Crawler Harnesses and More - Part 1

Night crawler harnesses are one of the most effective techniques there are to catch walleye and are widely used throughout the country. They can be used most anytime there is open water to float a boat. When the water temperature is 45 degrees or warmer, crawler harnesses should always be a presentation to be considered. The combination of spinner blades, beads and good lively night crawlers is one of the surest ways to cover water quickly and efficiently. The blades and beads spinning and vibrating through the water attract the attention of walleye, sometimes from a great distance, and the sight and scent of the night crawler often triggers the fish into biting. Most tournament fishermen seldom go out on a new body of water without crawler harnesses on board.

Good fishermen use good crawler harnesses, constructed with premium components. There are five components that make up a good crawler harness: line, hooks, clevis, beads and blades. A good quality abrasion resistant line should always be used to minimize the wear and tear the harnesses get being pulled along the bottom and from the teeth of the walleye. Green colored line blends very well with the color of the water and is the minimum requirement for most conditions. A good fluorocarbon leader material is a very good choice when the water is very clear. Line diameter is often the most overlooked consideration on a crawler harness but the best rule of thumb is to use as small a diameter as practical. A harness tied on 10 lb test line may not last as long before being retied ,but will usually catch more fish. Hooks should always be as sharp as can be. Good hooks translate into fewer bites missed and more fish boated after being hooked. When trolling with spinners and harnesses it is a good idea to use larger hooks (#2 or #1), especially when larger fish are being targeted. Colored hooks are popular and can add appeal to the presentation, but they usually make more difference when fishing slower without beads and blades. A good offset Octopus style hook will aid in hooking and holding fish until they can be netted. Spinner blades are attached to the line with a clevis. Use a clevis to match the size of the blade. The plastic quick-change™ clevis is very useful for changing blades without having to change the entire harness. Beads are important and add color to the lure as well as vibration. Bead size should also match the size of the blade being used. It is a good idea to keep beads behind the spinner blade and clevis. This will help minimize fouling the blade with debris such as floating weeds. Use enough beads to keep the blade from covering the front hook on the harness (fig. A).

This will result in a few more hook- ups when the fish are striking at the blade. Spinner blades are probably the most important part of the harness next to the night crawler itself. Better blades mean better catch rates; it is as simple as that. Better blades have premium finishes such as silver and copper lacquer, gold platting, holographic patterns and large eyes. Even though the blades are spinning the eyes do show up whenever the spinning slows or stalls. Fish can see that when they are following and often eyes can trigger more bites. All five components contribute to the overall balance and success of the presentation. Get all five little things right and they equal one large thing, more fish in the boat.

Anyone can learn to tie a crawler harness quickly and easily (fig. B). Retying or replacing is a good way to keep leaders free from nicks, which weaken the strength of the line. Anytime a harness has a nick it should be retied right away or replaced with another. To tie a harness requires patience and little practice but not a high degree of skill. Most good harness fishermen know how to build their harnesses and do so in the winter months. When purchasing harnesses examine the components carefully, it is usually true that you get what you pay for.

Color can make a huge difference at times and at other times virtually no difference. It really depends on the activity level of the fish and the available light in the water column. When walleye are actively feeding color may mean very little as long as they can see or find the lure. When fish are neutral to negative and resting color can be very important. The best rule of thumb for color is that there is none or little. Experimentation is the best way to find a "right" color on any given day or body of water. A good rule for which color to choose is try as many different ones as there are lines in the water. Use colors that can been seen farther away such as opaque, fluorescent and glow in front of more translucent colors or silver, copper and gold whenever possible. The more visible color may attract fish over from a greater distance while the more subtle colors produce. If fish are present and not biting changing colors is a good idea, at least boredom won't set in. Getting bored when fishing is a fisherman's worst enemy. Sometimes a little color change can make all the difference between catching fish and saying they are not biting.

Just as the right color can pay huge dividends at times so can the right size of blade. Perhaps the spinner blade looks like a small fish feeding on the night crawler. The blade is used to get the attention of the walleye, and the crawler to produce the bite. Sometimes more attention getting is needed than at other times. When the fish are big they feed on larger forage. That is a good time to use the bigger is better rule and use #5 Colorado or #6 or #7 Indiana blades. In dirty water larger blades can get more attention through the larger signature they leave in the water. In clearer water downsizing is the general rule, just remember size is usually relevant to the attitude of the fish and the available light in the water column. With walleye there is usually no such thing as to large a blade, most spinner blades are smaller than the available forage the walleye are feeding on.

QUESTIONS:

1. What water temperature is a good time to use crawler harnesses? Consider using crawler harnesses anytime the water temperature is above 45 degrees.

2. When is it a good time to use a fluorocarbon leader with a crawler harness? The best time to use a fluorocarbon leader is when the water is very clear.

3. Which five little things equal one large thing and what is it? The five little things are the components that make up a crawler harness: line, hooks, clevis, beads and blades; and they equal one large thing "more fish in the boat".

4. If a crawler harness has a nick in it what should an angler do? Retire or replace ( R & R ) the harness when it has a nick in it.

5. If a fisherman gets bored when fishing who or what has been encountered? The enemy, good fishermen don't get bored, they change something or go back to shore.

6. When does the bigger is better rule apply in harness fishing? When the fish are bigger (it) is better to use larger blades such as #5 Colorado or #6 Indiana.