How To: Tie The Power Snell

Watch Toby Lapinski of The Fisherman Magazine as he shows step-by-step instructions for tying the Power Snell. This knot is a great anytime you need to use large circle hooks and lighter line.
2:13 To jump to how-to process.

[@shane0nz]

cheers man, so many tubers titled power snell and you're the only guy doing it proper. thank you 👍👍

[@larrytolbert8059]

THANK YOU, definitely the best way to tie a hook. Not hard and serves a purpose this way. Thise who says he talks to much just turn sound down and fast forward but he's trying to help and explain. Will be doing all my hooks this way from now on. Thank you again.

[@Lavadx]

VERY NICE video, I'm going to change to this snell from now on. Thank you for sharing!!!

[@tinastaley625]

One of the best hooks I’ve used. Holds the edge very well and is easy to resharpen.

[@seymourlebowitz7802]

Excellent presentation , Sy....

[@scottalvarez8870]

Knot tying finally begins at 3:10

[@davidnapemaskwa7251]

I switched off and went to the comments at 1:30, did he ever tie a knot?

[@davidkeep6526]

Been using circles for last 5yrs exclusively and don't own any Js apart from big livebait hooks. The " set and forget " method suits my types of fishing. Improved hookup rate since changing from Albright to Snell. Love em !

[@ARCSTREAMS]

maybe it depends what fish and what kind of rig setup you got but for me im not having much luck with the intended purpose of this hook design, i usually fish for small pan fish like crappie,suns/blues, perch,small/large mouth bass or catfish using mostly slip floater or sometimes bottom rig and i wait for the bobber to go down but its not like its peeling the line like a big sea fish and sometimes i slowly retreive it and it still ends up being gut hooked or i lose it ,the success rate on this was not good for me although sometimes it does the job and hook the lip even on very small fish ,but i dont know when its time to pull ,i do not want to leave it too long as it ends up gut hooked ,so idk what im doing wrong and yes i do snell knot it with a uni snell knot

[@davidkeep6526]

@@ARCSTREAMS sounds like we fish for similar sized fish but it is hard for me to know their bite habits from here in Australia. I can't remember ever gut hooking a fish, from half pound bream to 15lb golden snapper. Maybe something is that I cast, wind up the slack and put the rod in the rod holder. Only once the rod loads up do I lift the rod slowly and set the hook. Best of luck getting it sussed and stay safe mate. 😎👍

[@davidkeep6526]

@@ARCSTREAMS oh, I mainly use my braid to a quality ballbearing swivel with a ball sinker of suitable size, then 2 to 3 ft leader or a single hook patenoster rig. If fishing calm water I use only enough splitshot 6in from the hook to help the cast. 😎👍

[@ARCSTREAMS]

@@davidkeep6526 well if you are in australia then we def not fishing the same mate lol

[@davidkeep6526]

Straight shanked hooks a must, no turned out eyes, they are not true circles. Do not strike as you would with a J hook. A slow, firm lift is enough. I rarely hold my rod preferring to put it in the rod holder, wind up the slack and let the fish do the rest. 😎👍

[@10MinutestoRouletteFortune]

Just a thought for ya. A knot such as an egg loop or snell knot is best on a bent eye hook and a uni or polimer knot for a straight shank hook especially true on a circle hook. The idea is to keep the hook inline with the leader and not bent like shown here. There is just better success using these methods which result in better hook ups, especially when using circle hooks. The Snell knot is best used with a bent eye hook to keep everything on the line nice and straight.

[@dylanclay2741]

I've always used loop knot for straight eye . For erratic fish like Mahi and billfish it's less likely to pull with the loop knot

[@keithdubose2150]

Actual knot instructions starts at 3:10

[@40MileDesertRat]

And ends a 3:15😊

[@kevinwiens4804]

Thanks, too much talk not enough action...

[@FishingLongIsland]

Nice job Toby.

[@drmitofit2673]

This is by far the best way to tie a snell knot. I don't consider other methods true snell knots. It can be tied even faster if you use the whip finish hand technique as used to finish a tied fly. I use this knot all the time for wacky worm and Neko rig largemouth bass fishing with a Gamakatsu 2/0 octopus circle hook, 20 lb braid, and a 5" Senko or Yum Dinger. The octopus circle hook results in far fewer snags, fewer thrown hooks, and no gut hooking compared to a J hook. I also have a theory that a circle hook is less detectable when the bass mouths the bait since the hook point doesn't stick out, so the bass holds the bait longer in its mouth and is less likely to reject it and spit it out before hook set. This might be why Texas rigging a plastic bait that buries the hook point is so effective with bass.

