Maybe one of the most misunderstood pieces of fishing tackle is the saltwater swivel. A common question many people going fishing have is whether they should be using a saltwater swivel when fishing with lures or not.
Normally, using a saltwater swivel when fishing will have a negative impact on the action of your lure. The additional weight & hardware of a saltwater swivel can cause the lure to run in the wrong direction or in the wrong way, which will look comparatively less natural and appealing to the fish and can decrease the odds of fish getting stuck.
Should Swivel be used when Fishing?
Because of this, it’s mostly best to tie the line directly to the eye of the lure. The lure will have better action; the person will get more bites which will increase the odds of the fish getting stuck.
In this small article, we will discuss in detail the reasons why using a saltwater swivel when fishing with lures is generally not advised and some exceptional times when it makes sense to use a saltwater swivel.
How Swivels Impact Lures
Every person who goes fishing at some point has asked about or experimented with using saltwater swivels on lures. The actual answer to whether you should use a saltwater swivel or not depends on the baits, lures, and fishing techniques the person plans on using.
As per our study, people don’t recommend using a saltwater swivel or any other form of swivel when fishing with lures or spinners. There are many more disadvantages in comparison to advantages from my experience.
There are many exceptional cases and instances also where it makes sense to use a saltwater swivel on the lures, rigs, and fishing techniques.
Let’s take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of using a saltwater swivel while fishing.
Disadvantages
The main reason why people don’t recommend or use saltwater swivels on fishing lures is that because it creates a negative impact on the action. This is especially possible if someone is fishing with small or light lures. The add-on weight of the saltwater swivels makes it hard for the lure to stay on/ stay put/ in the correct direction.
The worst kind of saltwater swivel that can be used on lures is the kind that has a corner in them. It is advised to never use these. The corners on the saltwater swivel can cause major disruption in the action of the lure.
Here are a few of the other reasons it is generally not advised to use a swivel when fishing with lures.
- It adds more hardware, makes it less natural & appealing
- It tends to lose odds of more fish
- It adds weight to the front of the lure
- It will make lures run incorrectly more often
- It tends to collect more weeds and grass
- It creates a potential weak point in the person’s fishing setup
- Saltwater swivels can also damage rod guides
Advantages
The main reason why some people who go fishing use a saltwater swivel is because it makes it easier to swap out the lures because the person doesn’t have to re-tie it every time they want to make a change. It can also help in preventing line twists, which are never very fun.
As per the reports, saltwater swivels can work when fishing with spoons, crankbaits or if the person is using a lure that tends to cause the line to twist.
Here are a few other advantages of using a saltwater swivel on certain fishing lures.
- It eases the possibility to swap out lures
- It reduces the lines to twist
- It stops sinkers from sliding
When & When Not to Use a Swivel
As we mentioned above in this article that using a saltwater swivel has some advantages and disadvantages as well which is comparatively more in number. There are many times when it makes sense to use a saltwater swivel and other times when it will negatively impact the person’s fishing.
Let’s see about when and when not to use a saltwater swivel.
When to NOT Use a Swivel
Commonly, it is not recommended to use a saltwater swivel on any fishing lure. A few exceptions are sure there if the person is fishing with a crankbait or spoon. Even then it is still preferred to tie the line directly to the eye of whatever lure the person is throwing.
Our study says that a saltwater swivel impacts in a negative way the action of whatever lure or bait the person is throwing. It’s best to take some extra time and tie to it direct. The lures will run straight, will look better, and will be more effective.
There might be some lures where the person will be able to get away with it, but many people recommend not using a saltwater swivel when using the following lures:
- Spinners
- Spinnerbaits
- Jigs
- Texas Rig
- Certain crankbaits
- Topwater lures
Stating that, there are few exceptional cases where it makes sense to use a saltwater swivel with certain lures.
When to Use a Swivel
When we are talking about using saltwater swivels on lures, we are referring to snap lures. The other forms of swivels don’t make sense to use. A snap saltwater swivel can make it super easy to swap out lures and can help the lines to twist.
Here are a few exceptional cases where it makes sense to use a snap saltwater swivel.
- Trolling or casting with lures or bait that are likely to cause lines twists
- Spoons
- Crankbaits
If someone does choose to use a saltwater swivel when fishing for lures, make sure it’s the rounded style swivel and not the ones that have corners in it. It is advised to never use the saltwater swivels that have a corner. It’ll be very hard to catch fish with it.
Conclusion
This report concludes that it is really not advised to use a swivel on lures while fishing. Though there are few exceptional cases where it can be used, still it is still preferred not to use it. It will create a hard time for the person fishing and the odds of fish getting caught will decrease a lot in number.
