Tying Crawler Harnesses???

[Tracy]

There is a short movie clip on the www.walleyesunlimited.com link page that shows a quick and easy way to tie crawler harnesses. The snell they tie on this clip is fast and simple, but does it hold? It looks like it would unravel without tension on it. I tie a similar snell but I pass about 5 inches of line through the loop in the hook, double the line back to just under the eye of the hook leaving a loop at the bottom. I then wrap the line 6-8 times down the shaft and pass the tag through the loop that I left and pull it tight. I have never had one come undone or break. What is the best?
Thanks!
T

[SnellTier]

Tracy ... I could not find the clip you mentioned. I did find the website, but was not sure where to look.

Here are my notes I made last year because I keep forgetting over winter how to tie these darn things. If this matches the video, YUP, it works and they hold without the final loop you mention in your technique. I have yet to have one of these come undone and have been doing this since 1993.

Tying Snells:
Align the main part of the line with back of hook. Run main end through the eye from the back, leaving
the backside alignment in place. Position the hookeye on the main line where the hook will reside. (Note:
if it is the tag end hook, the main line will be only as long as the shank of the hook.) Take the main line
above the hook eye and pull it down below the hook eye to the front. Wrap tightly, in "spool" fashion, a
minimum of 8 turns around the shank and the original main line aligned behind it. Start wrapping
immediately below the eye and work neatly down the shank. Once 8 turns are done, pass the main line
through the hookeye from the bottom back and upwards. Pull tight. Run the main line up the back of the
shank of the next hook and repeat the process. Generally use 3 hooks. If fewer hooks are desired later,
clip the main line under the last hook to be left on the line and the snell will remain intact (per Theyrl
and Kleinheksel). In 2001 at Witch Bay Camp, we used 12 pound test line for the snells. Perhaps green or
clear 14 pounds test would work also.


It takes advantage of the "memory" of mono line. I hope this helps.