Fresh bait will improve your snapper catches

I was having a yak with the Preston Northcote Angling Club Saltwater Angling Champion for the 2011-2012 season, Geoff Kerr at the Northside Angler on Sunday. Geoff fishes Westernport as well as Port Phillip Bay and is a really keen fisherman. I asked him what makes a good snapper fisherman and his answer was straight to the point - "fresh bait, the difference between those that catch a few fish and those that kill it is fresh bait". Before Geoff goes snapper fishing he tries to catch a few squid that he keeps alive in his bait tank so the snapper see only the freshest of fresh local baits.

I suppose that's a good lesson for any type of fishing, fresh local bait out fishes the frozen, who knows where it came from stuff. It's also a bit of a cliche in fishing but so often I go for the pre bought worms when I cold just as easily get them from the lakeshore. Or I buy frozen prawns when I could easily collect them the night before. All that's required is a bit of effort and time. I once heard Lee Rainer say that he often spends more time preparing for a fishing trip than actually fishing. Perhaps that's not always necessary, but on occasion it pays big dividends.