Just saw this on GoFishn’s FB page… pretty neat looking, and “indestructible”?
I looked at the specs page and they are very big for their intended usage. the 15 lb test swivel is 15mm long and 4mm wide. I will stick with a small SPRO swivel that stronger and is very tiny so it doesn’t hang up or collect weed. As far as being indestructible, they used the word "virtually"in front of it; that is classic marketing talk.
Iain Pelto
Edgewater 185CC “Jumpin’ Bean II”
Sea Hunt Triton 160 (yet to be named)
Native Manta Ray 14
That’s pretty neat, but I don’t use swivels inshore, and I like these the best for offshore:
The 150# one is barely fatter than 80lb line, only about 1.2" long, and will wind right onto the spool.
I’m not sure I would trust a plastic swivel offshore.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
Gotcha, I have had trouble with those breaking in half when going over the roller guides. Have never have an issue with 80lb (reg) spro swivels when using wind-on leaders. They flex a little more. Just my personal experience.
Do not tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don’t tell them where they know the fish.
- More Maxims of Mark, Johnson, 1927
31’ Contender
Twin 250 HPDIs
Really? How many have you had break, and how old/worn were they? I ask this because I’ve been using them for about 7 or 8 years and have not had that problem to my recollection. I use 50 main, 130 leader, and set full strike at 17# drag. It does make sense that the normal ones would have more flex, though.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
quote:
Originally posted by gotchacoveredReally? How many have you had break, and how old/worn were they? I ask this because I’ve been using them for about 7 or 8 years and have not had that problem to my recollection. I use 50 main, 130 leader, and set full strike at 17# drag. It does make sense that the normal ones would have more flex, though.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
We’ve had it happen twice. I don’t remember exactly how old they were but we usually don’t run offshore more than six or seven times a season and clean the gear thoroughly when we get back. They hadn’t been fished more than two or three times. We use 50 and 30 main line set at 12 and 8 lb drag respectively with 50-80lb wind on leaders. It was never a rampant problem, we were just stung a couple of times so I switched back to the regular 80lb spros.
Do not tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don’t tell them where they know the fish.
- More Maxims of Mark, Johnson, 1927
31’ Contender
Twin 250 HPDIs
Interesting. Thanks for sharing that experience. Mine has been different, like I said above, but you gotta use what works for you. As long as the kind that you’re using goes onto the spool without hitches, there’s no reason not to use them, anyway (since they are still heavier in rating than hour line, anyway). Same purpose.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
gotcha and touche do you guys have roller guides on your rods or will the spros work fine on rods w/o roller guides w/o destroying the eyes on the rods. have seen this done just not on rods with the standard eyes.
thanks
I have rods with a base roller and a tip roller, but all the other guies on them are standard eyes. The swivel I posted won’t hurt the eyes. I haven’t ever tried the regular one that Touche is using.
Actually, I’d like to rephrase something: instead of saying, “the swivel I posted won’t hurt the eyes”, it’s more accurate to say, “the swivel I posted has never hurt MY rods’ eyes” after years of use. I can’t say they won’t hurt any rod eyes, but they haven’t hurt mine (which are inexpensive Fuji eyes). You should not have a problem.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
gotcha thanks for your response. one more ? do you crimp your leader to the swivel or do you tie it. I know i can tie 50lb easily but tying 100lbs or more would create a bulking knot. How do you connect yours’?
quote:
Originally posted by gotchacoveredThat’s pretty neat, but I don’t use swivels inshore, and I like these the best for offshore:
The 150# one is barely fatter than 80lb line, only about 1.2" long, and will wind right onto the spool.
I’m not sure I would trust a plastic swivel offshore.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
back when we fished 25-30 times a year we had a few of those fail…
never had 1 failure with the small spro’s…
quote:those little bastards will pop in half.
Originally posted by Gut Wrenchquote:
Originally posted by gotchacoveredThat’s pretty neat, but I don’t use swivels inshore, and I like these the best for offshore:
The 150# one is barely fatter than 80lb line, only about 1.2" long, and will wind right onto the spool.