[@fiorevitola880]

A great tip I will use it this season even if it doesn't come into effect in NJ.

[@tripplebeards3427]

Thanks, I just sat down and tied a few of these! I’ve been tying regular old knots, and I’ve had zero issues with hook ups, but figured I would try this. My guess is I just wait too long before I start winding and it’s hooking them way deeper a lot of times instead of the corner of the mouth.

[@chainer1969]

Just came across this video. Followed the instructions, tied the knot as he was doing it. Double checked my knot matched his. As soon as pressure was released from tightening ,using pliers as he did, the knot came apart. I re-tied three times making sure to follow instructions to a tee. Same results. The knot came apart as soon as pressure was released. I have had more luck with the Uni knot than any other knot so far. I will keep trying other knots but it's not looking too promising at this time.

[@thefishermanmagazine]

You must be tying it wrong and/or missing a step as I have tied the knots hundreds if not thousands of times as I described in the video and it never comes undone when tied correctly.

[@chainer1969]

@@thefishermanmagazine As I stated, I made sure the steps were followed, made sure everything looked just like what was shown, and the knot still came apart. I have revisited this since my original comment and still am getting the same results.

[@RPEwing]

@@chainer1969 Well, Chainer1969 ... it's you or the video guy. Somebody ain't doing it right. Maybe you could video your way and post it for the video guy to watch?

[@kennethjackson7574]

I just tried to connect 4 lb main line to a tippet clip. It didn’t work- the gap is big enough for the line to slip through, so pulling on the tag end just pulls the line out of the eye.

[@TheBrand83]

I love circle hooks.

[@jeffreybabino8161]

Hi me too I have been using circle hooks for a few years thanks🐟

[@scottrodman802]

Use them for all fishing both fresh and salt water

[@ddaavvee68]

3:10 knot starts

[@chass53]

Nice job 👍

[@babbjoseph1]

I started using circle hooks n tried the youtube "easy snell knots" Had issues...watched this video ~6 mths ago. Now If i lose a fish i know it wasnt my knot. Thanks for making this video

[@slagletoby]

Good vid despite all the A-hole troll comments. Thanks for posting.

[@manganights]

Thanks. Nice video. Very helpful.

[@jkfishnhunt684]

You can buy non-offset circle hooks with an open eye design and they will not cut the line and are much easier to snell

[@ken244]

I like it.

[@ricknichols5846]

Thanks

[@gavinlangford2984]

Hello..great video as I am switching over to circle hooks and a dingle dangle..can this knot be used to snell 49 strand wire??

[@charlieauer1672]

nice video

[@Hawaiibohntr]

Been fishing in Hawaii for 40 some years these are all that we use, when the point touches any part of the mouth it will self set the hook the more pressure the deeper the hook sets, oh and the same with handling the hook, if that hook point touches any part of your hand.... your hooked(trust me on this)it's happened plenty to me. DO Not do a hook set, if the fish has the bait in it's mouth and the hook point hasn't touched any part of the mouth, a trout hook set or sweep you will pull the bait and hook out of the fishes mouth. If the fish is running(pulling line) just start reeling, you stand a much better chance of that point hooking because the line will be coming out of the fishes mouth on one side or the other, hense the side of the mouth hook set.

[@FC-qe1wl]

As for hooking yourself.....this is why every hook I use are barbless.

[@kennethjackson7574]

Sidebar: On 16/0 circle hooks fishing for halibut in between 100 feet and 100 fathoms, where there is no light, I made leaders from 3/16 inch diameter three-laid nylon rope and connected it to the hooks with eye splices. They never failed me where 30-40 pound fish are considered “schoolies,” but yes, it’s not broadly useful. BTW, PB was 134 pounds.

[@minibar7165]

Nice knot, but fast forward to pass by the 3-minute lead-in. :-)

[@hikenmikes8262]

Knot tying begins at 3:00...

