Who spends their winters tying their own crawler harnesses?

[Muddog001]

It takes, maybe 5 minutes to tie one. 

I find they are a mess to keep after you make them so I tie as needed.

Use a snell knot for the end hook, slide the next hook down the line to where you want it, use a hair rig knot to hold it there. Just make sure the top hook has an eye big enough to get the line through twice. 

It took me longer to type this then it would to tie it.

[JohnMickish]

I used to tie most of my spinner harnesses, but now I purchase them and only build them when needed. I have found that with the right shopping you can find quality hooks and line already built for about the same price as doing it yourself.

I go thru 200 or so harnesses a year so the time I save is priceless. As mentioned above, beads and blades are where the money is at.

On the subject of beads, glass beads can be found at stores like Hobby Lobby, Joanne's and such. Glass beads sink, plastic beads float, glass beads retain their color, plastic beads tend to wear off their color or just fade from the water.

The reason I go thru so many harnesses is after every catch I check for nicks, if there is one that harness is done. I also shorten them up when fishing in rocks or in Zebra infested waters, and those harnesses usually don't make it thru the day. It's easier to throw away a 30 cent harness than to lose 2 bucks worth of beads and blades. 

[tacklejunkie]

How long are harnesses good for?

I still have some from last year that seem to be ok but does the line  deteriorate at all due to environmental factors?

[rkhinrichs]

I tie mine! Like the process! And mine hold up better than name brands!

[JohnMickish]

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 8:17 AM, tacklejunkie said:

How long are harnesses good for?

I still have some from last year that seem to be ok but does the line  deteriorate at all due to environmental factors?

If in doubt, change it out. Seriously though, to me, it all depends on the fish your fishing for. If your catching loads of fish in Canada, wait till it breaks, if your fishing for trophy's is it worth risking a personal best on a rig you are not 100 percent sure of?  

[SledNeck]

I tie all of my own leaders as needed. 20 lb mono. Never more than one hook. I cant stand the way stuff drags double hooked. If you feel the need to use 2 hooks then you should use a half-crawler. Most people fail to adjust to that. #4 gama octopus hooks only. I tie swivels on the end of my leader and clip directly to bouncer. I make my leaders extra long so I can change out hooks as they become dull or tweaked. As for what I use for color.... We all start off with different color combos of beads/ and or spinners then go from there. I'm pretty good at remembering what works best where at what time of year and conditions, though.