sucker harness or clothes pin style

[Gordie]

I went out this morning and thought that I would try somthing differnt, I've always used the clothes pin style harrness to hold live decoy in place without fail. I heard a guy talk about the live harness at the bait store this weekend. he said his sucker swims better so I thought that I would give it a try and after about 20 min my sucker swam under the ice and then the harness just came swinging back without my decoy.

I put it on as was told to me, but it failed.

has this happened to any of you guys?

what do you guys use?

[B420]

I like to use a treble hook that fits the size of my bait with a tiny spinner and bead to make it legal. I like this setup (attached to a rattle reel) because if a bigger fish comes in that I don't want to kill, I can angle for them on that. The sucker swims just fine with a the treble hooked lightly in the skin in FRONT of the dorsal fin. Hooking in the front hangs the bait level at rest and looks natural.

[Gordie]

B420 what kind of sinker do you use?

[bassNspear]

B420, maybe im wrong, but i dont believe that you can use a hook for your live decoy!!

Im going to check the rules.

[B420]

Elwood,

I use the water gremlin rubber cores that you twist onto the line. They come in variety pack with about 5-6 sizes. I don't like a ton of weight on there, I like my decoy to swim pretty freely.

BNS,

You can angle one line and spear one line, my angle line is the live decoy

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/regulations/fishing/fishing2007.pdf

That link will take you to the regs, right on top "Simultaneous spearing and angling now allowed see page 60."

[merkman]

 Originally Posted By: elwood

has this happened to any of you guys?

what do you guys use?

It happened to me the first time I used these too.

Then I learned about the crimp.

If your harness is the same as mine there is a slideable crimp on the harness between the top bead and the next two beads. On the pic above it shows this as crimp.

You should put the decoy between the beads with the sinker on top or bottom (your choice) then use the top bead to slide the crimp to tighten the harness around your decoy.

Hope this helps.

[bassNspear]

b, i was thinking something else, never mind.

[merkman]

Here is what they look like in real life.

[bassNspear]

you guys all use them?

[merkman]

I do.

I like them.

I even hang one off the bottom of the Bear Creek for the BNS Setup.

[bassNspear]

i just dont like that setup, but i guess i never try it at all anymore since i made my set up and its worked. I think the way that i set up my stuff now is alot better then those, but i also think that it has alot to do with where you set up, not the setup that your using.

[evman07]

that's all i use for live bait, one year i had the same sucker for over a month, the key is to get the harness right behind their front fins and tighten it well

i've had a couple get loose but it was b/c i didn't tighten it well enough...i've also had pike steal them too but very rarely, i think they would steal them either well

[tengauge]

i like to use a harness and rarely have a problem seems like they need to hit it very hard and take off with it before they can tear it out of there. i haven't lost a decoy all year to a fish, and have been using the same deke everyday for a week now and he's still going strong. only prob i've ever had is when you first harness them up and don't get them tight enough and set them in the water the sucker goes bonkers and comes off, but if you snug them down you should never have a prob. 6 to 1 1/2 doz the other in my opinion i just like the harness.

[Dabignorski]

i like using the harness myself i get one that has a weight that sits on top of the sucker and one on the bottom it seems to hold down them down tight i've had my sucker minnow hit many times and it never get out of the harness

[merkman]

 Originally Posted By: tengauge

only prob i've ever had is when you first harness them up and don't get them tight enough and set them in the water the sucker goes bonkers and comes off, but if you snug them down you should never have a prob.

I have noticed that too.

I think the key there is to gently place the sucker in the water and let him take the line from you when first putting it in the water.

After he has been harnessed up for a while it is not as big a problem. It seems the harness seats to him after a little while.

[bassNspear]

If your having problems with them coming off, your not placing the harness in the right spot. I place mine just under the top fin of the sucker, and it will never come off by itself, a fish has to ripp it off in order for it to come off the harness.

[glenn57]

i use the same style harness merkman has pictured except my harnesses have two sinkers and i put the sucker between the sinkers. i never go out with only 1 chubby and ive had them survive several attacks and ive lost a few cuase nord took them and that i didnt tighten harness good enough. such is in a day of spearchucking.

[bassNspear]

why do you guys like to use the sinker style?

[merkman]

 Originally Posted By: Bass N Spear

why do you guys like to use the sinker style?

Cause it is what they had at the bait store.

I would try one without the sinker if I could find one somewhere.

[bassNspear]

all you have to do is by the harness, and tie it to the decoy. Thats what i have been doing for years, and i like running it that way, becuase then i can let the live decoy swim alot more free then withd sinker.

[Gordie]

 Originally Posted By: glenn57

i use the same style harness merkman has pictured except my harnesses have two sinkers and i put the sucker between the sinkers. i never go out with only 1 chubby and ive had them survive several attacks and ive lost a few cuase nord took them and that i didnt tighten harness good enough. such is in a day of spearchucking.

I was useing this style also. I didnt notice the crimp and the guy at the bait store didnt say anything about a crimp I will look at it and check it over. I have used the same sucker on my clothes pin style for the last three weeks(same decoy as the get to gator) without any problems until mr. toothy smacked it and ate it.(when I wasnt looking)and I also dont go out with one decoy it just happened to be one of those days.

[bassNspear]

that is something that i have never tried. Im sure it works, being that all you guys use this method.

[glenn57]

the sinkers make your live deke in the hole more. i tried the pin type several times and the minnow wont stay in the hole much.

[browning_gold]

I use the harness with the sinker on top and bottom of the sucker. I prefer the weights on the sucker so it prevents him from going rampaging all over the hole.

[bassNspear]

see i like it that they can swim all over the hole. The reason i like it that way, is becuase there able to move alot more, and it looks like there free swimming in the water.