[@golforfishing]

More like 3:14... can't stand this guy blah blah blah

[@stickypalmping]

come one bro just tie the damn knot. Sheesh!

[@keck739]

Worst fucking knot video I've seen

[@ronaldnorris2179]

I was thinking the same thing 😂😂😂

[@georgewoolinghamii488]

So if the cushion part of the tag end on this, that's through the eye and above the wraps, gets cut by the rough part of the eye, won't it just unwrap and you'll lose the fish anyway?

[@dorsteel8398]

Nice. I'll be jigging up some halibut next month with this Snell

[@gooddoggo2258]

How did it go?

[@dorsteel8398]

Couple of 40 lb halibut. Couple of nice ling cod

[@jimmikoz1422]

We have tired using this knot a number of times. Using same bait, same rig set up and we found that knot will get out fished 10 to 1 by two experienced fishers using a ledger rig as this design of hook works best when it is tied to the eye as the hook. This then allows the hook to roll into the corner of a fish mouth.

[@asaneuwiller9145]

So I’m confused why the don’t want bent eye circle hooks for snelling

[@eugeniodcosta2510]

Pl check the strength by giving it a good jerk find it snap from the knot I normally use. 45 mm mono uni knots are stronger but hook up ratio is not as good snell knots big snapers give a lot of jerk and the hook breaks from the power snell

[@TheRottenOneRepents]

Skip To 3:10

[@livenhfree]

Skip to 2:45. You're welcome!

[@infish3]

Could I straighten the off set circle hook. And still be with in the guide lines? Thanks

[@Reaper-gf3dw]

It will either break the hook or weaken the hook eyelet.

[@rasidivlogs6491]

Okay 👍

[@JayCapo]

i can use braid for this knot if im chunkin bunker?

[@thefishermanmagazine]

We wouldn't advise tying direct to the hook with braid. You should have a leader tied in-between the braid and hook, either monofilament or fluorocarbon. The mono/fluoro provides both shock absorption and abrasion resistance.

[@GardensoftheAncientsHerbal]

Circle hooks for live bait shark fishing I agree with but it sucks that in situations you could use j hooks in the past easily say threading a whole ray. Now we have to run wires in the things back and attach the hook at the end of the steel wire...

[@clintadams8451]

What's saudered, is that similar too soldered?

[@geraldbostock9858]

Ya, thats American for soldered...

[@Magpie01]

Every variation of snell knots that you use a loop to make your wraps with is difficult for me. It twists and gets tangled in the main line. I am using 10 pound mono on a 3/0 circle hook. I won't use the simple snell that uses the main line for the wraps because it will loosen when tension isn't applied. I want a better snell, so for now I am using the one that uses a loop at the end of the hook(away from the eye) and you wrap with the tag end 10 times towards the eye, then run the end of the tag line back thru that little loop. Pull both tight.

[@taoyen1579]

Skip to 3:00 and play at 2x. Then prepare to be disappointed.

[@jerrypeacock5166]

On set lines, yes circles are best. Rod &reel fishing, if you stay with your rods gut hooking very seldom happens, unless you let the fish swallow it. Most people don’t understand, fish don’t have hands! If they pick your bait up it’s in there mouth, hook him. Also, when fresh water fishing, don’t need SS hooks in most situations. Use bronze hooks so if you are outta pocket, or just sleeping at the wheel, the fish swallows your hook, let him keep it. Bronze hooks rust out quickly. I have landed many big fish to find a SS hook hanging in them. In salt water yes SS, but not needed in fresh water.

[@shawnbishop9199]

No matter the not, if your first wrap is away from the gap/closed side it should never get between to cut abrade the leader. I've used the same knot for 35 years on every hook style out there and 4-40# test line. If done properly and away from the gap you will never have a snell knot fail.

[@danb3703]

Are you tellin me that smaller diameter lines wont find that little gap? Man.. Cant believe its taken me this long to find this info out lol... Been tying baitloop nots for like 20 years and i usually wrap towards the gap on the first line through the eye as I was thinking this would buffer the leader line that goes through the eye of the hook to the swivel. Ive been doing this wrong my entire life, LOL.

[@johnthekiwi1601]

For some reason I always thought an octopus hook implied a turned out eye. I guess it is more correct to think of the shape of the shank relative to other circle hooks as being the distinction. As it is I have never had a compelling reason to snell anything other than hooks with turned out eyes.

