i've been tying the snell knot as my bait loop but wanted to try the bait loop. i'm sitting here trying to tie it but i cant get the last loops tight when i pull it tight. i looked at bobs video but still cant figure it out. i'm using a #2 vision black hook and 8# line. any suggestions?
thanks
tyler

Hey Ty,

Kind of a pain aint it. The best help I can give is to tell ya to keep everything tight. If it aint kept tight it will mess up on ya almost every time. The most crucial point is at what I call the switch over. Thats where you get done makeing your first wraps and are getting ready to start your second set. just keep practicing and it will come eventually. Also, I also found if you practice with bigger hooks and line you have a better grip and that makes it a little easier.... I hope this helps...Good luck...

Tyler, Your first Steelhead and now the bait loop all in a week? Will outfishing someone come next? :p Just bustin ya up a little for fun

FJ...out.

FJ,
The whole out fishing thing came along time ago. You must be confused .
Tyler
P.S. Thanks for the tip Nebb

Tyler, my state of confusion comes from being married for 9 years!

FJ...out.

Tyler:

I'll give a try at helping you with the bait loop. Here goes nothing....

1. Thread your pre-cut leader about 1 inch up the shank of your hook (pinch the leader and hook shank with one thumb/finger combo.
2. Make your first set of wraps around the shank (keeping them tight and continuing with the pinch). Most folks use 6-10 loops.
3. Pinch that whole mess with your free thumb/finger and thread the free end of your leader back out the eye of your hook. It's best to only push about an inch out at this time.
4. Carefully grab the same section of leader you made your original loops and make your second set of loops (5 or 6 is about right).
5. While still keeping the mess pinched, pull out the leader completely and snug it up.

You're done. Hope this helps. If you tie about 20 up, it should become 2nd nature.

Don't forget to wet the loops (spit works best) before pulling the line tight. This will keep the leader from fraying.

Tyler, this is one of the most challenging knots to learn. It is true that you will become better with more practice. What I did was to keep using the same hook over and over again and some garbage line to practice with until I felt confident in the knot that I was tying. I just kept cutting off the old knot. I have to say it is most satisfying when you can tie a clean looking one though.


Congrats on the Steelie - I am still looking to get one. Will keep plugging away.

FJ - 9 years huh? Same here. Just 'celebrated' couple of weeks ago.

I can really sympathize with this one...being entirely self-taught.
The first part about laying the line against the hook shaft so that the end of the line is about even with the bend of the hook is easy...I do it with the hookpoint up.
Ten tight wraps, making sure they are tight against each other, then switch hands, still holding those wraps tight(I start holding the hook with my left then end with the right).
Feed the end of the line back thru the hookeye until you have a loop about 4 inches long hanging below the hook.
I take that loop and holding it open with my hand twist it aroung the hook shaft so that the hook passes inside the circle 6 times and, maintaining tension give it all a lick and pull the line tight....not too tight!
As I read back these instructions, I guess it's not as easy as it seems.
Click on "Fishing Tips" on this website for a video.

I always wrap "backwards" on the shank of the hook to avoid the point where the hook eye meets the hook shank. I believe that the line rubbing against the cut wire is a potential site for breakage and lost fish. If you look closely, it's can be pretty sharp, even in the best hooks.

I do it similar to goforchrome except I pull the leader thru the eye till the loop is about the size of an egg and then I use two fingers to keep tension on it while I make my final wraps. It's kind of hard to describe the motion. Fingers spread, twist the loop under the hook.

I also wrap backwards like Pitch Pocket, for the same reason.

To me, the hardest part is making the switch from hand to hand without losing tension on the wraps.

PEEPS, Just make a larger loop. You don't have to do the fancy wrapping, just hold the connected end and wrap.

I know it's a weird way to do it, but it works for me.

Personally I'd recommend wrapping a few more times like on a #2 hook with 8 lb I'd wrap about 15-17 wraps and last 5 loops to finish the egg loop.. The reason you want to wrap that far up the hook is that's where your power point is. Picture it, if you wrap 10 and then 5 you end up only about half the way up the hooks shank and where the last 5 wraps are is your power point. You want that "power point to be right up next to the beginning of the bend of the hook for maximum hooking power, and it also gives you a bigger bait loop which is easier to grab when rebaiting the hook.

Another trick that most don't do is when you first put the line through the eye of the hook and lay it against the shank you wrap over it. Most people start with an inch or so and then when they fishing they have a tag left to cut off. What I'd recommend is when you initially start only put the line through the eye of the hook only insert as much as it takes to wrap 5 times over it to cover it, this way you don't have to trim a tag when your done tying each hook.
Keith