the swivel thingy was mostly provided for use with the jointed rap. i have never had one fail even on some very large fish, but if anybody is skeptical about them, just tie the lures direct and dont use it..
cool you caught a fish w/ bruce's jig. you typically put stuff on a jig head, but you have proven it'l even catch fish naked. if fish dont hit it naked, you can put anything on it including soft plastics, worms, power bait, gulp minnows or grubs, use yer imagination.
surprised you didnt get a trout to commit on the jointed rap. if you get hit, try letting the rod load up before setting the hook. i've caught smb, lmb, and all sizes of trout from dinks to 6 pounds on that style lure. the last time it was used DWIED got a 3+ pound lmb out of jhaps pond.
