Best Snapper Lures
Listed here are a few awesome micro jigs that all have their own unique properties that attract snapper in different ways and conditions. The size you'll choose will depend on the depth of water you're fishing and the current strength on the day, but typical snapper grounds range from 15m-100m so jigs from 20g through to 100g-ish will work well for these areas. All of these lures can be used both with and without bait on the hooks.
![Snapper with a Vexed Dhu Drop lure in its mouth](http://fergostackleworld.com/cdn/shop/files/vexed-dhu-drop_1600x.png?v=1723597511)
![Snapper with a Daiwa Bait Junkie Wave Minnow lure in its mouth](http://fergostackleworld.com/cdn/shop/files/daiwa-bait-junkie-wave-minnow-snapper_1600x.png?v=1723597490)
![Snapper with a Daiwa Bait Junkie Jerk Shad lure in its mouth](http://fergostackleworld.com/cdn/shop/files/daiwa-bait-junkie-jerk-shad-snapper_1600x.png?v=1723597459)
![Snapper with a Vexed Dhu Inchiku lure in its mouth](http://fergostackleworld.com/cdn/shop/files/vexed-dhu-inchiku_1600x.png?v=1723597426)
Best Snapper Soft Plastics
Soft plastics are a go to for snapper fishing and with good reason, they work. The soft bodies and often slim profiles allow for good movement near the fish, whether you're jerking your plastics hard or if the rods sitting in the holder using the swell for movement. The only downside of using soft plastics are the toothy critters that love to chop away at them, but if you're willing to stick it out, these snapper soft plastics below are some really popular and effective options to try.
Best Snapper Rods
Snapper fishing is all about keeping your tackle relatively light. Keen anglers usually start their rods at the 4-7kg mark up to a max of 12kg depending on their fishing style and environment. Another sought after feature is a rod length of close to 7ft and above, the extra length allowing better casting when needed but also better feel and lure/soft plastics action. Here are a few models perfect for snapper fishing.
Recommended Models: Daiwa Aird-X 702MFS 4-7kg Rod | Shimano Jewel 742SPSW 5-10kg Rod | Shimano Revolution Travel 723SW 5-10kg Rod | Daiwa Fuego 762MHFS 5-9kg Rod | Daiwa Wilderness X 705MHFS 5-8kg Black Sniper Rod | Daiwa 20 TD Black Slugger 802MHFS 6-12kg Rod
Best Snapper Reels
Snapper are a favourite among many offshore anglers both in Australia and NZ. One of the reasons they're so highly sought after is the difficulty in catching the trophy sized fish, because not only are they timid, they're quite smart too. Why am I saying this? Because the line and tackle needed to chase the better sized fish need to be as light as possible to fool them, and these are the reels to suit that line in different price points. The general size to suit would be the 4000-5000 size depending on how deep you fish. Most snapper fishos will fish around 20lb braid and change their leader to suit the conditions.
Best Line For Snapper Fishing
This 8-strand braid ticks every box in terms of quality and performance i.e. super thin, super smooth, zero stretch, teflon coated etc. but the biggest benefit is by far the camo colouring. Every 10-20cm the braid changes from a light blue to a slightly darker one and then darker again, so in the water the fish can't get a fix on the line and it blends right in. 20lb is recommended in the braid (which is thinner than most 20lb braids on the market) to suit most snapper fishos, and 20lb is recommended in the leaderto start with but it's handy to have leader both lighter and heavier depending on the conditions i.e. when they're not biting but they're on the sounder go lighter, then if they're hanging around rough reefy areas you might want the extra abrasion resistance of slightly heavier leader. Note: you can fish with heavier or lighter braid depending on your gear and environment, but 20lb is a happy medium and a great place to start.
Other Handy Accessories
The jig head weight to use depends on the depth of water you're fishing and the current on the day. Typical weights would start from 3/8oz for shallow (15-20m) and calm conditions through to 1oz-1.5oz and even heavier if you're deeper and/or there is a fair bit of current pulling through.
Strong and flashy assist hooks can play a big part in catching fish, so here are three great options in different styles. The Blade assist can even be used off the eyelet on the jig head with your soft plastics too to enhance their attraction.