The Snell Knot is considered a hitch knot and is primarily used to attach a line to a hook.  It attaches itself to the hook by wrapping itself around it, resulting in a strong knot which can be done in seconds.  It is one of the older knots that was developed in Great Britain many years ago.  It was developed to solve the problem of most hooks not having eyes.  Even though hooks nowadays have eyes, the Snell Knot is still useful today, mainly because of its 100% hook strength and reliability.  Here are the steps on how to make a Snell Knot correctly:

1. Insert the line through the eye of the hook.  Make sure that you insert it from the front end of the hook and leave a long enough tag end to work with.

Step #1
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2. Hold the line firmly against the back side of the shank of the hook, and wrap the tag end around both the line and shank about 6 to 8 times.

Step #2
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3. Insert the line through the loop of the knot, lubricate the knot, and slightly tighten.  Check the knot to be sure that the coils are lined up straight.

Step #3
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4. Pull the line tightly to ensure a secure knot.  Check the knot and you should see perfect coils around the shank of the hook.

Step #4
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5. Cut the tag end.

Step #5
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It is also important to make sure that after the attachment is done, the line should come out at the front of the hook and the hook should be curled towards the line.  This would increase the knot’s strength and improve the catch rate, as well. Some people would simply buy a pre-snelled hook.  However, it is a good idea to know how to tie this knot since you never know when you may need it.  Practice makes perfect, so be sure to practice the knot before hitting the water, until you are confident that you can tie it correctly every time.