How do you feel about swivels?

[Ads7633]

When going braid to a flouro leader on spinning gear, do you prefer a line to line knot or a swivel in between the two? Which do you think would lead to more line failures? Does line twist come into play when using braid?

[Scott F]

Braided line does twist on spinning reels but it is not nearly as noticeable as it is with mono or fluoro. When it is highly twisted, slack line will wrap around your rod tip.

I never use leaders with braid so my opinion is, no knot or no swivel. No leader makes life easier.

[roadwarrior]

Swivels are for C-rigs, not for line connections.

 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Certain baits, flukes and inline spinners for example, tend to exacerbate line twist. A swivel can help then. As a simple connection they serve no purpose. 

[new2BC4bass]

21 minutes ago, Scott F said:

Braided line does twist on spinning reels but it is not nearly as noticeable as it is with mono or fluoro. When it is highly twisted, slack line will wrap around your rod tip.

I never use leaders with braid so my opinion is, no knot or no swivel. No leader makes life easier.

One reason why I seldom use a leader.

For those of you that think braid will not get line twist on a baitcast reel, try throwing a spoon tied direct for several hours.

[ww2farmer]

3 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

Swivels are for C-rigs, not for line connections.

 

Yup. Learn the "Alberto" knot for line to line connections. It's simple and very reliable.

[smallies24/7]

Ive used a swivel on a drop shot for the last two years, and my line snapped at the swivel once in two years. It was probably from me being lazy not re-tying for a while. But with hundreds of fish and only one failure which was presumably my fault, I will continue to use one, as I feel is does help reduce line twist. 

[blckshirt98]

I used to use a double-uni to connect braid to fluoro but had a lot of breaking issues.  I now use a small Spro Power Swivel to connect and no longer have any breakage issues.  Usually the hook will bend before the knot fails.

[Fishes in trees]

I could see using a tiny ball bearing swivel to connect braid to fluorocarbon instead of some connector knot and I don't use swivels very often.  Try it and see if you like the knot or swivel best.  I might try that some next season.

[zdunham]

I agree with Roadwarrior, I use knots to connect line to leader, swivels for C-Rigs.

[Catt]

11 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

Swivels are for C-rigs, not for line connections.

 

Or holding blades on spinner baits!

[Goose52]

As DVT said, it depends on the bait you are intending on using. For baits that don't have a tendency to spin, tie line-to-line. If using a bait that might spin, use the swivel.

Keep in mind that tying line-to-line, and using a compact knot, will usually allow that leader knot to pass through the rod tip-top and guides, thus allowing a longer leader (if desired) and no special casting issues. Using a swivel (which you don't want to have passing through the guides/tip-top - if it even fit) means that the length of the leader will be hanging off the rod tip on the cast - usually requiring a modification to the casting stroke.

For me?  I fish weightless single-tail grubs a LOT - as in thousands of fish caught. Since grubs spin like crazy, I have to use a swivel between the mainline and the leader. The leader is usually only about 24" or less to reduce casting issues. I usually use a roll-type cast with this length leader.

[J Francho]

If you use a swivel to make the leader connection, thread a 6mm plastic bead onto the mainline before tying the swivel.  This will help protect the tip top ring if you reel up too far.

[Ads7633]

Thanks for the input!

[Buckeye Ron]

Only time I use a swivel is when I'm casting along the shore at the beach on the Gulf coast of Florida. I use braided line and a 20# fluorocarbon leader connected by an 80# swivel. Works great for what I'm after.

[corn-on-the-rob]

There is certainly a benefit to having a FC leader when it comes to abrasion resistance (compared to braid), line visibility, and to conserve mainline braid when you break off.

A red flag is thrown up in most people's minds when they hear "connection knot", they start losing confidence in the approach since more knots are necessary.

If you find the right knot, and learn how to tie it proficiently, having an "extra" knot won't even cross your mind. I highly, highly recommend the alberto. It's fast, simple, and one of the strongest knots for any diameter of line in the "fast/simple" category.

[Sam]

Ads, just remember that each knot is a "weak" spot in your line.

The fewer "weak" spots the better.

When you tie line to line please use a strong, fast drying glue that you paint over the knot.

[J Francho]

4 hours ago, Sam said:

Ads, just remember that each knot is a "weak" spot in your line.

I love saying this, too.  However, I also fish for steelhead in winter, and the terminal rigging for a float setup can have 5 knots.  These are fish that regularly go over 10 lbs., and I typically use no more than 8# main, and 2-6 lb. leader.  Yes, the long float rod absorbs a ton of stress and I don't make jarring hooksets, but I guess the point is, MAKE SURE YOUR KNOTS ARE WELL TIED, AND TEST THEM. 

[Raul]

29 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I love saying this, too.  However, I also fish for steelhead in winter, and the terminal rigging for a float setup can have 5 knots.  These are fish that regularly go over 10 lbs., and I typically use no more than 8# main, and 2-6 lb. leader.  Yes, the long float rod absorbs a ton of stress and I don't make jarring hooksets, but I guess the point is, MAKE SURE YOUR KNOTS ARE WELL TIED, AND TEST THEM. 

That last part should be bolded.

POORLY TIED KNOTS ARE A WEAK SPOT IN YOUR LINE.

[J Francho]

Exactly!

[Raul]

More on the subject of swivels, I do use swivels for certain rigs like C-rig, a snap swivel combo for in-line spinners and spoons, but I also use it for dropshotting, I carry pre rigged D-shot rigs and the way I connect them to my main line is through a swivel, when I´m done I just cut the knot.

[blckshirt98]

5 hours ago, Raul said:

More on the subject of swivels, I do use swivels for certain rigs like C-rig, a snap swivel combo for in-line spinners and spoons, but I also use it for dropshotting, I carry pre rigged D-shot rigs and the way I connect them to my main line is through a swivel, when I´m done I just cut the knot.

I've always thought about pre-rigging dropshots as well but could never think of a way to store them where they won't get tangled up.  How do you store your pre-rigged ties so they're easily accessible and don't turn into a tangled mess?

[J Francho]

14 hours ago, blckshirt98 said:

I've always thought about pre-rigging dropshots as well but could never think of a way to store them where they won't get tangled up.  How do you store your pre-rigged ties so they're easily accessible and don't turn into a tangled mess?

Try one of these:

 

[Raul]

38 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Try one of these:

 

Man those look nice !

The truth is that I´m not much of a dropshotter, a styrofoam cube is good enough to wrap the rig around it and not having them tangle up, besides, I don´t carry a lot, only a couple of rigs is enough.

[blckshirt98]

Awesome, I'm actually going to get one for my trout setups for sure!  Trying to rig up a size 16 treble on 2 lb test with numb fingers in the cold is a *huge* pain.