I had my rod tip replaced three times co'z the barrel swivel keep breaking it. When I cast and reel it in speacially at night you don't notice that your hitting the swivel aready on your tip and all of a sudden the ring on the tip of your rod is gone. Is there any solution to this guys? The setup i had is I have a 25lb Big Game connected to a 80lb flouro by a barrel swivel.


This is the broken tip.

This is the culprit.

Then stop reeling it into your rod tip...
Problem solved

Or use a wind on leader

what's a wind? I usually reel my rod tip down really slow so sometimes i don't notice that i'm hitting the swivel already.

Just forget the wind on and just pay attention....:smash:

Perhaps a bigger swivel will eliminate the problem?

I put a split ring bigger than the tip in front of the swivel. Problem solved.

Originally posted by eelslinger
I put a split ring bigger than the tip in front of the swivel. Problem solved.

Or a plastic bead ;)

Or you could put on a tip that has a size 16 or 20 ring.

Another alternative would be to tie your big game direct to the flouro. Forget the barrel swivel. I don't know what kind of knot to use, but there must me one that will get the job done.

I've never used Big Game so I'm not positive this will work, just an idea.

would it still jam the rod tip ring?

Jpbanoly, tying directly your line to leader isn't going to break or affect the rings or tips. Just keep an eye on your barrel swivel when reeling it next time.

Use a big red and white bobber, that way you can see it when your reeling in

:smash:

I agree, just don't do it :D

It you're using a long leader and wading it may help to shorten it a bit.

-spence

Yah I was wading early am on a live eel I have a 2ft. flouro leader. So just shorten the leader and stay with the swivel?

I tried doing it with no leader well my eel played around with it trying to twist my line.

I wouldn't go under 2'. If you're eeling keep the rod tip high and you should be able to feel the eel come out of the water plenty before the swivel is close to the tip. Even on a dark night there is usually enough light to see how long your drop is. If you pay attention to it a few nights you should get the hang of it.

I've broken 2 guides doing this, but I learned :smash:

-spence

Reeling the swivel in probably doesn't do nearly as much damage as when you cast with the swivel past the tip.

Reeling the swivel in past the tip can happen, but you should know when you do it. Always make sure to let a little line out before casting.

It happens.

1) You should have to be more mindful of where your swivel is before you cast. Always check before casting.

2) You could use a direct knot connection between your main line and leader - like a modified albright knot. However, you risk this knot breaking off after repeated casts.

Because of #2, I prefer option #1.

put the rod but between your legs. hold the rod tip high. when the bait/plug/etc... is reeled out of the water, stop reeling.

One more thing ... since I broke several rod tips this summer doing exactly what you posted here...

I think it's not a bad idea to buy some extra replacement rod tips (alconite is fine if you don't want to spend $$$ on SiC). Then you could repair the rod yourself (the tips are very easy fixes).

I've had the same problem and fixed it. Here's some options.
Get a larger diameter tip. Get a smaller swivel. You can get a Spro Power Swivel rated at 80lbs and it is TINY.

Something else I found helpful at night is the following:

Make your leader a specific length, lets say from tip until your stripper guide. This way when its dark, whenever you see your lure getting close to the stripper guide as you are reeling in, you'll know when to stop because you are coming close to the swivel Hope this helps. It helped me greatly.

All of the above; also keep an eye on your line angle if you cant hold your rod vertical all the time... Also, stay consistent with your leader length it helps it become a habit faster

-- PurpelNoon


What's a striper guide I haven't seen the one before.

mike p has a good one, use a bead they come in all colors.

Originally posted by jbapinoy
-- PurpelNoon


What's a striper guide I haven't seen the one before.

Its the guide closest to the reel, where the line sort of collects while it is going out. When you hold the rod vertical after casting, if you make the leader so it ends around there, you will know the location of the swivel.

How fast you reeling an eel that you break a rod tip with the swivel ?

I was reeling SLOOOOOO but my rod tip is a size 8/64 and my barrel swivel is I think kind a big so it keeps jamin the ring on the tip.

If he's making the same mistake I did, it was reeling in the swivel so that the swivel made it past the guide (i.e., below the rod tip).

Then casting out...when the swivel goes past the guide on the cast...kabloeey. Cracked rod tip.

I did this on a brittle SiC tip, which resulted in a chipping that I didn't noticed. Every cast I was breaking off and I couldn't figure out why until I inspected the guide. :wall:

I think that might be it that I didn't notice or it might be jamming it all the time.

You have received some good advise above. Let me add what I do while fishing at night.

COUNT THE REVOLUTIONS on your retrieve.

I'll throw a large darter, and get off a monster cast, and count how many times I turn the reel handle on the way in.

All subsequent casts are not as aggressive and I know that I am getting close to the leader when I am at revolution # xxx.

Works for me, try it out. To me adding any hardware to you line, while plugging, is not the best thing to do.

