Swivels....whats the point?

Titus · Apr 14, 2012

I have just hung a rotating ornament in my conservatory and the swivel it came with was not very efficient so I replaced it with one of my fishing ones.........Guess what? that doesn't work either........all that happens is the line twists until it reaches the end of the kinetic energy you have imparted to it then it reverses, this cycle continues in an ever diminishing way until all the energy is dissipated. at no time does the swivel come into play, all the twist is contained in the 18 lb line I hung it from.
The obvious question has to be why do we bother with swivels? Do they prevent line twist with modern low diameter lines or are we simply victims of a massive con by the manufactures of these things.

Eric Edwards · Apr 14, 2012

No, they very rarely rotate under tension. They do rotate fairly freely when the tension is relaxed however and that might give a rig the opportunity to untangle, say as it hits the surface and the tension comes off the line momentarily.
Ball bearing swivels are a lot better but even they are a long way from prefect. I like Sharps BB swivels but be warned, they break at around 20lbs.

waggy · Apr 14, 2012

Wish I'd had one between mainline and trace for the low 20s carp I got a couple of weeks ago. I can't get the twist out of that line.

Titus · Apr 14, 2012

waggy said:
Wish I'd had one between mainline and trace for the low 20s carp I got a couple of weeks ago. I can't get the twist out of that line.

That's the point, when the line is under load they don,t work anyway.

To get the twist out the next time you are on the bank walk it down the bank with the bail arm open and no terminal tackle on then wind it back under tension by lightly trapping the line against the rod with a finger, alternatively you could tie a pva bag of gravel or stones on the end, cast as far as you can, wait for the bag to dissolve then wind it back under tension as described above.

terry m · Apr 14, 2012

If you want to remove line twist then cast out a Twistbuster lead, it is specially shaped to do just that.

Just because swivels rarely swivel under tension is not a reason to ommit them. Most of the time your rigs are not under tension. If you leave the swivels out your presentation may well end up questionable.

barbelboi · Apr 14, 2012

Yes, the Spindoctor is a good piece to have in your tackle box. Twist develops because as the line comes towards the reel straight it has to turn sideways in order to load onto the spool. It is mechanically impossible for line to turn through a right angle without twisting.
Jerry

Eric Edwards · Apr 14, 2012

barbelboi said:
Yes, the Spindoctor is a good piece to have in your tackle box. Twist develops because as the line comes towards the reel straight it has to turn sideways in order to load onto the spool. It is mechanically impossible for line to turn through a right angle without twisting.
Jerry

Yes, and no. You impart a twist to the line when you reel in, that's true, but the line then untwists when you cast out. Excessive use of a baitrunner facility, or playing many fish off the clutch will leave a more permenant twist because the twisted line caused by reeling in is then not allowed to untwist as it leaves the spool, it comes off straight.

barbelboi · Apr 14, 2012

Eric Edwards said:
Yes, and no. You impart a twist to the line when you reel in, that's true, but the line then untwists when you cast out. Excessive use of a baitrunner facility, or playing many fish off the clutch will leave a more permenant twist because the twisted line caused by reeling in is then not allowed to untwist as it leaves the spool, it comes off straight.

Yep, I thought that was a foregone conclusion Eric - hence why the spindoctor is a good bit of kit for the tackle box.
Jerry

Titus · Apr 14, 2012

You're missing the point lads, the swivel won't work under tension so the weight of the lead or feeder is enough to prevent it from working in the first place, the fact that you still get twist in your mainline and need a 'spindoctor' (left or right hand thread?) is testimony to the truth of this. I'm suggesting that the only part of your tackle the swivel has any effect on 'might' be the hooklength but anyone who has fished double maggot knows that is not always the case.

waggy · Apr 14, 2012

Eric Edwards said:
Yes, and no. You impart a twist to the line when you reel in, that's true, but the line then untwists when you cast out. Excessive use of a baitrunner facility, or playing many fish off the clutch will leave a more permenant twist because the twisted line caused by reeling in is then not allowed to untwist as it leaves the spool, it comes off straight.

Guilty on both counts, Eric. It was a new reel loaded with new line from which I was sure I'd removed any twist several times across a pasture.

barbelboi · Apr 14, 2012

waggy said:
Guilty on both counts, Eric. It was a new reel loaded with new line from which I was sure I'd removed any twist several times across a pasture.

Why would you need to remove twist if you'd loaded it correctly?
Jerry

Eric Edwards · Apr 15, 2012

I have to say though, I have one reel which twists the line whatever i do with it and I can't work out why. It's a Sheakespeare Powerplay 2512 rear drag and although I love using it, I now only use it for legering. I tried many times to fish a stick float with it and no matter what I did, the line twisted.

waggy · Apr 15, 2012

barbelboi said:
Why would you need to remove twist if you'd loaded it correctly?
Jerry

I always check for twist after loading, mainly because of manufacturers inconsistencies in loading and just in case I've somehow induced twist myself.

InteraX · Apr 15, 2012

The gardner spin doctor is a great device for removing line twist.

See here for details.

The fishing coach · Apr 15, 2012

Eric Edwards said:
I have to say though, I have one reel which twists the line whatever i do with it and I can't work out why. It's a Sheakespeare Powerplay 2512 rear drag and although I love using it, I now only use it for legering. I tried many times to fish a stick float with it and no matter what I did, the line twisted.

Check the line roller bearing on the bale arm, if it has seized this will cause line twist.

Eric Edwards · Apr 18, 2012

Hi Martin, thanks for your reply. The roller works fine, so I guess that isn't the problem. Then again, I have old Mitchell reels that don't have a roller at all and they don't twist the line. It's a mystery to me!

terry m · Apr 19, 2012

Titus said:
I'm suggesting that the only part of your tackle the swivel has any effect on 'might' be the hooklength but anyone who has fished double maggot knows that is not always the case.

Perhaps I am missing something, but isn't that the primary reason for using a swivel?

Titus · Apr 21, 2012

You're not missing the point at all, before the thread went off at a tangent with thoughts of wrongly loaded spools and seized line rollers I was suggesting that swivels don't actually work, even for their primary role of protecting the hooklength from twist as anyone who has float or feeder fished double maggot and suffered the twisted, kinked mess the hooklength gets into knows.

Swivels....whats the point?

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