Snell
Also called snell knot, snelled hook
A knot tied around the shank of a hook rather than to its eye, so the pull rotates the point up into the fish.
Instead of attaching to the eye, a snell wraps the line down the shank and exits alongside it. When you pull, the force runs along the shank rather than pivoting at the eye, which rolls the hook point upward into whatever is holding it.
That geometry matters most with an up-turned eye, which is why octopus and circle hooks are so often snelled for catfish and live bait fishing. It is also the standard connection for flipping a Texas rig on heavy braid, where a snelled hook noticeably improves hookup ratios in cover.
It is slower to tie than a clinch and awkward on small hooks. Pre-snelled hooks are sold ready to go with a loop on the end for exactly that reason.
Snell hooks with an up-turned eye. On a straight-eye hook the advantage mostly disappears and a Palomar is faster.
Related terms
Where this comes up
The guides that use snell and show it on real gear.
Snell is one of 206 terms in the glossary.
Browse the full fishing glossary