Snapper season is in full swing and these feisty little bluefish are a pleasure catch, especially if you target them with light tackle. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when heading out for these tiny but tasty critters:
● Choose a lightweight spinning pole with four- to six-pound test line.
● Use a “snapper popper” tipped with a single spearing or sand eel as a lure/bait combination. Hook the baitfish once, through the eyes.
● Work the popper by chugging it along the surface so the baited tube and hook rides just below the surface. Keep reeling as you get bites, forcing the fish to commit to a solid strike.
● Rigging for bait fishing is best kept uncomplicated. Opt for a simple, silver-colored snapper hook tied directly to the end of the main line with a clinch knot. Suspend the hook two to four feet below a small float. The standard snapper hook comes with a long shank, making it easy to remove from the toothy jaws of this tiny predator. Bait up with a two-inch long piece of spearing or sand eel.
● Live killies, suspended two to four feet below a float, are a great bait for large snappers.
● Small, silver, Johnson Sprites and KastMasters will produce fewer but bigger snappers, especially during September.
● Snappers are especially fond of feeding at creek mouths at the start of outgoing tide. They often prefer incoming water around shallow beaches and marsh edges.
● As with most species of fish, dawn and dusk are often very productive feeding periods.