112 Louisiana Sportsman^ | April 2015
4) Pull the
snell tight.
It might be
easiest to
hook the
hook over
an object to
have some-
thing firm to pull against. Trimming the end
of the line pointing downward on the hook is
not necessary unless the line passes the bend
of the hook.3) Insert the
long end of
the leader
through the
hook’s eye
from the back
of the hook
toward the
point side.2) Bend the lead
end of the line
downward
and begin
wrapping the
long end of
the line down
the shank of
the hook. Wrap five to seven times, with the wraps
carefully placed side by side.Capt. Kenny Heikamp uses 1/0 circle hooks, considered small by
most fishermen. That’s because smaller hooks are harder for fish
to see, he explained.
He also snells all his hooks rather than tying them on with knots.
“Snelling takes advantage of circle hook design angle to give
more hook-ups,” he said.
Heikamp uses 4-foot-long, 50-pound-test leaders and is a big
time believer in fluorocarbon.
“I won’t go fishing without it,” he said. “I want every advantage in
my corner.”The leader is attached to 65-pound PowerPro braided line.
“It’s tough, and you get a lot less main-line break-offs,” he said.
“Plus it has no stretch. I already have too much stretch in the leader.”
His recommendations for reels are 500 or 600 series Shimano
Tekotas for levelwinds and 8000 or 12000 Shimano Baitrunners for
spinners. He uses the same rods for both styles of reels: extra, extra-
heavy Shimano Trevalas rated for 200-pound-test braided line.How to snell a circle hook
Here is how Heikamp snells a hook:
1) Pass the end
of the line
through the
eye from the
point side to
the back.A properly snelled hook forces the hook
to curve against the line, increasing its
fish-hooking efficiency.