Over the past couple months I've made posts about fish ripping off and asked inquisitively if anybody could come up with an explanation. I use a reel and when I'm hunting the drag is very loose. Yet lately I have had 3+ muttons rip off, never a grouper, and never a small fish. Well it happened again on Wednesday, I shoot a mutton the shaft hits about 1-1 1/2" below the top of the fish maybe 2 inches behind the gills and as I'm surfacing I see him rip off on the bottom. Frustrated and unknowing I reload and continue hunting like it was a freak accident(again) and not something preventable. Later in the day I see a Mac and as I drop I take the shot and he instantly starts to sink and convulse, but as I surface I notice I'm dragging the fish up with me. I check the drag and it's super loose there is no way the reel is bound up and holding this fish. When I surface I notice that the reel line is tangled in the corkscrew swivel. Voila this could be the problem! Sure enough the reel line gets caught in the corkscrew swivel causing a loop around the guide at the end of my gun, when the fish pulls its like the shooting line is tied with a loop knot directly to the muzzle, allowing stronger fish (that don't hole up instantly(or die)) to rip off.
I have rectified that by using a gigantic ball bearing snap swivel I had in my tackle box. I am still worried about it a little but feel better with the snap swivel. I like the convenience of being able to remove the shooting line from the reel line when need be.
