Belly strikes on whole baits

[Fish-cador]

it's spine was snapped and the head was just hanging on by the skin.

sounds like the movie alien.

[Cuda]

OP...are you striking on detection of those bites, or they end up mauled like that without you reacting to the bite/run?

The single "hit" is the first and last thing that happens, so no time to react with a strike. The runs are short, literally a single pull that goes no longer than a second. After waiting for a second touch (and not getting it) I reel in and the bait is as it is in the photo. BTW the one in the photo "was" a live mullet, it's spine was snapped and the head was just hanging on by the skin.

I've hooked up a few bream in other parts of body than the mouth on the free running hook (rig similar to one someone posted above), when having "nibbles" like that on live Yakas. The bites were not all necessarily all in the belly area, although majority were.
You say you're fishing in the river, so bream would be a suspect worth considering.

[kaotay]

Thanks Cuda, Angry Breams the likely suspect !
I've never caught an eel but that was suspect #2. Anyone know if eels have the teeth/bite strength to take a chunk off a live mullet?

[fishingking]

place the hook through the belly up words and when they nibble they would possibly get hooked on try that

[MattypVic]

Maybe whack a heap of trebles on like FC does to his sambo slugs? :dontknow :tongue:

[netmaker]

Its not going to be pickers doing that to a live bait, like the other guys have said change your hooks up a bit, the only way u will really know is to catch it.

I also have to agree with the above statement,pickers will do exactly that,pick,pick pick.
Your saying it's a single hit,that tells me it's not a picker looking at the result of your live bait.
Yes also have to agree with what else has been said with changing hook,hooks set up.
Like anything,if it's just not working you got change it up,cheer's Murph...

[Shimanoo]

I'm very curious to see what is doing this to your bait, i assume it might be a small mulloway.

[kaotay]

Even though I was targeting mulloway I don't think that was the culprit. I may be wrong but I think they tend to swallow a bait whole, particularly given the size of the mullet in the pic. I've had Mulloway runs ending with the livie intact, but dotted with pin-p**** toothmarks.

[Bartnmax]

I would just about guarantee it's squid.
This type of attack is typical of how squid attack their prey.
Not gonna try to guess what species of squid, could be cala's, could be arrows, or toher species, but IMO it's clearly a squid.