[@karansotv7181]

Im new in shore fishing whats your trusted brand of circle hooks and what kind of leader your using? Thanks

[@jonstewart5828]

Great knot! Start the video at 3:00 then you don’t have to hear the story of the knot etc.

[@jacquelynswartz4671]

Philly has the same rules with circle hooks fishing for stripper bass

[@digger5521]

Circle hooks with offset is best for this knot. Lots of videos showing why ......

[@michaellicitra7632]

Why not just keep the line out of the eye of the hook? This won't affect the hookset and keep the main line from contacting the eye closure end. The eye is not needed in a properly snelled hook - a bump in the hook end would suffice.

[@frank1387]

Anyone can tie with line like that. Let’s see you do it with 40 lb flourocarbon, which is probably what you would use with a 6/0 hook.

[@Tagerrun]

So why can’t you have an off set circle hook?

[@6889550]

talk talk talk !

[@JA-gx4hb]

Easy to tie with limp line like you're using, a little trickier with mono. Why don't you demonstrate it for the viewers.

[@ooogoogleooo]

i have a poor catch % using circle hooks (for big blue cats)..not all the fish pick the bait up and run hard hooking themselfs..some bite shy or nibble on the bait making short runs..thinking about try a kahle or octopus hook instead..that way on a short nibble/bite i can set the hook

[@ARCSTREAMS]

yeah i have the same problem with the circle hook ,i use size 2 mustad demon circle hook and a size 2/0 but for pan fish on a bobber i can not just sit there a long while after i get a bit ,it dont work that way as like you said they dont run with it and i have to slowly retrieve and sometimes it gets spit out and other times it gets deep hooked ,rarely it hooks the outer lip so either im using them wrong or they are meant for larger sea fishing , but kahle hooks are the same thing no? also when you say octopus hooks its confusing because they have that name for circle hooks too, but i usually use small #8 octopus hooks by berkely (more like j hook style not circle) and they work well but obviously i want lip hooking and not deep gut that is why i was hoping by switching to circle id get that but no luck

[@davidguthrie5941]

Look me in the eye

[@tokay999]

circle hook, best bet

[@coryboyd7958]

Ha ha! Try doing that on a boat that's rocking and with a #6 hook and 8lb test line!

[@TheMalcore]

Yea a better choice for the fix would be regulating the commercial fishermen.

[@rickjames6948]

Why snell when you have stronger knots like fish n fool and palomar?

[@JA-gx4hb]

It's a hook set thing. Using this method (with a straight shank hook) is the best way to avoid gut hooking and stick the hook in the fish's lip.

[@MenCanNotBeWomen]

same knot used when using flat eyed hooks..

[@johnmaggiorino4493]

👍

[@darianbuchoon7642]

How to tie that knot using haywire?

[@steveescalante]

Use chaffing tube

[@carvedwood1953]

The tag end buffer is great but the second idea about the trigger effect is a falacy.

[@Wofford1985]

That would be hard as shit to do with actual fishing line.

[@gooddoggo2258]

I had a hard time with it. It took me two or three attempts to get it right. I’ll stick with the knotless knot or the simple smell personally.

[@JA-gx4hb]

I can only do it at home on the bench. On a boat, no chance.

[@keck739]

Be sure to flip that fucking hook around as much as possible. It's literally like watching a slight of hand magician.

[@ARCSTREAMS]

i dont see why ppl offset the point on this hook, would this not defeat the entire design purpose not to get deep hooked in the mouth? also why dont the designers simply weld or solder that gap? youd think by now they would have all the flaws info on this hook from the customer, but as for this knot i dont see how it prevents the line from getting snagged under this gap,if you look closely at 6:40 the first wrap next to the eye is still wedged in this gap or can insert itself deeper in regardless of that cushion line, might be wrong but juts how im seeing it

[@ninodog10309]

Show it with a 80lb mono. Anyone can do a snell with braid

[@peterk814]

I don’t like Snelling in-line circles. You get way better hook sets on circles or any hook for that matter if you snell turned eyes. Straight eyes require a regular knot.

