Bink Desaro recognized the problem of soft plastic lures sliding down the hook shaft. So he found a solution using a simple swivel.
It was during a 2004 BASS event on Alabama's Lake Eufaula that Desaro's frustration came to a head. In that tournament, he lost to Denny Brauer by a mere 3 ounces, and he believes he would have won the title if not for that persistent problem.
After that Eufaula tournament, I realized how many times I was having to stop and fix my bait," explained the Idaho pro. "I had certain things I was targeting on the mats and I was trying to punch as many of them as I could. I was plagued with that bait sliding back down the hook. I'd punch it through the mat, pull it back out and have to slide it back up the hook again.
"I probably could have tripled my pitch ratio in four days if I had used a method like this."
The solution for the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series competitor has been the ingenious use of a small No. 8 or 10 silver swivel. The swivel has proven an effective tool for securing soft plastics in place, and Desaro believes its silver coating gives off an attractive flash as well.
With Texas rigged tubes, craws, lizards, creatures or worms, he first slides the bullet weight onto the line and pegs it in place using a rubber band. The next step is putting the line through one end of the swivel and then tying it onto the hook. Next, Desaro inserts the hook through the nose of the bait. But before re-inserting it, he runs the hook point through the other opening of the swivel. The swivel is then pushed up the shank to the eye of the hook. His finishing touch is to push the hook through the bait and "tex-pose" the point.
The swivel rides on the eye of the hook at the knot, keeping the plastic exactly where it needs to be.
"It's a real timesaver. It works like the clip on the old Eagle Claw HP Hooks. It will keep the bait in position and it doesn't screw up the hook-ups. It's the answer to always having to adjust your bait, especially if you're pulling it out of a mat or moss or grass."
Desaro emphasizes that this adaptation is limited to "fairly heavy" line (12-pound test and up) because the swivel might pinch and eventually cut lightweight lines.
