Home Grown Tackle: Crawler Harness

[JJ Scully]

Its the time of year now that I start to tie up harnesses for next summer. I'm sure there are others who do this as well. Share your recipe or post some pictures of your latest creation.

I've been using 14 lb Berkley Vanish
3 #2 Daiichi hooks
Assorted beads
and Quick Change Clevice
Blades are usually #5 or #6 and I've been using lots from BIg Eye Custom Tackle

Here is one I tied this week

[fishincrazy]

Nice!!!!I'm looking forward to this thread.I'm just starting to get serious about tying my own spinner rigs.

I actually have a question....... Flouro or Mono or Braid??
Pro's Con's????

Thinkin the clearer the water use flouro?

Murky water Mono??

Braid for thin diameter to go deeper???

Cheers Scully!!!!

FC

[rps]

Depth of harness presentation is dependent upon weight, speed, length of line, as well as resistance from the harness blade, line, and bulk. The first three overwhelm the latter three. Depth is therefore a non-issue in the braid versus other decision tree.

I have found fluorocarbon to be more difficult to tie reliable knots. Almost to the point you need to move up in test of line to compensate for the weaker knot. That seems to me to defeat the purpose of using a less visible line. In addition fluoro sinks while mono does not. Thus I use 12# Yo Zuri (inexpensive, good knot strength and abrasion resistance).

As I have posted before, I fish waters with more timber than most others and I was shown harness modifications that reduce hangs in those waters. I use a single #1 or 1/0 worm hook and float beads. I Texas rig the crawler on the hook.

[fishincrazy]

Originally Posted by rps

Depth of harness presentation is dependent upon weight, speed, length of line, as well as resistance from the harness blade, line, and bulk. The first three overwhelm the latter three. Depth is therefore a non-issue in the braid versus other decision tree.

I have found fluorocarbon to be more difficult to tie reliable knots. Almost to the point you need to move up in test of line to compensate for the weaker knot. That seems to me to defeat the purpose of using a less visible line. In addition fluoro sinks while mono does not. Thus I use 12# Yo Zuri (inexpensive, good knot strength and abrasion resistance).

As I have posted before, I fish waters with more timber than most others and I was shown harness modifications that reduce hangs in those waters. I use a single #1 or 1/0 worm hook and float beads. I Texas rig the crawler on the hook.

Thanks RPS! I had not considered the hardware and blade would affdect to buoyancy of the rig.

I also didn't consider the knot strength of flouro.

Thanks for the input!

FC

[Hombre Robusto]

Been using floro for years. Never had a problem with it.


http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/n...n/IMG_1252.jpg

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/n...n/IMG_1248.jpg

[Paul H]

Originally Posted by Hombre Robusto

Been using floro for years. Never had a problem with it.


http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/n...n/IMG_1252.jpg

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/n...n/IMG_1248.jpg

Looks pretty similar to mine. I always use the plastic blade clevis, makes it easy to change blades, in fact I store most without a blade and clip one on when I use it, less tangles. They only cost a few cents more than the metal clevis and IMHO wear the line less. I have made some with 2 clevis and use a drop line with a walking sinker to get depth, or attach a sinker direct to the harness.

I've always used mono. I think 20 lb test (would need to check), might be heavier. I have a spool just for harness tying. I've tried Fireline also FWIW - not really impressed.

I have some I purchased years ago in Ontario that were wire, they were good in pike territory, worked good enough to hook a 30" walleye in shallow clear water.

[fishincrazy]

Here's another question in regards to hardware Paul you said you like the plastic clevis,now I've read that the plastic clevis is better for bigger blades like #5 an up?The metal clevis is better for smaller blades.Any truth to this?


FC

[locomoto]

I tie a lot of harnesses myself. I have pretty always use #12 Big Game on the traditional spinner rig. I like to use Floro for Slow Death Rigs though.

Slightly off topic for a harness tying thread but maybe you folks can steer me the right way.

I fish harnesses 3 different ways. Drifting sideways w/bottom bouncer & rod in a holder, at a slow troll w/bottom bouncer & rod in hand the other method is trolled behind boards with snap weights & rod in a holder of course.

I've found that when I troll them behind boards that I gut hook smaller fish more often if I use a 2 or 3 hook harness. When I use a single hook harness I feel I may be missing a fish here and there. I've been thinking maybe it's a speed thing. I'm usually going .5 -1.0mph when I pull harnesses. I have my boards with tattle flags set pretty light too. I swear sometimes the walleyes eat the worm and just keep swimming along with you going undetected. Any thoughts to what I may be doing wrong? I'm not too hip on gut hooking fish...especially small walleyes.

Again sorry for straying...I'll get some pics up of my harnesses.

[JJ Scully]

I usually start pulling harnesses at 1.0 - 1.2 if I had to fish slower than that and I would not be trolling or drifting. 1 MPH = 1.46 feet per second. If I had to guess I would say that your problem is a speed issue and the fish having too much time to swallow the bait.

[JOE WALLEYE]

I like florocarbon for spinners. i use 15# test. i like that the line is stiff and acts more like a shaft allowing the blad to spin without twisting up the harness. if you use a soft line like braid for your harness even with good ball bearing swivels you will get major line twist on the harness and wind up with a tangled ball. another reason to use floro for harness snells is because it lasts a long time. I have snells that have been wound up on a noodle in the boat for a few years and the line is still in great shape ready to go in the water. the ones i have tied with mono start to get chaulky over time and i begin to question their strength. I have heard several pros recomend Floro also.

here is a great video if anyone wants to learn the basics of tieing the rigs up. this is not the knot that i use but it is a very easy one and effective.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RlsE...layer_embedded