Best Ball Bearing Swivel

Choosing Fishing Swivels

Lures are no doubt the belle of the fisherman's ball and certainly some of the masterpieces designers create are worthy of the admiration they receive. That said, saltwater anglers who put in time out on the ocean know that the real unsung hero is terminal tackle and of that broad category that includes line, leaders, hooks, crimps, snaps, swivels, chains and more, the most often overlooked component is the swivel. So what is the best fishing swivel. The answer requires a bit more detective work and some explanation before we choose our favorite.

As most fishermen are aware, line twist is always a concern that needs to be looked after. Should the line twist become regular, it can lead to frayed or lower strength line and also will reduce casting distance and alter the fall or natural appearance of the attached bait. Overall, line twist is no good, especially when it comes to offshore fishing where every single detail is important. But, that said, it can easily be eliminated all together by using a high quality swivel... but "high quality" isn't always the easiest to find, especially when companies are promoting their brand using terms that are abstract or unproven like: "smoothest swivel", "least resistance", "highest impact strength", "dual rotation"... etc. It gets confusing and convoluted.

Swivels are not the most practical component for some freshwater, light tackle anglers who believe their presence is more of annoyance than a benefit. To that we say, do what you feel is right. But for saltwater anglers using line sizes exceeding the weight of most freshwater fish, well, swivels are a necessity. Other naysayers believe that swivels spook fish, but really, with the amount of creatures in the sea, a small, dull colored swivel is certainly not going to be too prominent.

Best Swivels?

Up until recently, we were still searching for that "perfect" ball bearing swivel. It was always a choice between a really big swivel for strength or a smaller swivel for stealth and reduced drag in the water, but it was never a very confident decision either way. That is, until we found the Pitbull brand of terminal tackle and their incredible stainless steel ball bearing swivels. Holy cow are these some awesome pieces of gear. These streamlined, dual welded ring ball bearing swivels provide a type of "dual rotation" which makes them unfathomably smooth and their size to strength ratio is unheard of. Seriously, take a look as these size to strength ratings:

Size	Strength
1	110lb
2	160lb
3	220lb
4	280lb
5	335lb
6	445lb
7	555lb

These swivels are now the new standard for extreme, heavy-tackle fishing when using applications that would actually destroy other swivels. Some examples include fishing for giant tuna, trolling or chunking for big yellowfin or bluefin, drifting for swordfish or live bait fishing for blue marlin. Despite their incredibly high strength, Pitbull's swivels aren't just used with very heavy tackle. The smaller size allows anglers fishing all types of line ratings from 50lb to 500lb to feel confident using these swivels and know they will not fail under their maximum weight range.

Because they aren't a prominent or "sexy" piece of tackle, swivels are easily neglected. But, they are one of the most important components you'll ever use and therefore finding the right model is of the utmost importance. Fortunately, with the advances made in engineering, the Pitbull Ball Bearing Swivels have filled almost the entire category of high strength swivels - save for the 900lb range models.

Be sure to checkout the entire line of Pitbull Terminal Tackle and see what else they offer in addition to their revolutionary Ball Bearing Swivels.

Shimano Curado 70 Baitcasting Reels

When the situation calls for pitching, flipping, or casting light lures, anglers are now offered the new compact size Shimano Curado 70 Baitcasting Reels, available in both right- and left-hand retrieve and two gear ratios. The line-up includes the Curado 70HG and left-hand 71HG with 7.2:1 gear ratios, and the even faster retrieve Curado 70XG and 71XG, each with 8.2:1 gear ratios. All four reels feature a compact, lightweight durable Hagane body design, weighing it at 6.5-ounces for all-day, in-hand fishing comfort.

The Curado 70 reels are equipped with Shimano’s innovative SVS Infinity braking system to provide easy-to-manage, consistent spool control and brake force. SVS Infinity controls spool speed especially when using lighter lures, plus the external adjustment knob allows quick, precise adjustments when conditions change or switching baits.

Through Shimano’s Stabile Spool Design (S3D) that includes a thin wall aluminum spool to provide better balance, anglers will notice less spool vibration. Add in five S-ARB anti-rust ball bearings, and a one-way roller bearing for absolutely no handle backplay, plus Shimano’s X-Ship for even more smoothness and durability, and anglers can expect enhanced casting performance for longer casts – a welcome benefit when using lighter lures.

With the choice of two gear ratios, anglers can reel in 28-inches of line with 7.2:1 HG models, and 32-inches with the higher speed 8.2:1 XG reels. And speaking of line, the Curado 70 reels will handle from 105 yards of 10-pound test monofilament or fluorocarbon line and up to 70 yards of 14-pound test. When used with standard PowerPro braid, the reels will hold 115 yards of 20-pound and up to 80 yards of 40-pound test.

