Melbourne Snapper: How to Catch Port Phillip Bay Reds

When they arrive • Where to fish month by month • Rigs, baits & sounder settings • Early-season GPS marks

Melbourne snapper come into Port Phillip Bay to spawn, and every season follows the same pattern. This page is mostly about fishing from a boat, but if you’re land-based there’s still plenty here worth knowing.

It’s the stuff I’d want to know starting out — when the fish turn up, where they sit through the season, what rigs and baits to run, and how to actually find them on the sounder.

When Snapper Arrive in Port Phillip Bay

The first run of snapper into Port Phillip generally shows up late August or early September, around the full moon. They use the big spring tides on the full moon to push into the bay, and that repeats on the following moons right through to November.

They come in school by school, spreading out through the bay, and the numbers peak late October or early November depending where the moon falls. Then spawning starts.

That’s when you begin marking “Christmas trees” on the sounder — spawning schools stacked up in a shape that looks exactly like it sounds. That holds until around Christmas, when most of the fish leave the bay. A few reds hang on and don’t go until closer to Easter as the water cools.

Where to fish, month by month

Rods, Reels & Line for Melbourne Snapper

A 6–8 kg rod with a 4000 reel will do the job comfortably. If you’re inexperienced, go an 8–10 kg rod with a 6000 — either combination will stop any snapper this bay has to offer.

I’m not going to bang on about brands, because I fish a fairly cheap setup myself. The one thing I’d insist on is a half-decent drag system. Mine is a Shimano Sienna 4000 spooled with 17 lb mono on a Sonic Pro 6–8 kg stick. A baitrunner on a fibreglass rod is a popular combo too — that’s down to you and your budget.

Line

• Bait fishing: mono, 15–20 lb.
• Lure fishing: braid.

Rigs & Hooks

You’re allowed four rods in Victoria and I’d use the lot. Out in the deep sand and mud I run three rods on snelled hooks and one on a Reedy’s Rig. In shallow water over reef I’ll often go two of each.

Hook sizes

• Snelled rig: 4/0 — I’ve caught literally hundreds of big snapper on 4/0 snelled hooks.
• Reedy’s ULTRA Rigs: 5/0 or 6/0, your choice.

The Scallop ULTRA Rig 10 pack is the one I’d grab for the season — 4/0, 80 lb leader, glow in the dark. Ten of them will see most people through from the first run to Christmas.

Knowing which rig to fish and when takes a bit of working out. In Port Phillip the standard is snelled twin hooks on a full pilchard. I’ve made a simple video showing how I tie a snapper rig — it’s easy, and I guarantee it’ll fish well in Melbourne.

Want the whole rig, bait and tide breakdown for both bays? Read the full Port Phillip & Western Port guide.

Bait for Port Phillip Bay Snapper

I favour Sandy’s silver whiting and Gotcha Supa pilchard. If you’ve got fresh bait, use it — salmon head or fresh garfish works impressively well.

Don’t stress too much about bait during snapper season. They aren’t particularly picky while they’re spawning and migrating.

On lures: I reckon they’re for seasoned fishos. A lure isn’t a more efficient way to catch a red — it’s an alternative when you want a challenge after you’ve already caught plenty on bait.

Sounding Up Snapper — Settings and What to Look For

I run a Lowrance HDS and an Elite Chirp. Settings are on auto, and I adjust the sensitivity up and down depending on the return and the clarity of the water.

• Moving faster than a slow troll, turn the sensitivity up — just enough that there’s a bit of clutter on screen.
• When I find fish, I mark the GPS spot, drop sensitivity back to about −4 and re-sound over them to confirm what I’ve got.
• At night, turn the sensitivity right back.

Reading the screen

• Reds show up fairly large. Pinkies look the same but smaller.
• Spawning snapper stack up like a Christmas tree — the tree itself will be 2–3 m wide and about as high.
• Smaller trees are pinkies. Blobs are bait.

Early Season Snapper — September Reds

Early season runs from the end of August around the full moon through to mid-October. It’s harder fishing, but the fish are there.

The 91 cm snapper below came at the start of September on 4/0 and 5/0 snelled hooks.

Out on Port Phillip Bay chasing early season reds.

Early season marks — in close, 5–7 m, up near Melbourne

Look for reef edges. Click the map to open it full size.

Tips to Get You a Port Phillip Bay Snapper

• Be on the water at the right time. Sunrise and sunset are superb, but in season they’ll bite any time of day. It’s mostly about finding them, so don’t give up too quickly.
• Move after 15–30 minutes if nothing’s happening. This is where an electric anchor winch earns its money.
• Fish shallow on a reef edge after rough weather — Mordialloc and Ricketts Point are excellent for this.
• Always use burley.
• Watch your anchor. Plenty of scallop beds in Port Phillip hold fish. If you pull up shells in the mud on the anchor, you’re in a good spot — mark it. You can pick them on the sounder too.
• Sound at just above trolling pace when you’re looking. Sensitivity up a bit, but don’t overdo it.
• Wind against tide? Bridle the boat if it isn’t too rough, or change over to two flasher rigs and two snelled rigs, which is what I usually do.
• Check your drag before you set the spread. I run under 1 kg, maybe three-quarters. I’ve gone lighter over the years and gentler on the fish.
• Don’t confuse bait with snapper on the sounder. Pilchards and scad are everywhere out there — catch the scad on a sabiki and use them fresh.

Late Season — December to April

Around Christmas, roughly two-thirds of the snapper start leaving the bay. From mid-December, head south and look for scattered arches on the sounder rather than Christmas trees, and intercept them on the way out.

My favourite spot this time of year is the drop-off in front of Symonds Channel. I don’t sound for fish here — I set up and wait for them to come through. Expect gummy sharks, big flathead and whiting while you’re at it.

December reds — Frankston and Mornington

You’ll still catch reds leaving the bay. From the start of December I like Frankston, Mornington and Mt Martha. It gets harder the deeper into summer you go, but with a decent effort they’re still there. Just make the effort and head south.

Melbourne Snapper FAQs