Hi all

Thanks smudge, I think that's how I'm doing it at the moment but small snappers are always able to snatch it off without getting hooked on thus preventing any chances with the big ones. They are a nuisance! Is there a way to bait a stripe of squid without them stealing it so easily! I had to change my bait every 3 minutes at the moment!

The problem with keeper hooks is the tendency to catch little fish. I seldom use smaller than 6/0 hooks for snapper and an 8/0 will still take small snapper at times. Small hooks will virtually guarantee you will gut hook snapper. The exception are recurve hooks actively fished - as in you don't leave your rod untended and you stay in contact with the bait.

When you get pestered by little snapper you can try bigger baits - yellowtail mackerel seems to work well on larger fish when there are little ones around. The other option is to try a different location. Try bigger baits first and see how you go.

Avoid fishing the middle of the day and take note of what the successful anglers are doing such as rigs they use or time of the tide when they get decent fish. The problem is that it takes time on the water to become successful, looking & learning and asking questions is a real key to success, hence this forum. Let us know how you get on.

The distance between droppers is best so that if you lift the bottom hook up and pull the other down they shouldn't meet, you'll get less tangles that way. Keep the droppers to around 100mm long and you should be right. good advice there on salted baits too, they are much tougher.

You've got some good advice here Nick what we want now is for you to keep us posted with your results. Good luck!

Nick take a "sabiki" rigged rod and catch livies from around the wharf piles, "butterfly" em and cast them out....I can tell you that will last a heap longer. Good fun for  the youn uns while you are haulin them in. Guranteed to catch bigger fish to.

Sorry guys, work got in the way my plan to catching big snappers had to be postponed...will try again next Sat!

Kiwi Phil where do you get the aniseed oil from ?

nick777 wrote: Sorry guys, work got in the way my plan to catching big snappers had to be postponed...will try again next Sat!

hi,you are doing nothing wrong,use to live and fish from devonport.1968 to 1985,always caught baby snapper,yellow tail or rays,it was only occasionaly anyone ever caught a decent fish,perservirence is the key