A long standard among both bass and inshore anglers, Shimano’s Curado reels “are just so extremely versatile for all kinds of bass catching techniques,” said noted angler Mark Zona. “Having had the opportunity to field-test the new Curado 70 reels, they are ideal for quick, accurate casts, or when you need to downsize your lure and still want to work lots of water.”

You can find the Shimano Curado 70 Baitcasting Reels at Monster Fishing Tackle before any other retailer.

Bull Shad Swimbaits Slow Sinking

Despite numerous bait makers producing high quality trout imitations, there was a void in the big bait market for shad swimbaits. When the Bull Shad Swimbaits Slow Sinking was first released, the best alternatives were trout profile lures with shad coloration, in stepped Mike Bucca a Georgia angler who witnessed magnum spotted bass feeding on Gizzard shad as big as 9" long. His creation the Bull Shad has become one of the top big baits for catching trophy bass in the Southern United states. The slow sinking version of the Bull Shad is available in four sizes: 5", 6", 8" and 9" in three colors: Bone, Gizzard Shad and Threadfin Shad. It has a rate of fall of about 1/2ft per second.

How to Fish the Slow Sinking Bull Shad

From Triton Mike Bucca

7" & 8" Bull Shad

The 7 and 8 inch Bull Shad swimbaits are favorites for trophy hunting with the 8 incher being the overall favorite. When using these size baits you are looking for quality fish and not quantity, these are trophy sized baits designed to catch big Trophy bass especially the bigger 8 inch Big Bull. Both of these baits work extremely well at slow crawl speeds as well as normal retrieves. They have a rate of fall (ROF) of about a 5-7 feet per 10 seconds and you can wake them with the rod tip up high and a semi normal retrieve. These baits also stand-up nose down on the bottom in a feeding pose and can be effectively jigged on the bottom.
I throw both of these baits on a Dobyns 795ML Swimbait Rod designed by Legendary Trophy Hunter Mike Long. The 795ML is a very balanced swimbait rod which is important for throwing swimbaits is because a balanced rod simply makes throwing these heavy swimbaits more comfortable to throw for long periods of time. There are quite a few reel choices out there with the top of the line choice being the Shimano Calcutta 300 or the Shimano Curado 300E. For the 7 and 8 inch Bull Shad I would recommend 25lb braided line.

5" & 6" Bull Shad

The 5 and 6 inch baits are by far my best sellers as not everybody has 7" & 8" shad in the waters they fish or having no experience with big swimbaits, they lack the confidence to throw the big stuff. I personally started off with 6 inch sized baits before I moved onto the bigger sized swimbaits. These baits are more so for quantity vs quality. That's not to say that you can't catch a trophy on these sized baits because many anglers including myself have caught quite a few big quality fish on these sized baits.
The 5" Bull Shad really shines on schooling fish whether it be bass, or smaller hybrids or white bass. The slow sinking version of the 5" Bull Shad is specifically designed to be fished with a slower retrieve and typically right on top of the water to imitate a fleeing shad. The 6" slow sink you can work at semi slow to fast retrieves. For equipment I recommend a 4 power rod such as the Dobyns Champion 734C, any reel should be suitable, just adjust the speed at which you turn the handle for the reel's gear ratio. Personally, I always recommend fishing heavier line than necessary because you definitely don't want to break off the baits, nor do you ever wanna lose a trophy sized fish. Especially because striped and white bass love these things too.

California Delta Striper Eradication

The California Delta Striped Bass population has come under attack. Anglers need to ban together and fight for what's right. See the letter from top researchers Peter Moyle and William A. Bennett on the subject - California Delta Striped Bass Eradication

Newest Alabama Rig Swimbait

Robo Minnow Swimbait

 

Soft Plastic Swimbait

The Roboworm Robo Minnow is a full bodied, soft plastic swimbait that mimics the action of appearance of baitfish such as shad. Roboworm, known for their high quality pours and detailed color patterns, set out to create a swimbait that could accurately replicate the wide variety of shad style baitfish throughout the county. Pairing a wide tail kick swimming action with Roboworm's realistic color patterns, the Robo Minnow is the ideal choice for matching shad that bass often feed upon. Anglers will find this bait to offer multiple rigging options due to the baits full plastic body - use a shank weighted belly hook, jig head, or as an Umbrella Rig bait - this swimbait will put fish in the boat.
The Roboworm Robo Minnow is 4.25" in length and comes five per pack in the clamshell packaging. We offer the Robo Minnow is five colors: Blueback, Ghost Minnow, Perfect Shad, Smokey Shad and SXE Shad.