howsthebite · Knots · Snell knot
How to tie the Snell knot
Ties line to a hook along the shank rather than at the eye. Standard for flipping and for circle hooks on bait.
Also called: Snelled hook
Why this knot
The pull comes in line with the hook shank, which rotates the point into the fish instead of away from it. On circle hooks that is the whole mechanism.
Tie it
Step 1 of 5
- 1 Pass the tag end through the hook eye from the front, and pull through about 10 inches.
- 2 Bring the tag back alongside the shank and form a loop hanging below the hook.
- 3 Wrap the tag around both the shank and the standing line, working from the eye down, six or seven times.
- 4 Hold the wraps against the shank with your thumb.
- 5 Wet the line and pull the standing line steadily. The wraps will tighten along the shank toward the eye. Trim the tag.
That's the knot. Wet it, seat it, and pull against it before you cast.
Getting it right
- Wrap toward the hook point, not away from it, or the knot slides off the shank.
- Keep the wraps tight against each other while you cinch, or they overlap and bite in.
- With an offset hook, check that the line still leaves the eye straight.
What goes wrong
- Wrapping in the wrong direction, which lets the knot slip off the end of the shank.
- Snelling a hook with a turned-down eye and pulling from the wrong side.
Knots that go with it
