More and more crews choose the Aussie pig-tail swivel to make the connection between their wind-on leader and lure trace. A heavy-duty pig tail won't open up or straighten out under load, and the smooth profile won't slice your fingers wide open if the leader slips through your hands.

They do have one drawback, however: You can't secure the pig tail to the reel's harness lugs or an eye on the rod. You can't just wind the swivel tight to the rod tip because you might end up scarring the roller or putting a nick in the edge of the guide that could come back to haunt you.

I use several remedies to safely secure these swivels at the end of the day's fishing. The easiest and most convenient by far is the use of a rubber band — everybody has some rubber bands in the pit, right? Simply loop the rubber band through one of the harness lugs, and thread the other end through the pig tail on the swivel. Plastic-coated twist ties work well too.

Herb Collins
Orlando, Florida