How to Troll a Crawler Harness Sinker

Night crawler harnesses are effective tools for catching walleyes, especially in the summer when water temperatures are above 50 degrees F and walleyes feed on emerging invertebrates. Trolling night crawler harnesses allow anglers to cover a lot of water and find the fish. The sinker's design usually prevents the rig from snagging on the bottom, where walleyes are usually found. The sinker's design also lets a fish run with the bait without feeling resistance when it bites.

Things You'll Need

  • Slip sinkers
  • Bottom bouncer sinkers
  • Barrel swivel
  • Fishing rod and reel
  • Night crawler harness
  • Night crawler
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Instructions

  1. Rigging a Harness

    • 1

      Slide a slip sinker or bottom bouncer sinker onto the line on your fishing rod. For shallow water at slow speeds, a ¼-ounce sinker may be sufficient. In deeper water at faster speeds, you may need a 2- or 3-ounce sinker.

    • 2

      Tie a barrel swivel onto the end of the fishing line.

    • 3

      Tie a pre-rigged night crawler harness to the other end of the barrel swivel.

    • 4

      Hook a night crawler onto the harness. Most harnesses have two or three hooks. Hook the front hook in the tip of the head. Space the second and third hooks evenly along the rest of the body.

    Trolling a Harness

    • 5

      Let out the rig behind the boat while the boat is moving.

    • 6

      Let out line for 10 more seconds after the line goes slack when the rig hits bottom.

    • 7

      Keep the bail of the reel open, but hold the line with your finger to prevent it from unspooling.

    • 8

      Troll at about .5 to 1.5 miles per hour.

    Hooking a Fish With a Harness

    • 9

      Drop the line from your finger when you feel a tap as a fish bites.

    • 10

      Allow the line to unspool from the reel and for the fish to run with the bait.

    • 11

      Wait about 5 seconds.

    • 12

      Reel up the slack line until just before the line gets taut.

    • 13

      Set the hook hard to take up any additional slack.