Cutting-Edge Saltwater Fishing Tactics 21

Choose the Right SwivelDon’t overlook this small but vital link in your terminal-tackle chain.

Chapter 6

ine twist can become

a serious problem if

not kept in check. For

example, it can lead to frustrat-

ing tangles, rob you of casting

distance, and create weak spots

in the line. While there are sev-

eral ways to prevent line twist,

one of the simplest is to use a

swivel.

Swivels are snubbed by some

light-tackle fishermen who

believe they impede casting

accuracy by preventing the lure

or bait from being reeled to the

rod tip prior to a cast. Some

anglers also believe that swivels

spook fish, or worse, look like a

tasty tidbit to toothy critters,

which could lead to a cut-off.

However, thanks to new devel-

opments in swivels, these argu-

ments don’t hold as much water

as they once did.

L

Swivels are among the most important, yet least understood terminal tackle items for both spin-and conventional gear.

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22 Cutting-Edge Saltwater Fishing Tactics

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There are many types of swivelsdesigned to match specific fishingapplications. However, two basicdesigns cover most salt waterneeds: barrel and ball-bearing.

The basic barrel swivel compris-es a nickel-plated brass barrel thathas been swaged around brass pinswith formed heads and eyes. Barrelswivels are extremely popular dueto their low cost and wide range ofsizes. However, their biggest disad-vantage is their inability to turnunder heavy loads.

According to Brian Butts ofSampo, [(315) 896-2606; www. sam-poinc.com] maker of the originalball-bearing swivel and a leadingswivel manufacturer, frictionoccurs in a barrel swivel when the

brass headsand brass body rub against eachother. “It would be somewhat simi-

lar to using metal wheel bearings inyour car,” says Butts. “The metal-on-metal grinding inhibits friction-free performance. In time, frictionwill result in some problems,including premature wear andbreakage.”

Under minimal load, a barrelswivel should perform to spec.However, when sized inappro-

priately or subjected to heavy load(e.g., trolling deep-diving plugs,lengthy or repeated battles with bigfish, soaking baits in a strong cur-rent), the friction within the swivelwill slow or halt its rotation. Whenthis happens, the swivel will fail toperform its job and allow twists totravel up the fishing line.

By comparison, a quality ball-bearing swivel contains polishedstainless-steel ball bearings posi-tioned between its spindle and

Ball Bearing vs. Barrel

Ball Bearing ➤

Barrel ➤

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Cutting-Edge Saltwater Fishing Tactics 23

CHAPTER 6

body. This enables the swivel torotate freely, negating any twist,even under heavy load. The per-ceived disadvantage of ball-bearingswivels is their price. However, incertain situations — especially off-shore trolling — you can’t affordnot to use them.

Most swivels are made of nickel-plated brass, with stainless-steelrings and snaps. Many anglers shyaway from shiny swivels, fearing thata fish may mistake it for food and cutthe line. However, I prefer a shiny,nickel-plated finish on my trollingswivels, for several reasons. To beginwith, I’ve only beencut off once by afish that attackedmy swivel, and thatoccurred many years ago.However, I’ve lost two fishbecause of black snap swivels thatbroke during the fight.

According to Sampo’s Brian Butts,in order to make a nickel-platedswivel black, the swivel must go

back in the plating line to coat thestainless-steel rings and snaps withmore nickel. The swivel is then plat-ed with copper and dipped in a saltbath to oxidize the copper, whichturns it black. This process tends toeat away at the brass, especially ifany salt becomes lodged inside theswivel. If you’re unfortunate enough

to get that rare bad swivel, itcould cost you a fish.

Selecting the right swivelhinges largely on how you’ll befishing. For offshore trolling, I

use ball-bearing snap swivelsexclusively. As mentioned, their

friction-free performance pre-vents line twist at all trollingspeeds and when fighting fish.

For serious trolling, I believeit’s critical for the snap swivel tofeature welded rings on eachend. With this style, the fishing

line (or wind-on leader) issecured to one ring, while thesnap is attached to the oppo-site ring. On some snapswivels, the snap is simply

affixed through a hole in thelower base of the swivel, as shown.Double rings give the swivel morelatitude to rotate and stay in bal-ance, eliminating any resistancethat could lead to line twist.