[@miamiwax5504]

No way this works like a charm

[@jerrypeacock5166]

Straight eye hooks will rub on mainline, snell on either 👆🏻or👇🏻turned eye hooks.

[@givewarachance7595]

@@jerrypeacock5166 maybe so, but as long as the eye doesn't have any rough edges it won't (shouldn't) matter. If it does have rough edges, no knot would be immune since it would chafe regardless of knot type. I've used this knot exclusively for about 5 years. I've caught cobia, grouper, snapper, snook, amberjack, tarpon, etc and not had one fail from chafing on the eye. Even maxing out 50 pounds of drag in short situations with the rod on the gunnel when trying to keep a grouper out of a wreck and around 20 pounds of drag on tarpon for 20-30 min straight, and from 20 pound leaders when snapper are line shy, up to 80 pound for amberjack. But that's just my experience. Your results may vary.

[@muddyh2o2init44]

It’s a striper not a marlin! I’ve never even had oversized sturgeon chaff a hook at the bend. You’re supposed to always check your leader and change your hooks.

[@justinb4510]

Are you going to tie the knot?

[@leesuper73]

I use a a barrel swivel and split ring to attach the circle hook then tie my leader to the swivel. Seems to work better than a snell know in my case.

[@robkope5454]

Nobody snells straight eye hooks, just tie a uni knot.

[@lorenzojantociii7394]

You could have said skip to 3:15

[@davidhefner5668]

More regulations.

[@lttruck2973]

Circle hook rule already in place in Maryland. Still one big problem. The fish swallow the hook with live bait. Survival still a problem.

[@joer9150]

Yes, they will likely swallow the bait but unless you yank on the line in the traditional hook-set manner, or start reeling in too soon the hook should slide back out the gullet without grabbing any meat. That is if the circle hook is *non-offset*. Even an offset circle hook will likely grab gut as it slides back out the gullet. If you like, try this "experiment" with a *dulled*, snelled, non-offset circle hook. Hold the entire hook rather loosely in your closed fist and pull it straight out by the leader toward your thumb and pointer. The hook it should slide out without grabbing your palm or fingers. Then do the same but pull the leader back toward your pinky as if the fish was swimming away from you and you'll feel the gape of the hook grab one of your fisted fingers, while at the same time you should also feel the *dulled* hook point trying to bite into your finger. Your finger and thumb, in this case, represents the corner of the fish's mouth if you can imagine that. I've done this experiment and have used circle hooks with bait for years now luckily without any gut hooked fish as of today. Hey, it's a good law--you get the same adrenaline rush without throwing your back out and the fish gets hooked safely and may survive if released. Cheers!

[@lttruck2973]

@@joer9150 I understand your theory but if you are live lining the entire theory goes out the window. Fish already swallowed the bait and is swimming away when hood set occurs

[@joer9150]

@@lttruck2973 We may not be on the same page...probably my fault with my wording. The proper use of circle hooks is NOT to yank-set the hook at all. As the fish takes the bait and starts to swim away all you do is come tight with the line. Coming tight (no yanking) as the fish swims away causes the non-offset circle hook shank to eventually slide out of the side of the mouth, which then gets pulled toward your direction and forcing the cleverly-designed hook point to set itself (on the lip or corner of the mouth more times than not on my limited experience). Circle hook fishing is a different method of fishing and like anything else takes a little practice at first. I don't think it matters live vs dead bait but I'm not 100% sure on that. Thanks for the calm discussion...tight lines.

[@BradM766]

Very odd that it's called an "inline octopus hook" when the eye isn't bent backwards like an octopus hook is supposed to be. They could have just called it a "circle hook."

[@michaelmaston4702]

Yellow line against a light colored background does NOT show up so good.

[@cupiddstunt]

I really would like to know where Americans come up with all this fancy dramatic naming shit from. The “power” snell indeed, it is simply a snell and is not in reality a ‘knot’ it’s more of a wrap originally used for tying the likes of spade end hooks, and for those that do not know what a spade end hook is, Look it up. I have been tying my hooks in this fashion for over 60yrs which is way, way before circle hooks were developed and find it the simplest way to tie. Using the snell method I can tie hooks at night without the use of a light, and with a little practice it’s simple. And I certainly have never heard it called it a POWER snell, wow what’s so powerful about it?

[@geraldbostock9858]

one word... Worcestershire...

