Well feet or finger photos aside, I prefer bigger baits to catch bigger fish and fresh is best. Surfcasting like post is about, smaller will cast further but in this situation fresh kahawai or mullet performs above all else and can be cut into small aerodynamic baits which last long time. Knew a fisherman who was pretty handy, as in caught quite a few big snapper in Papakura channel and even closer to airport. His name was Jack Hudson and used to launch his boat from Grahams Beach. Always used fresh mullet and kahawai we caught off Hudson’s end of Grahams beach. I’ve always used big baits  with no sinker baits this (east)  side, but was regular surfcaster down hamiltons gap when was young when fresh mullet (netted harbour) and kahawai(caught on coast) ruled there for West Coast beach caught big snapper.

shaneg wrote: I did well with softbaits east side for number of years, and still use jigs for snapper when wide, but you can’t beat bait for snapper in my opinion straylining or ledger boat fishing, or surfcasting with sinker or tossing floater from rocks. It’s just so much more satisfying and productive with good bait, rather than tossing plastic or fishing lures. Not that lures don’t have their place in certain situations. But I love bait fishing, And fresh is best that I know after 50 yrs hard fishing… sweep and maumau and paketi make great fresh baits too.

shaneg wrote: Yes Fish Addict, the humble paketi (spotty) is a less known great bait but they are also a friendly little reef fish we all saw a lot of snorkelling as kids. I don’t target them for bait. But on odd occasion one comes my way, fishing for Jack Mack’s (have habit of swallowing little sabiki hooks) they are good either as scaled filets as a ledger bait or as straylined head gut half paketi. We used to crush head when rock fishing and using them. Great big snapper bait as really tough, hard to get off a hook. I caught and used one last week. Snapper were straight on to it.

Use to get lots of Paketi around North head,devonport sea wall between wharf and naval base,presume they are still there,that was 50yr ago.