A fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

 swivel is a small device consisting of two rings connected to a pivoting joint

Joint

A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally.-Classification:...

. The device is usually made of metal, and the pivoting joint is usually ball- or barrel-shaped. The line from a rod and reel is tied to one end, and a length of fishing line, often terminated by a hook, lure

Lure

Lure can refer to:* Lure * Lure coursing, a sport for dogs that involves chasing a mechanically operated lure* Fishing lure* Lur, an instrument found in northern Europe* Lure, Haute-Saône, a commune of the Haute-Saône département, in France...

 or sinker

Sinker (fishing)

A fishing sinker or knoch is a weight used in conjunction with a fishing lure or hook to increase its rate of sink, anchoring ability, and/or casting distance. Fishing sinkers may be as small as 1/32 of an ounce for applications in shallow water, and even smaller for fly fishing applications, or as...

, is tied to the other. The main purpose of the swivel is to allow the line to untwist during line retrieval, preventing undesirable tangling. This is particularly important for users of monofilament test line. A secondary benefit of the fishing swivel is that it may stop a sliding sinker, which depending on fishing method may be placed before or after the swivel. Snap swivels have a safety-pin like clip linked to one of the rings. Lures may be affixed directly to the snap. The presence of the swivel has been said to detract from the effectiveness of some types of lures. Depending on the position of the lure, the hooks can become entangled in various ways with the swivel. It is also noted that swivels can serve as weak points in the line, and therefore lessen the likelihood of landing larger or harder fighting fish. Three-way swivels provide a point of connection for an additional lure or length of line, and are essential for certain line and hook setups. Fishing swivels come in sizes ranging from a few millimeters to several centimeters, and are traditionally either flat black or brass in color. More modern swivels can be obtained in lustrous red and blue varieties. It is quite possible that the swivel color plays a role in attracting fish

Fish

Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

. Small fish have been caught despite the absence of bait with the open snap of the swivel serving as a hook.

External links

• Examples of fishing swivels.