MANY factors determine the number of snapper entering Port Phillip. All fish have cycles that follow weather patterns, which affect the growth rates, activity, feeding habits and distribution.

The best snapper seasons typically occur when a year of above average rainfall (737.1mm for Mornington) is preceded by a year of below average rainfall, or when there is a large amount of early season rain (September-November).

These two climate events produce good catches of snapper because early season rain causes large amounts of organisms to be flushed out of creeks, rivers and drains.

These organisms feed the pilchard, garfish and baitfish schools, which, in turn, feed the squid, salmon and barracuda schools that enter Port Phillip at the same time as the snapper.

So, the more food, the bigger and longer the run of snapper. Let's face it, as soon as the beer and steak runs out at a barbecue we all head home, too.

I was asked if this season could be better than the past few and, after reviewing the commercial fishing harvests of snapper and comparing these to Victoria's actual rainfall, there seems to be a slight correlation.

Additional commercial harvest graphs show a distinct pattern of peaks and troughs. If this trend along with our current rainfall continues, then, yes, this year could certainly be one of the best snapper seasons for the recreational angler in a long time. Remember to limit our catch, not catch our limit.

Pier catch

A 6.5kg snapper was caught off Mornington pier on Saturday morning last week on blue bait.

The pier has also had good catches of barracuda on silver lures, salmon on lures and blue bait, whiting on mussels and worms, and squid on size 1.8 and 2.5 squid jigs.

Anglers fishing off Linley Point in Mornington are bagging snapper on garfish and silver whiting in the early morning and night.

There are good reports of salmon and squid in The Heads and off Point Nepean, as well as some nice whiting from Safety Beach. For salmon, try trawling a 5cm piece of a drinking straw with a 3/0 hook through the middle. Anglers fishing out from Mt Martha have started to get on to the snapper on the 14-metre and 21-metre marks.