How do you hook a snapper

[bakayd]

I always get short hit and miss a lot of good hits. I give it decent line as well. Is it best to hook through mouth up through nose and run a gami treble as a stinger thru to the back if you butterfly it and use it dead?

[torchee]

I have been witness to 2 large 5lb or so fish taken on
1/2 snapper! The head half.

Every time I trade a dead one fir a live one my buddy cuts the old one in half - uses the head and gets great action.

But I still love to hook them live - through the mouth and out they top of the head.

[Delawareriver]

Don't worry when you drift across a 10lb doormat she will engulf the snapper. Lots of small to average fish down there causing those short strikes but if you're using a snapper it's obvious you're after the big ones so don't worry about missing a short strike

[dfish28]

I actually go through the nostril/eye socket area as not to hurt them much...and wait for that "hit" and net from there ... Or take the deadun band the gills and butterfly that honey...

[SeaLevel]

Depends if it's live or dead. If live through the nostrils is good. If you do not have an air pump do not try to keep them in water. They will die with tier mouths open gasping for oxygen. This will cause the bait to spin in circles. Undesirable.... What il do is take the snapper and throw him in to my bucket with no water decently hard. This will stun the fish and they die with the mouths closed. Hook the dead snapper the same way you would use a killie. Start under the lips and go through the top of the head hooking his mouth closed.

[torchee]

sea level is definitely correct about having a mouth closed dead snapper

Being better than mouth open

The bait spins less. The spin will screw your whole rig up as the leader become all twisted

Also - I find shorter leaders better than too long
It reduces spin with the large bait