I’m not sure I would trust a plastic swivel offshore.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
back when we fished 25-30 times a year we had a few of those fail…
never had 1 failure with the small spro’s…
go with the spro.
Bolbie, just so you’ll know, that actually is a Spro. 
It is the Spro “Heavy Swivel: Ultra Heavy for the Ultimate Fish Turning Power” in the 150# rating; they go up to 2550#.
I suppose you meant, “go with the light/regular Spro”.
Have you also had them fail for you? It’s good to collect info like this from others on their personal experiences eith terminal tackle because what happens with these things in the real world is more important than what the companies making and selling them tell you. I’ve never lost a fish on one, but if others have, let us know. Good to know.
By the way, I made a typo above. It’s not 1.2" long. It’s 1/2" long–about the same size as the 80# normal swivel. I have been using them because the regular one didn’t look like it would glide through the guies as easily because of the design.
In addition to the observations here of failures, they are also rather pricey from what I recall. I haven’t bought any since last summer.
Still, though–I’d still use this Spro over the plastic one in the link–and I’m guessing you would too, Bolbie. But it sounds like people who’ve tried using both have had better success with the regular spro.
Gut Wrench, did you have any problems with the regular one winding onto the spool?
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
I looked it up, and the 80# regular one is about half the price, so if there’s any doubt at all, then that makes it a pretty easy decision, as long as it doesn’t snag on eyes (guides).
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
quote:
Originally posted by gotchacoveredGut Wrench, did you have any problems with the regular one winding onto the spool?
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
not back then,but alot of those rods got sold,i have some now that have a smaller roller and on those setups we have had some hang ups.
they are actually called spro power.
the smaller reels caused the heavy spros to bind,maybe that caused a weakness.the power ones have a little more give,never had a fish break them.
if you continue to use them,I would change them out every other trip.
Yes, the ones I’m talking about are called “heavy”, but the ones you’re talking about at the “power” ones. Roger that.
What you said about the smaller reels might be the difference that made them work well for me and not for others. I have been using the heavy’s that I posted on Shimano TLDII 50 LRS’s–a fairly large spool–with rods with eyes and only top and base rollers. They served me well, but I didn’t fish 50 times per summer offshore, either, and I did change them out after every few trips or so, anyway, if not more frequently, because if you want to swap baits on a wind-on setup, you can’t just pop the snap swivel and pull another rig out of the tackle bucket.
I won’t be using swivels of any kind offshore this summer.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
quote:
Originally posted by Gut Wrenchquote:
Originally posted by gotchacoveredGut Wrench, did you have any problems with the regular one winding onto the spool?
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
not back then,but alot of those rods got sold,i have some now that have a smaller roller and on those setups we have had some hang ups.
That’s why I was using the ones I posted–because I thought there might be a potential for hangups because of the way the power srpo is designed, while the heavy spro that I posted is shaped like a suppository, and I knew it would slip right through.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
Sorry for taking so long to get back to this. All of my rods have roller guides from tip to bottom and I have really had no problem with the swivel hanging up. What does happen on occasion is the actual crimp will catch. Oddly enough the only fish I have ever lost at the boat in the last two years to this happening were two kings that took a hard dive when they saw the boat. I started running about 30+ feet of wind on leader to combat the problem of the fish making an extra dive and having that swivel/crimp come flying off the reel through the guides. I also make sure to have the angler back off the drag at boatside. Other than that, have never lost a fish to the swivel hanging up. If it does happen, you can drop the rod down and point it at the fish and the swivel will ususally clear.
Do not tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don’t tell them where they know the fish.
- More Maxims of Mark, Johnson, 1927
31’ Contender
Twin 250 HPDIs
“Oddly enough the only fish I have ever lost at the boat in the last two years to this happening were two kings that took a hard dive when they saw the boat.”
For this reason, I have my anglers back the drag off when the fish gets close to the boat, and I also use a very long leader when using wind-ons. Other good reasons to back off the drag near the boat is to keep from straitening hooks, pulling hooks on green fish, and pulling rods in the water.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862