Target Snapper Hooks are the only truly selective fish hook that, if used correctly, will vastly increase your catch of large snapper. Learn to bait a hook correctly for the best results here.

If you are using any of the Kite Rigs (Dropper Rigs or Bottom Longlines) a Kontiki or Boat Longline simply bait the hooks as per the diagram and fish normally. Similarly, those using stray lines or unattended rod lines should continue to allow the fish to hook themselves before striking.

However, if you are usually actively fishing with a rod or hand line and normally strike very early in the fishes attempts to take the bait the performance of the new Target Snapper Hook will be reduced.

The reason that the Target Snapper Hook catches so many big fish is that it effectively deters small fish from becoming hooked or stealing the bait.

If you actively strike to set the hook too early in the take it is possible that your catch of small fish will be unnecessarily higher than if the hook were left stationary to effectively perform its natural selectivity toward larger fish.

Target Snapper Hooks are a recurve hook and for optimum fishing results should be baited as follows:

• Scale and fillet your bait
• Cut bait into strips
• Put the hook through the bait at one end of the strip, penetrating the flesh first then through the skin.

Note: Do not choke the bight of the hook and don't hook your baits through the centre of the strips as this can cause the bait to spin and may twist and tangle the traces

Best Fishing Baits

An equal number of normal commercial fish hooks were run against the new Target Snapper Hook and the Target Snapper Hook massively out performed the normal hooks on big fish throughout the 11 trials.

During the sea trials blue mackerel, squid and octopus baits were used, all were purchased frozen. The most consistent bait during the trials was squid. Whole small squid, halves of slightly larger squid and strips of very large squid were used. All were equally successful.

We suggest buying squid (or any frozen bait) from a reputable supplier of high quality product as some bait is very poor quality when frozen and almost next to useless when thawed.

Blue mackerel and octopus baits both caught some very large snapper but the overall catch rates were slightly reduced. The average catch rates were between 80 to 160 snapper per day from 300 to 450 hooks set per day.

A variety of by-catch species were taken during the trial. Interestingly all of the kingfish by-catch was taken on Target Snapper Hooks.

Had fresh baits been used on the sea trials the already phenomenal benefits of using the Target Snapper Hooks would have been even greater.

If you employ the same baits and baiting methods as described, your normal daily catch weight will increase by over 30% and your catch of snapper in excess of 45 cm long will be increased by over 300%, or even more if you use fresh bait.

All of Paul's Fishing Kites rigs are supplied with Target Snapper Hooks. These hooks are designed to reduce gut hooking to less than 1%, increase your catch of large snapper while reducing the number of undersized snapper you will catch.