Fluke swivel?

[GoneFishingLTN]

When fishing a fluke on a bait caster do you use a swivel? 
this is not for the donkey rig just a single fluke

[MN Fisher]

Nope - no more than I'd use one for a weightless T-Rigged stickbait.

[Deephaven]

I never have, but perhaps if you were fishing one on a slow death walleye hook it would be a good idea....but I don't see any benefit in that.

[Hammer 4]

1 hour ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

When fishing a fluke on a bait caster do you use a swivel? 
this is not for the donkey rig just a single fluke

Are you weightless, or are you adding some type of weight ?

If weightless, why would you use a baitcaster ?

In all the years fishing flukes, I've never even thought of using a swivel or anything. I throw flukes on a spinning rig, unless I'm using a scrounger head.

[GreenPig]

No swivel. I also use a baitcaster for more speed(herring lake) and power to keep them out of the grass.

[Happybeerbuzz]

I only use swivels with flukes on a donkey rig. With a single fluke, I try to stay in the top of the water column, periodically breaking the surface.  The swivel would work against me in that scenario.  I use a baitcaster to negate line twist as much as possible. 

[softwateronly]

I'm also a no in the swivel camp.  I'll fish it baitcaster braid to leader, surface twitching, dead sticking, and bottom hopping.  Line twist has been manageable.

 

scott

[Deleted account]

Not usually, but situationally I'll add a bb swivel a few inches ahead of one or use a split ring to attach one to the hook.

[Captain Phil]

I see no need for a swivel when fishing a fluke.  The weight of a Zoom fluke is easy enough to cast with a modern casting reel.   If you want to weight a fluke, use a lead nail inserted into the bait.  You can cut the nail to adjust the weight and placement.  There are times when I use a swivel.  I often use one 12" above a weightless Zoom Trick worm.  This adds a little weight and allows it to go deeper.   Some people kink the worm to make it spin. I don't, but a swivel will keep it from twisting your line.  Years ago I was taught a technique that I never hear about any more.  That technique involves using a straight tail weightless worm as a jerk bait.  The best worm for that is an 8" Creme Scoundrel in purple with a fire tail.  When that fire tail jumps around it draws a lot of attention.  Try it sometime.   

[Deleted account]

7 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Years ago I was taught a technique that I never hear about any more.  That technique involves using a straight tail weightless worm as a jerk bait.

Not a lot of folks know this, but that is the trick in trick worm.

[MickD]

If I want a little more depth than I get with an unweighted fluke I will add a good sized swivel up about18 inches.  I always use spin with flukes.  

[Mike L]

27 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

Not a lot of folks know this, but that is the trick in trick worm.

Old school…Very Old

One of the first ways I learned. 

(I rarely even think about it now)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Bankbeater]

Nope.

[Deleted account]

33 minutes ago, MickD said:

If I want a little more depth than I get with an unweighted fluke I will add a good sized swivel up about18 inches.  I always use spin with flukes.  

Yeah, all the guys with the "never a swivel!", will tout the split shot from atop a soap box, bassheads is funny.

[Jrob78]

I only fish flukes on a baitcaster with fluorocarbon and never use a swivel or weight of any kind, unless I am throwing a double fluke rig.

[Drew03cmc]

15 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

Are you weightless, or are you adding some type of weight ?

If weightless, why would you use a baitcaster ?

In all the years fishing flukes, I've never even thought of using a swivel or anything. I throw flukes on a spinning rig, unless I'm using a scrounger head.

Until you have thrown a Fluke on casting gear, you don't understand what you can really do with it. A weightless fluke on a heavy wire hook weighs over 3/8oz and casts easily on either. I've done both and, while I normally use spinning tackle, 20 braid to 12 fluorocarbon, but have thrown it into heavy cover on 30 braid to 15 fluorocarbon on a MHXF casting rod and have seen no loss in catches or action. The swivel would negate line twist and if you used a tiny barrel swivel, you wouldn't see a noticeable increase in drag or weight. 

[Aaron_H]

7 hours ago, Deleted account said:

Not a lot of folks know this, but that is the trick in trick worm.

 

It's one of my most successful senko retrieves. Hmm...maybe I should buy some trick worms.

[Captain Phil]

6 hours ago, Deleted account said:

Yeah, all the guys with the "never a swivel!", will tout the split shot from atop a soap box, bassheads is funny.

 

Using a swivel or a split shot 12" ahead of a bait is not a problem as it does not negatively affect the bait.  When offshore ocean fishing, we use ball bearing swivels ahead of our leaders to facilitate switching baits.  The problem comes when people use heavy snap swivels to connect their line to an artificial bait.  This deadens the bait's action, adds a failure point and looks unnatural.  Sometimes you have no choice.  When I fish in Canada where a huge Pike might eat my lure, I use metal leaders and the Pike don't seem to care.  Tarpon and Snook have sharp gill plates that can cut light mono.  For those fish I use 50 pound plus mono or fluoro leader tied with a knot.  

[Basser2021]

17 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Nope - no more than I'd use one for a weightless T-Rigged stickbait.

What he said

[ChrisD46]

There is merit to using a #7 ~ #12 size barrel swivel  up about 18" up from the Super Fluke - I like a gold color swivel on cloudy days and a silver color swivel on sunny days . There are those with a lot more experience at using this technique than myself who believe the Super Fluke looks like it is chasing smaller forage (i.e. the barrel swivel) and thus the bass get ignited by the competition for forage themselves and go after the Super Fluke (or so the belief goes) ... Yes , all this is going on while the barrel swivel ensures your line is tangle free .

[Chris at Tech]

I’ve done it both with and without the swivel.  The swivel did help get the bait down further in the water column

[lynxcat]

Swivel helps the bait sink and stay down plus addresses line twist. That’s the two reasons I’ve used one before. Generally, I don’t use one. 

[Deleted account]

2 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

Tarpon and Snook have sharp gill plates that can cut light mono.  For those fish I use 50 pound plus mono or fluoro leader tied with a knot.  

I usually use 80 or heavier for tarpon, snook I go 30-50 depending on the size. I've started using 40 for pike, and don't loose many, do have to retie more often than I like though.

[padon]

14 hours ago, Deleted account said:

Not a lot of folks know this, but that is the trick in trick worm.

yup. we the trick worm is a good worm for lots of techniques and we use it for them. but thats what they were designed for. thats the reason for the flat bottom. to help it glide in several directions. if you fish shallow weedy water it can be deadly.

[Captain Phil]

The Zoom Trick Worm is by far the best plastic worm ever made.  Everything else is in second place.   It's not fancy.  It just flat works.  I don't believe there is any way to rig it that won't catch bass. ☺️