[@georgevantuyl5837]

Tuna fisherman? Really. Does Eagle Claw know that?

[@peterchessell28]

It has an eye ? why not use it.?

[@davidatkins6919]

just weld up the eye or braze the damn thing if you're so worried about it.. what I do....

[@lttruck2973]

just double loop the eye and tie a uni..problem solved

[@Boudico]

FFS man... get to the point

[@ARCSTREAMS]

hahaha i see what you did there

[@outaboutwithmarkjustine3183]

U talk too much

[@dayoneshemuyl9464]

WTF.... TIE THE KNOT!!!

[@hikenmikes8262]

This isn’t so danged easy when using mono or fluorocarbon.

[@Im118ish]

Forrealforreal...that "double through the eye" section of line is soo prone to burning on the final cinching it's not worth chancing...ill take my chances with the hook eye edge instead løl Actually neither I'll just carefully epoxy that sketchy spot on the trimmed end of the eye if I was desperately afraid of that edge being a problem~or buy appropriate hooks for the job. Wanna see this guy snell an eyeless size 20 microhook 😝

[@keck739]

I tried about 6 times and I never tied it right with mono. This video sucks balls

[@ARCSTREAMS]

@@Im118ish yeah just use a small dab or jb weld or if you have the means to soldier it even better

[@aluptown]

too much yakking

[@robertedwardn]

OK a couple of things: first of all, that’s not a circle hook, I don’t care what it says on the packaging, and I don’t care what you call it. That is a regular J hook. Second of all I can’t see anything in this video. I don’t know which way the line went back in the second time and I couldn’t see anything else either. It’s really funny when you say that you use the yellow line so it looks clearer in the video but then tie the knot over a light colored background. I actually found a much clearer presentation of how this knot was supposed to be tied elsewhere on KZbin. Third of all, nobody needs this knot. The fact is you can get better results from a Palomar knot, simply because the knot sits on top of the eye and not below it. The reason commercial fisherman use it is because they need this knot for light lines so that fish wouldn’t get spooked by heavier gauge lines. If your knot sits on top of the hook eye, there won’t be ever be any chafing against the eye gap. You don’t need to snell the hook at all with regular mono, you just tie a regular knot. But most important of all, this is knot is not as strong and reliable as a Palomar knot, I don’t care what you say. Even I was able to pull this knot loose with pliers. The only time you would ever snell a knot is if you were using a really thin line.

[@ARCSTREAMS]

there is good reason why this hook is snelled and not knotted on top of the eye like any other hook and knot, the snell line coming out the eye the way it is in the vid helps give the proper leverage to hook on the lip as it comes out of the mouth ,using a regular knot on the eye lessens this greatly, try it with a hollow tube with both knots and see for yourself how the properly snelled knot increases the chances of the hook setting on the outer edge of the tube while the regular one simply falls out without hooking the edge , simply lower the hook and line into the tube(i use toilet paper tube) and hold the end of the line just outside to the side of the tube and start pulling the tube up and see how it works better with a proper snell (where the main line is coming out from the inner side of the eye facing the point and not the outer)

[@terryogletree2128]

Take my advice , skip the first 3 minutes and the last and the last 3 , this guy likes to here himself talk

[@zacherysmith2667]

*hear. Also, yes dont support people who are doing you a service. The first three minutes he is telling you about fishing regulations and then reminds you of it throughout the video.

[@keck739]

@@zacherysmith2667 there are plenty of other videos on YT. This video is more of a disservice to someone trying to learn. It's ridiculous

[@GardensoftheAncientsHerbal]

Depends honestly on how you are fishing. Sucks bad fisherman ruin the use of j hooks.

[@paulalston5648]

What a load of waffle over tying a knot.

[@GardensoftheAncientsHerbal]

J hooks are fine if you don't just throw them out and wait for bites. Problem is the line of enforcement. Easier to just ban them all.

[@manko717]

Stopped listening, took too long to tie

[@allaboutdetails3356]

Wow so much talking ya ya ya Massachusetts blah blah. Just tie the knot dude

[@Dovey14]

I gave up after 3 minutes! Dam you like to talk! You make a 6-minute video, 3 and half minutes of you just talking!

[@juanmate6086]

To much talking.. 3 mins of nonsense