In Victoria Snapper season is one of the most exciting times on the water. Catching these magnificent fish which fish fight well and taste great will see our boat ramps busy and much excitement among local anglers. Snapper seasonal movements are fascinating, it’s like clockwork as they enter Port Phillip Bay and Western Port which are perfect breeding grounds for their migration and spawning habits. Both water temperature and food source play a massive role in when these fish enter the bay and when they venture back offshore. Understanding this plays a massive role in improving your catch rates and fishing the right areas at the right times.
Typically, Snapper comes into Western Port earlier than Port Phillip Bay and that’s because the water temperature gets warmer sooner. Peak snapper fishing for both bays is when the water temperature hovers between 15 and 19 degrees however we start to see early season snapper catches once the water temperature reaches 13 degrees.
In Western Port snapper will enter the bay from late August and into September whilst for Port Phillip Bay this will generally happen 3 to 4 weeks later towards the middle and end of September and into October. In Port Phillip Bay most snapper will come into the bay in late September and throughout October, when the water temperature is between 13 and 16 degrees.
When Snapper Enter Port Phillip Bay and Western Port
- Western Port – Late August – September
- Port Phillip Bay – Mid/Late September – October
I generally find that early-season snapper will reside in shallow waters and big ones are frequently caught during this period in waters around 5 meters deep. ( With 4-8 meters deep being common grounds to catch them during this time ). In Port Phillip Bay this will commonly be locations like Black Rock, Williamstown and Geelong Harbour.
As the season continues, they will slowly venture into deeper waters. During this time in Port Phillip Bay, you will often catch them near the shipping channels and common grounds like Fawkner Beacon, P2 and Mornington Deep. Snapper love reefs and they will often reside in big schools along the edges of these reefs as they feed and spawn.
When do snapper leave the bay?
Snapper annually will have two runs where they leave the bay after spawning annually this is December-January and secondly April-May. In peak summer when water temperatures spike and get as high as 22.5 degrees, snapper will leave the bay and go off the bite. They then have a second run as the water temperature declines and goes back between 16 and 19 degrees. However, this late season bite doesn’t last as long as the water temperature declines much faster in autumn as opposed to as it rises in Spring.
Now there will always be resident fish that stay in the bay and from time to time we will see big snapper caught in both Western Port and Port Phillip Bay during peak Winter. I caught some huge snapper in Western Port in July around Tenby Bay, but not big volumes. We also see juvenile snapper which are referred to as “pinkies” which remain in the bay and will be very active during spring, summer and Autumn.
Many adult snapper every year will come in and out of the bay based on water temperatures. Snapper are known to move around as much as 10 kilometres per day especially offshore. Pinkies however are likely to school up and stay in isolated areas.
I hope that helps you understand snapper migration movements and when snapper enter and leave our 2 incredible bays of Port Phillip Bay and Western Port. Again understanding these movements is key to catching consistently. If you would like to know more information on when and where exactly to target these fish then consider becoming a FishingMad member which has detailed weekly reports, GPS marks and tutorials on how to catch these magnificent fish.
Thanks for reading When is snapper season in Port Phillip Bay and Western Port if you have any suggestions don’t hesitate to let us know at enquiries@fishingmad.com.au we hope this article helps you with your bream fishing. Feel free to visit the FishingMad YouTube channel which has countess videos of us catching bream with these lures. Or the FishingMad how-to fishing guides for more help.