As far as choosing the right sizeof trolling swivel, the standard the-ory is to use one that’s slightlyheavier than the leader. I go a bitheavier than that. While using aswivel that’s just large enough to

get the job done has

merit, such as being less visible andposing less of a temptation to otherfish, I prefer to step it up a bit. Forexample, on 50-pound-classtrolling gear (especially in conjunc-tion with a 100- to 130-pound-testwind-on leader), I use a No. 6, or200-pound-test, ball-bearing snapswivel. I upgrade to this size tocounter the additional pressurethat can be applied once the wind-on leader has been wound onto thereel, or when the leader or swivelis grabbed to wire a fish. Shouldthe fish surge while the wireman isstill holding the leader, the swivelor its snap won’t fail. Furthermore,the larger swivel is even more effi-cient in countering line twist, and Iactually like the extra commotion itmakes on the troll — I believe itenhances the trolling illusion bymaking it seem as if my baits orlures are chasing down smallerprey. In keeping with my theory,I’ll use a No. 4 (100-pound test)swivel on my 20-pound trollingoutfits, a No. 5 (165-pound test) onmy 30-pound outfits, and a No. 8(300-pound test) on my 80-poundoutfits.

Once used mainly by commercialfishermen, “Australian-style”swivels are now widely available.These streamlined, torpedo-shapedswivels are designed for extreme,heavy-tackle fishing, in situationsthat may tax other swivels. Thisincludes fishing for giant tuna, as

well as trolling or chunking forbig yellowfins and bluefins,

drifting for swordfish andtrolling or live-baiting for

big blue marlin.According to John

Hargaden at Rite Angler [(954) 491-8562; www.riteangler.com], a suppli-

Extreme Swivels

Construction and Finish

Some anglers swear byblack swivels, whileothers, includingthe author, prefer ashiny finish.

The author considers welded rings amust on heavy-duty swivels, butprefers those with rings on either end.

Weld

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24 Cutting-Edge Saltwater Fishing Tactics

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er of swivels and select terminalgear, his company’s Aussie Swivelscome with welded eye rings and theoption of snaps and ball bearings.“The non-ball-bearing swivels areused primarily by tuna chunkers,”says Hargaden. “For those whotroll, we sell a version with ballbearings and snaps. About 80 to 90percent of most offshore fishing isaccomplished with traditional ball-bearing swivels. Aussie Swivels areused with very heavy tackle, suchas 80, 130 and even heavier, whentraditional swivels might fail.”

The Aussie Swivels by RiteAngler range from 300- to 900-pound test and sell for approxi-mately twice the price of compara-ble ball-bearing swivels. They aretypically used for connectinga heavy wind-on leader to ashort leader, connectingheavy braid or monofil-ament to heavy lead-ers, and wire-linetrolling.

The SPRO Corporation [(770) 919-1722; www.spro.com] has made sig-nificant in-roads in the terminal-gear market through its wide variety of swivels, which includesball-bearing snap designs, HeavySwivels (Aussie-style), and theextremely popular Power Swivels.The Power Swivel is basically a barrel design that offers extremelyhigh strength in compact sizes.

According to Paul Michele,SPRO’s Eastern Regional SalesManager, the Power Swivel wasinspired by the “finesse-fishing”

craze, where anglers continue toscale down their tackle to fool morefish. “Our Power Swivels are low-profile and super-strong,” saysMichele. “They complement thelow-vis terminal-gear approach,where fluorocarbon leaders andsmall hooks are now the norm. Themost popular applications for thisswivel as of late have been for con-necting super braid to fluorocarbonleaders for striped bass, snook and

tarpon; monofilament line to fluoro-carbon leaders for tuna chunking;and fluorocarbon or monofilamentto light-wire leaders for live-baitking mackerel fishing.”

Although Michele was elusive inrevealing the secret that enablesSPRO to make such strong swivels insuch remarkably small sizes, he didsay that high-quality stainless steel ispart of the equation. These swivelsare so compact that some anglershave been using them to build wind-on leaders on 30- and 50-pound-class trolling tackle, as the low-pro-file swivels pass through the guidesand onto the reel with relative ease.

The tiny Power Swivels also allow

light-tackle anglers to reel the bait orlure right to the rod tip when castingaccuracy is an issue. They trackthrough the water quietly and are farless visible than larger swivels, too.In short, they are proving to be justthe ticket for avoiding line twistwhen repeatedly casting lures andbaits on light tackle, drifting livebaits, and free-lining baits in a chumslick.

When it comes to sizing thePower Swivels, and all barrel swivelsin general, match them to thestrength of the leader you’re using. Ifyou’re not stealth fishing and can getaway with a slightly stronger andlarger swivel than your leader, you’llget that much more insuranceagainst line twist.

Because they’re not a prominentpiece of tackle, swivels are easilyneglected. But it’s important torinse them thoroughly when clean-ing your tackle, inspect them fordamage and make sure they rotatefreely. This is especially importantafter fighting a large fish.

Finally, keep in mind that swivelsget tired over time. Replace themperiodically, even if they appear tobe fine. Doing so will guarantee thatthey’ll do their job and hold togeth-er when you need them most. Inaddition, they’ll make sure linetwist remains a headache of thepast!

Swivel TLC

Finesse Swivels

Anglers use tiny SPROPower Swivels to connectthe sections in a low-visibil-ity terminal-gear set-up.

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