Snapper Hooks
Hooks for snapper fishing must be strong enough to withstand the
fish's powerful jaws which are capable of crushing mussel or oyster
shells. As well as being extra strong, snapper hooks must be large
enough to take the large baits used and yet light enough for fishing
when the snapper are shy.
Every snapper man has his own ideas of what make of hook is the best
for snapper: Model Perfect, Kirby, Beak, or Suicide. All are used
successfully. My favourite is a 6/0 silver Beak or Suicide in a fairly
heavy gauge. Despite the fact that I once rejected these hooks as
unsuitable for snapper, I now find them the best snapper hooks for
Victorian fishing.
The fault with some hook patterns is that they are too easily bent at
the points by the tough mouth of the big snapper. The slightly in-turned
A 6/0 Beak hook with its slightly in-turned point seems to be the
pattern most favoured for big snapper fishing in Port Phillip Bay.
Although many big snapper are caught on blunt hooks, the angler would
more than double his catches of big ones if he took the time to sharpen
his hooks.
Hooks that appear to be needle-sharp when seen by the naked eye are
actually flat at the 'point when viewed through a microscope.
A pocket stone is ideal for sharpening the points of fly and spinner
hooks, but a flat file is better for putting a sharp point on the big
hooks used for snapper.
Be careful when using a file to concentrate only on the point of the
hook. If you file too much of the rest of the hook you'll put a knife
edge on it that will allow the hook to cut its way out of the fish's
mouth as easily as it penetrated it.
For small snapper, hooks from 1/0 to 4/0 are the best, with slight
variations according to the bait used. For the bigger snapper, we prefer
hooks from 5/0 to 7/0, and here again the hook size is partly dictated
by the bait used. If you are going after the really big ones in the deep
water, where a whole flathead is used as bait, you can use an 8/0 hook,
but it is not often that hooks of this size, you'll need a slightly
heavier line, but only you yourself can judge what breaking strain you
can safety handle - we are thinking, of course, of the fact that
when an 8/0 hook is used with a whole flathead, you are after something
between 10-15kg in weight.
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