Learn how to rig a simple albeit deadly mutton snapper bait.
Tony DiGiulian
Successful fishing is all about paying attention to the details. Taking your time to rig a perfect bait will result in more bites and more fish. This ballyhoo plug is deadly when fishing for mutton snapper, which can be very leader shy.
Start with a 6/0 to 8/0 circle hook attached to a mono or fluorocarbon leader with a snell knot. For bait, you'll want to use a small, fresh ballyhoo. Finger mullet will also work.
Cut a three-inch mid section out of the ballyhoo and remove the tail.
Use cutting shears to remove the fins on the ballyhoo.
Insert the hook into the center of the meat in the tail side of your ballyhoo plug.
Push the point of the hook through the bait about three-quarters of an inch from the end of the bait plug.
Pull the hook all the way out of the bait.
Insert the point of the hook back into the hole in the bait that you just made.
Carefully push the point of the hook back through the bait in the middle of the ballyhoo plug.
Hide the shank of the hook in the bait, pull the line tight and you're ready to fish. Drift-fish across sandy patches in between reefs and monitor your sounder for congregations of snapper.
