I've been out fishing 4 times following the bite time calendar on this website trying to catch a snapper but I've only ever caught small kahawai (~20-30cm).

I'm fishing on the east coast in Big Omaha and tried once Pakiri beach.

I'm using a black magic longreach tackle with a 5/0 recurve hook and a 3/0 suicide hook at the back. I'm using frozen squid as bait, I tried cutting them in chunks with or without the innard or in pointy strip (just the flesh) of ~7cm. I also tried to add the head with the tentacles every now and then with no noticeable difference.

What am I doing wrong? Is it not the right time of the year? Is this region known for not being a great snapper spot? Should I use bigger hooks? 

What I'm gonna try next is:

- Buying frozen pilchard bait to try that instead of squid. I've seen a few videos and posts of people using that. 

- I also want to buy some bait cotton to make the squid hold better on the hooks (I noticed often time when I retrieve my line the squid has slid along the line just above the big hook). 

- I'm wondering if I should be using the small kahawai I catch as bait but I believe that's more for Kingfish fishing, right?

I find the frozen Squid from bait shops are probably my last choice out of the options that are there. I get why people use it, if the fish are biting it works, it stays on the hook, it is cost effective.  

Sometimes it out competes other baits (not in my experience but I believe it when people say).

If I go with squid that is sold rather than catching my own (there is no better snapper bait in Auckland than your own caught female squid for Snapper, theory is the female squid contains hormones Snapper can scent from a long way off).

I dunno if that thing about female squid is true or not, all I know is that watching guys use their own local fresh Squid around the inner city breakwaters, Wharves, Fanshaw Street etc over the years, they cut the precious 'female' squid into inch sized chunks and catch monster snapper right in the city - especially near the harbor bridge'on the southern side and the Northshore.

How theses blokes tell female from male? don't ask me...I am not an Ichthyologist and neither are they. Still it makes for a good legend.

Correct me if I am wrong here Egi folk, if you can explain the difference I would like to know. 

When it comes to buying it, I buy the refrigerated stuff from food stores like Pack and Save etc (ok so some is pre frozen before being put in a fridge, but the freezer burn factor is lower than the bait shops and the price is cheaper per kg often times at a supermarket - downside is that these are not bite sized baby squid). 

Food grade seafood is the best bait you can buy.

Using freshly caught by your own hand is the best bait there is bar none (the Snapper are there looking at your small Kahawai swimming around and dreaming of munching them right?).

My preferred store bought Snapper baits in places where there are a lot of Kahawai is fresh Mullet (many Asian food marts have fresh Mullet for eating, the stuff in the big supermarkets is fine too, shop around, you will find good bait, and if you look after it, you can bring any left over mullet home and smoke it).

As all the experienced guys in here have said, using the Kahawai you catch for bait is right up there for Snapper fishing.

The same is true of most bait fish, Yellow Eyed Mullet is very effective when used where it was caught (I mention it because it is an under utilized bait) Yellow tails, Piper, Anchovies.

You could try casting Sabiki flies for bait catching (In the surf just use a Surf caster to find the zone, a mid sized Sabiki set is needed in this type of fishing as you do not want the small Kahawai destroying your dainty black magic / whatever brand Sabikis - 1/0 flashers or 2/0 are ideal where you were fishing to quickly catch those small Kahawai you describe and therefore leave plenty of time for your snapper session using the fast caught small Kahawai).

I slide bait mostly so fresh bait fish for snapper baits is in my realm hey, alive and kicking. In South Africa locally caught bait fish is the go, Australia too, I presume it is the same all over the world because it works all the way out here in NZ just as well as anywhere I have tried.

If you are in possession of Sardines or Pilchards as you call them here (I see you were going to try switch to them) the only downside is that they are top Kahawai baits.

A Whole Pilchard where you have small Kahawai will last longer, long enough to attract either much bigger Kahawai or the Snapper you are after.

If you can, try night fishing for snapper in the places where you were being plagued by Kahawai and take a few Mussels from Countdown for the Surf (food rated, live, will pick up Snapper and Trevally more readily than those annoying little Kahawai - shellfish baits are so under utilized in NZ because of the softness-picker factor.

Anyway good luck. Spring, Autumn, winter for east coast snapper fishing near Auckland - change of light...for me I prefer dusk, because I hate the bite going silent when the Sun comes up, I prefer being able to fish longer in any fishing scenario. 

Nothing wrong with having an ethical code/moral ambivalence around killing fish. As for hypocrisy - well I don't like killing fresh water species like Trout, Perch, Tench, I will kill Carp per law but don't like doing so, we all have our ways/comfort zones.

I strictly catch and release in fresh water apart from noxious pests.

Same is true of game fish, I do not like killing King fish and bigger animals like Tuna/Marlin etc...but I sure do enjoy catching them. 

Better for the ocean hey, garden fertilizer best avoided too if you can compost etc - and don't buy fish in tins or farmed Salmon.

My experience of Mussel farms is that over the last thirty years, the fishing has improved among the habitat created.

DOC have issued a warning report about Mussel farms, but when you read it, they have no evidence and make sweeping claims based largely on non Mussel farm aquaculture and bad international practices.

The only down side I can see of the farms is that the other varieties of Mussel get out competed by the farmed stuff (again no evidence for this).

Buying Green lipped Mussel baits are the most sustainable commercial option I can imagine. 

Yeah I think food chain when I livebait too, helps me sleep at night, although one of my sons calls me a fish terrorist (I have no issue with his views either, it's good when kids think for themselves, most of mine keep aquariums so I call them fish jailers - admittedly I introduced them to the world of fish keeping).

I do have a quirk with live baits, if they survive the whole hooking and landing process (often happens) I release them (comes from my time working in Prisons, never hang a man twice and all that).

As the fish swims away with a hook puncture through it I tell myself fish have amazing regenerative healing powers.

I have a lot of respect for the Kahawai, when I first started fishing here, people told me it is only good for bait or a Lobster pot.

Some of course like them smoked.

I enjoy catching Kahawai on livebaits or light tackle as a sport of its own. And I enjoy them as a table fish, my go to Sashimi.

Tell you what I struggle to go passed some crumbed Kahawai deep fried. If you bleed it and keep cold its bloody good.

I prefer not to catch and harm smaller snaps, so big fresh kahawai baits are my preference best being medium 30 -40 cm kahawai. Fish below was caught week or so ago at mototap was on kahawai head and gut section, basically one third of 35 cm kahawai, Was around 6 kg snapper when most people were being plagued by 30 cm and below fish. Also caught in 4m water close to the shoreline. We catch the kahawai and mackeral first thing to use as kingfish livies and then if don’t get taken or have left over recycle them as snapper baits.

I will give it a go next time, I have had fried kahawai out of interest sake one time at band camp but did not put much effort into looking after it, basically hacked a side off one of my baits that should have been on ice and not just lying in the chiller neglected. Tasted ok from memory but I get where you are coming from with treating fish properly and how that will elevate the flavors out of site. 

I prefer feet pics myself