The typical goal when going snapper fishing is simple. And that's to bring home fillets for the dinner table. Don't come up short, follow these tips and your cooler will be filled.

Remember that big snapper easily can become line and hook shy. Generally light line and hooks the snapper can't see often will produce more and bigger fish.

Anticipate the bite. If you've fished long enough to know when a snapper should bite, you can set the hook before you feel the fish take the bait.

Chum them up. Sometimes you can bring snapper to the surface by throwing out chum or hanging a chum bag overboard.

Pull them away from the wreck or the reef. By sinking the chum bag upcurrent of a wreck or a reef, you may can pull the snapper away from the reef and catch them in the open water.

Put out a driftline by simply hooking a cigar minnow through the head and letting it drift behind the boat. Often big snapper will come up well away from the boat and take the bait near the surface.

Try a squid pie. Push a cigar minnow inside a large squid bait. Then hook the squid and the cigar minnow by burying the hook up in the bait. Fish this bait on 6-foot leader.