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.
