nightcrawler rigs

[MrP]

Any one have suggestions as to what type of leader material will with stand pike and big walleye bit offs. A few have suggested Malin Stealth in light weights, and I was curious if you could use the new titanium or the new Malin BOA. a friend tells me that you must snell the hook on a crawler rig--why???? Thanks for any relpies.<br><br>

[TheKid]

greetings MrP<br><br>Most of the walleye/pike crawler harnesses found in my neck of the woods and in use on the Missouri river are made of heavier monofilament. Upwards from 17 -20 lb test. And the hooks are snelled. Why must they be snelled. to keep the worm and hook riding in a position that favors a higher percentage of hooking rates. Plus, they help keep the worm looking a bit more natural, although I would hazard a guess that if you gobbed a few worms on there you would still catch fish. The fish are reacting to the spinner blades and bait in tandem.<br><br>The way I would approach the situation would be to first decide how supple I want the harness to be. In theory, you could use the superlines, but in practice, I am betting the pike and walleye would chew them up pretty good. they might not break, but they probably wouldn't look so swell either.<br><br>Light wire leaders from 12-15lb range would work, but I have never come across any harnesses like that. Mono is by far the favorite leader, harness component.<br><br>I am not real familiar with the name Malin so I am not really clear as to what you are referring to. So please excuse me if my answer caused you any confusion. If you have any questions, you can alwauys e-mail me at dnielsen@conpoint.com and I'll see if I can't help you a bit more.<br><br>keep those lines wet <br><br>Daniel C. Nielsen<br>http://www.nebraskafishing.com/index.html