The snell knot is a hitch knot used in angling to attach a fishing line to the shank (instead of the eye) of a fishing hook.
The line may still pass through the eye of the hook, but primarily fastens to the shaft.
Hooks tied with a snell knot provide an even, straight-line pull to the fish.
It is a very secure knot, but because it is easily tied using only the near end as the working end, it is used to attach a hook only to a leader, rather than directly to the main line.
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