This is the first of a many part series aimed at providing guidance to beginner level fishermen and fisherwomen who are looking for advice on how to get their tacklebox outfitted, rig up their rods and catch more fish!
#1: The Crawler Harness
Target species: Walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike
Line weight: 6-10 lb test
The Rig: This is my all-time favorite way to fish walleyes, but I also often catch northern pike and bass on these rigs depending on where and how you're fishing. While you could, of course, buy the premade variety such as the Lindy Little Joe Colorado Blade Crawler Harness, I think it's much more fun to tie your own. My favorite harnesses for walleye are usually tied on 6-8lb monofilament such as Berkley Trilene.
First, prepare your main line by tying on a 1/8-1/4 ounce egg sinker such as these egg sinkers followed by a snap swivel for easily changing lures.
To tie this rig, start by cutting a 3-4 foot section of monofilament line and on one end, tie a loop knot such as the perfection loop. This is how you'll connect your harness to your main line. Once you've tied your loop knot, you'll want to add a spinner blade such as these Berkely Spinner Blades for added flash and vibration. To connect the blade, I prefer to use a Lindy X-Change clevises which allows you to quickly change blade size and color to fine-tune your rig.
Next, I like to add some brightly colored beads such as these fishing beads. I've also tried rattling beads like these Sonar Ballz, glow in the dark beads such as these and various other sizes and varieties. This is where you get to use your creativity and have a little fun. As a side note, these make a great hand-made gift for your fishing family and friends. Have a friend who's a huge sports fan? Try tying them a few crawler harnesses with their favorite team colors.
Sometimes, when fish are feeding off the bottom, or if you're trying to avoid snagging rocks and weeds, I'll add a few floats such as these Lindy Snell Floats to keep my crawler suspended a bit off the bottom.
Finally, add some snell style hooks such as these Gamakatsu Hooks. The first hook should be 6-8inches from the free (none-looped) end of the line and tied on using a snell knot. Be sure to check your regulations booklet to determine how many hooks you can legally fish with. Where I fish, I usually tie two on the line. One hook will hook through the "nose" of the worm and the second is closer to the "tail" to catch light biting fish that might otherwise steal half of your worm.
I like to tie up a dozen of these rigs before a fishing trip and store them on a Lindy X-treme Rigger.
For more ideas and examples check these out:
Berkley Walleye Colorado 5 Fluorocarbon Flicker Rig
Lindy Little Joe Floating Worm Harness
How to fish it: If you have a boat, slow trolling these rigs over structure or along weed lines is deadly-effective. I've also had success drifting when there is enough wind to keep your blade moving. These will also work well fishing a river from shore if there is enough of a current to keep your blade moving. Just add a nice juicy crawler and wet a line!
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