My .02

Mike Lang

Hey Mike,

I remember you mentioned this once when I was having this problem. My only problem is one cast may be farther than the other, so the distance varies. Would this work best for all your maximal casts? How do you get this to work? Thanks.

how do I know if it's the same cast distance I did from the first one?

What do you mean not putting any hardware? like just tying the leader on your main line instead of a swivel?

experience.

But the easier way is to simply pay attention to the retrieve - you'll feel the plug/bait rig get closer to you, just slow down a bit and pay attention.

What you do is TRY to get off a SUPER cast the first time you use a particular plug, and count. After that, your nomal casts will be shorter, ON THE SAME PLUG.


When I cast eels, its the same thing. SOmetimes you "hear" and "feel" your line going out and you know when you have gotten off a good cast and again begin your count. It is not an exact science but you will get a better idea of where your plug is in relation to your retrieve.

at first i was having the same troubles. I find that at night I do count my revs, as well as the swag of the line. I watch the angle of the line as I retrieve. if you are watching your line you know when it is close. I raise my pole to 12 o'clock and watch the line as I retrieve it the rest of the way until I can see the swivel climbing up. If you do feel the swivel hit your tip, take the time to let out a little line and carefully guide it back thru the tip before casting...Also, if you are slingin eels you should feel the weight of the eel as it leaves the water. I have found that I can tune my senses pretty well at night, often I will close my eyes and see even better what is going on...That's right I "use the force"..:D

It's simple wake up.U should be able to at least feel the swivel come in throught the guide.donot cast it out thats when they break.Fish alittle more an u'll get use to when the lure gets close to u.I seen guys that couldn't feel put a split ring a little larger than the eye on the swivel.Counting revolutions?What I gotta take my socks off to fish. what do I do after 20.:rolleyes:

Here's what works for me:

(1) Use a standard length leader. Last night I used a longer than usual length leader and a few times I had a problem detemining when to stop reeling in my lure.

(2) Fish with a teaser. I look and listen for the teaser coming out of the water near the end of my retrieve. That's how I know the location of my barrel swivel. Always use a standard length line on your teaser.


(3) Finally, listen for the sound of the barrel swivel hitting the rod tip. You should never never cast without knowing the position of your barrel swivel. I've found that using a teaser is the best way to "see" my barrel swivel on a dark night.

Alberto's knot main line to 3ft leader. All you get is a slight bump on your rod tip.

Mike,

Now I understand. Thats a good point. Thanks.

if it is a spinning rod use a bead or hold your rod tip at an upward angle and reel slow . when the swivel reaches the tip it will stop , dont reel anymore . if its conventional dont use a swivel and use an albertos knot . it will slide right though your guides . a uni to uni knot is good too but you will have to retie it more frequently .

Thanks a lot guys...

:happy: :happy: :happy:

Wow...a serious reply from chris L !!!
happened to me twice this year...stoopid me....bein lazy...
good thread....maybe you should have used the search feature though:laughs: :laughs: sorry could not resist T:laughs:

Aside from being careful not to reeling the barrel swivel past the tip ring which could happen in the heat of the moment at night, I would talk to a reliable rod builder (see sponsors) to replace with a high quality tip which may withstand the force of the barrel swivel.

Originally posted by eelslinger
I put a split ring bigger than the tip in front of the swivel. Problem solved.

Wow all these complicated responses. At night in noisy surf it has to be simple.

i use a bright orange champagne bottle cork and i never have these problems.
only problem now is i only catch snappers

My buddy uses a green glow stick attached to the rod. Now he can see the swivel coming.

I do what Toby does.. I also make all my leaders the same size and in the night i religiously swing my plug up to check if there are any weeds on it. I've figured out the leader length so at an arms length, the plug is in my had comfortably and the swivel is just below the tip..that way if i'm holding the plug i know that th eswivel is o.k. I also use those microscopic Spro swivels... that way if they do go through the guides chances are nothing will break. the swivel you are using is a guide destroyer.

Spro swivels will help you out, but don't you feel your plug or eel getting closer to as you fish it? If you dont have a good feel for your plug you are doing something wrong. Do you fish with your rod low, sort of parallel with the water or do you keep the tip high, almost perpendicular to the water? The higher you keep your rod the more feel you will get to how close your plug is to you in my opinion.

Personally, I tie direct. But if you want to keep the same terminal setup just use a stainless tip top (without an insert). They're about $2 each, so you can keep a spare if you like.

I tried a bead last night which is bigger that my rod tip and it works caught my 29" on a still water with a storm popper. Thanks guys for all your help and suggestions.

You ROCK...... :happy: :happy: :happy:

Switch to conventional , tie a leader direct to the running line with an Albright or blood knot or interlocking uniknots , etc. No swivel , no problem.

Also in case you must have it , like for spinners , use a very small barrel swivel or use large guides so in either case , the swivel fits through the guides and tip. I almost always build spinners for surf rods with size 16 tip rings now.