early summer (October–December) is peak time in Port Phillip Bay and the Hauraki Gulf. Queensland closes snapper from July 15 to August 15, and Western Australia's West Coast has demersal closures.

Dawn, dusk and night; the change of light is magic for big snapper.

The change of tide and the first few hours of current.

Stable weather; a light onshore breeze and some color in the water help.

Fresh pilchards, squid, salted mullet, fish fillets and crabs, with a berley (chum) trail.

Soft-plastic jerk shads and paddle tails on light jig heads, slow-pitch jigs, micro jigs and inchiku (kabura) jigs.

7 ft medium spinning rod (4–8 kg); slow-pitch jigging outfit for deeper water.

4/0–6/0 circle or octopus hooks on snelled two-hook rigs.

15–30 lb braid.

20–40 lb fluorocarbon.

Anchor up-current of reef or gravel, start a berley trail and float lightly weighted baits back into it; or drift and cast soft plastics, letting them sink slowly. Big fish take a lure on the drop.

Use as little weight as you can so the bait drifts naturally down the berley trail — heavy sinkers spook big snapper.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Excellent eating — one of the best-tasting fish in its range.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

Excellent: white, sweet and flaky. Grill or bake whole, pan-fry fillets, or eat very fresh as sashimi.

Sharp dorsal spines and gill covers — hold the fish firmly with a wet hand or towel and use pliers to remove hooks.

Every state and New Zealand set minimum sizes (around 30–38 cm) and bag limits, with seasonal closures in Queensland and Western Australia and special rules in some gulfs. Check current local rules. Rules differ between Australia and New Zealand: NSW, Victoria and Western Australia (boat fishing) require a recreational licence, other Australian states and New Zealand's sea fishing need none, but bag limits, size limits and marine reserves apply everywhere.

Fish from deep water often suffer barotrauma; release them quickly with a release weight. Keep a few plate-size fish and let the big knobbies go.