This bastardization of an open-water stalwart, the crawler harness, adds fish-catching color and flash to tip-up rigs and can be appropriated for jigging below a bobber.
To catch walleyes or magnum perch, start with a 2-foot length of 6-pound fluorocarbon or monofilament. At its end, tie a No. 10 treble hook, and above it slide on a neoprene bobber stop until it’s anywhere from 6 to 10 inches above the treble. Add six 4mm chartreuse or orange plastic beads and a clevis with a No. 2 silver spinner blade. Tie the end of the leader to a swivel. Tip the treble with a 2- to 4-inch shiner.
To arm yourself for pike, use a 6-inch sucker or shiner, beef up your treble to a No. 4 and your leader to 20-pound-test fluorocarbon, and use six No. 6 to No. 8 red beads with a No. 4 red-and-white spinner blade.
Used beneath a tip-up or with a slip bobber on a short, ice-style spinning rod, this rig outfishes a plain minnow.
