# Snapper Bait



## Georgiaboy (Oct 4, 2007)

This might be a really silly question, but I see I lot of references to pinfish as snapper bait. I was curious to other live bait if pins are not available -- how about ly's and threadfin herring. I presume those are not to big and would suffice?
Thanks.


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

I personally don't like pinfish unless they are the smaller version. I like natural live bait, that is what you catch while onsite on chicken rigs and send back down. I also like live cigs, but still prefer slabs of fresh cut bonito. There are also no silly questions, if you don't know then you have to ask to find out. We all had to learn sometime. That is what fishing forums are for.


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## hxchip (Jul 6, 2009)

My biggest snapper to date was on half of a frozen cig out on a charter- even though I've fished live pins as well to good effect.


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## Linkovich (Oct 24, 2007)

Croakers!


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## skiff man99 (Oct 4, 2007)

anything live the snapper can get in his mouth will work


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

Red Snapper will eat anything that you can get on the hook. I caught a 15 lb snapper using a big pin fish, when it hit the deck of the boat it upchucked a half eaten chicken leg that someone had tossed over the side. Go figure. My personal preference for quality snapper is any live bait in the 6 to 12 inch range, pin fish, ruby red lips, porgies, sand perch they all work equally well. If you think the bait is too big give it a shot anyway, if it comes back up just chewed on send down smaller bait, but the basic rule holds true big baits equals big fish.

Here's something to try if you feel like it. Hit your spot, drop down what ever bait you are using and catch a fish, at the same time free line a big live out behind the boat (no sinkers)and 8 out of 10 times you will catch a bigger fish on the free swimming bait. In the Red Snapper pics I post the majority of the bigger fish were all caught on free swimming baits. You won't catch them as fast as you will off the bottom but they will be a larger grade of fish.


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## alm (Aug 23, 2008)

Kim said:


> Red Snapper will eat anything that you can get on the hook. I caught a 15 lb snapper using a big pin fish, when it hit the deck of the boat it upchucked a half eaten chicken leg that someone had tossed over the side. Go figure.


 I might just have to try that.:yes:


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## deersniper270 (Apr 29, 2009)

Just like Kim said they will eat anything. We use dead cigs, and squid and catch them like crazy. Also we butterfly threadfins and small porgy. Just cut off the tail and fillet up both sides along the backbone then cut most of the backbone off leaving the guts as intact as possible. Seems to work well for the larger fish. They hit it before it reaches the bottom alot since its flapping and releasing blood and guts as chum on the way down.

Also if your on a spot thats high pressure you can try chum balls. Look it up on google. Its a hassle and you'll be dirty so its not a favorite but it'll get you fish everytime if your having problems catching them.


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## Georgiaboy (Oct 4, 2007)

Thanks for all the quick replies. Have plenty of ideas to try now.


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## hmsmithjr (May 22, 2008)

Some of my biggest snapper have come on live and dead Mullet up to 15 inches long. You just have to let them eat it good.
Maclin


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## Island24 (May 12, 2008)

I second the thought on bait free lined or even just high in the water column for big snapper. I was just dropping a bait down when my Dad asked for help landing his fish. My live bait was maybe 20 feet down when I put it in the rod holder to help out. A few minutes later it got railed by a 20 pound snapper!


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## Nicevilleski (Apr 2, 2008)

Threadfin Herring (live) work just fine. Thats all I have used the past few years, and the size of the ones we are catching has been considerably bigger than the ones we caught using frozen cigs.


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## deersniper270 (Apr 29, 2009)

Only problem I'm having with the live thread fins is that the AJs are so thick everywhere, they don't give the snapper a chance. That's if they even make it half way down before an AJ gets it.


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