I see that next week's episode will pit the Trilene against the Palomar. This ought to be good! Concerning the Trilene knot, I seem to remember that knot from years ago except we called it something different. It really isn't anything but a clinch knot with an extra pass through the eye and we all know that the best knots all run the line through the eye twice!

I was thinking I heard they were going to start testing snell knots on Knot Wars...here anything about that?

Knot wars should put the snell to the test...I know the average freshwater fisherman probably has no use for the snell knot, but it would be nice to see how well it holds up. The only thing is, it's not a knot that would get loose under pressure, it will only get tighter. Kinda like the uni. A properly tied snell would either bend the hook or break the line..I've had both happen to me, my snell was still in tact on the bent hook..can't say that for the snapped line..

Hate to disagree Vito, but I do freshwater almost exclusively and snell all of my own live bait hooks. Yes, there are still some freshwater guys that fish live bait. I find that by tieing my own, I can control the choice of line material and hook size. Often what I want is not available in a commercially tied snell, especially when it comes to hook quality. I am always looking for a better way of doing things and a series on snell knots would be appreciated.

Hey guys...I snell all of my catfish rigs. I think what Barresi meant was the majority of fresh water guys had no use for a snell. The truth is, a lot of them use pretied snelled hooks, but couldn't tie one themselves if their life depended on it!
                                                                                                                                                    

I think they did test snell knots last season in 2010-2011 Knot Wars. Because when they did I know I took notice because that was a new option to me so I paid a little closer attention if I could use it. I still have a learning curve I'm overcoming so, can somebody explain to them the benefits and situations when snell knots are applicable for fresh water? I usually fish for largemouth, crappie, bluegill, and occasionally walleye and almost all water is stained to dark.

Thanks guys!
-j

Armstrong.j, the benefit of a snell is getting the full strength of your line. Like Barresi said, the line will snap or the hook will bend before that snell knot fails. This is a real plus when dealing with powerful fish like cats, salmon, and saltwater species. Its not necessary for bass, walleye, or crappie, but like PG said, if you want to be on top of your game, it is definitely worth learning.
                                                                                                                                                                 

Hmmm...seems like your always disagreeing, but let's disagree to agree that your misunderstanding me there PG..Most, not ALL, freshwater guys use artificials, or like Mo said pre tied snells..so the average "bassmaster" guy would have no use for a snell. And YES, I would also appreciate seeing the snell knot in Knot Wars, if it hasn't be done already. The fist sentence of my previous post was "knot wars should put the snell to the test". Jeez..

Snell knots were tested last year, but remember that this year the testing is all being done with mono. I don't normally snell with braid, so mono is more applicable. What I can't understand is treating fluaor as if it were all that different when it comes to knots. If you think about it, fluoro is a "monofilament", just made with a different material. I have never noticed any difference in knot performance from one to the other. While bass fishing may be the most popular inland type, it probably covers maybe half of the angleing in the US, it just gets the most press. Add up the walleye, catfish and panfish anglers and they might even outnumber the bass guys. Didn't mean to tick you off, Vito!

Nah PG..you didn't tick me off..It's difficult to understand a persons emotions when reading a post...I think we both misunderstood each other...

On another subject, is chat down this morning? tried for about an hour and gave up

Hey PG...we're on there now...another guy just popped in and said he had trouble getting in.

Hey Armstrong. I'm a freshwater fisherman that targets those same species, and whenever I'm fishing with live bait the Snell is actually my go to knot. Its simple, fast, and quite frankly one of the strongest knots there is. The water depth/clarity/temp really doesn't affect the use of the knot, moreso just what kind of presentation you are using. If your using a slip bobber, stationary bobber, drift fishing, or bottom fishing, this knot would work in all those situations. Here is a video on YT to show an easy version of tying a snell knot for a refresher if you need one. Of course like everything in fishing, theres more than one way to do things, and i'm not claiming this to be the best, simply a different one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukzf...ture=fvsr. If you use any kind of circle/octopus/offset shank hooks, try running your line in through the back of the hook instead of the front as this guy demonstrates. I have noticed a significant difference of the number of my hookups by doing this, as when you apply pressure to your line it pulls the hook at an angle instead of straight, resulting in many more corner mouth hooks. Good luck and Tight Lines

Doesn't it depend on which way the eye is bent?

Thanks guys. So to recap, snell are preferred usage in live bait applications, especially when targeting larger species. I didn't know if it would be practical on my Texas rig or not and pull the plastic over top of the knot. But that clears it up for me. And I completely agree I might not have an applied use for it right now. But I prefer to stow it away and when I need it in the right situation I can apply to help me be more successful. Take it all in and use it when you need it!

Thanks
-j

The value of a snell knot would depend on the hook you are using. It is not a good choice imo for use with the offset worm hooks most commonly used with a Texas rig. I prefer to use it with an octopus style hook that has the eye bent at about a 45 degree angle.

I’m kind of bummed I got the app for my phone witch is a great app but hasn’t been updated in at least 6 months so I’m missing out on a lot of knots

Happy Fishing

Bassman

Interesting segment today. Seems the Nanofil knot is nothing more than a Palomar with an extra turn around the main line. Now Savik is talking about fluoro. I find the stretch claims interesting. By Berkley's own data, there just isn't that much difference from mono

Just saw the latest episode of NAF...and in Knot Wars something called the "Rebeck" just SMOKED the Palomar. Looked for it here...but it must not be added to the site yet. Anybody know anything about this knot? I came in on the tail end of it...missed how to tie it.

Mike...look it up on YouTube..there's a few videos for it.

Just saw the "eye crosser" knot smoke the improved clinch...anybody have any experience with this new one?

I Have had nothing but good luck with the Palomar knot.

Have they ever done the improved fishermens knot?

yeah its a great knot

there is still no updates on the knot wars app. dono if they will ever put up anymore.