Are you supposed to tie a swivel on a lure?

Answer 1

No. Most lure manufacturesrecommendyou tie your line directly to the lure. The addition of a swivel adds an additional point of failure on your terminal tackle and some people choose not to use it. Also the addition of a swivvel can change the weight, characteristics and performance of the lures. If you do you aswiveltry to match it to the size of the lure being used. Using a 100lb swivel for lures meant to catch panfish (0.5-6 lbs) is an example of mismatched tackle.

All that being saidmanypeople prefer thesimplicityof being able tosnaplureson and off without having to retie multiple times. This is especially handy if you do not have the luxury of having many fishing rods pre-tied with specific lures.

The prime purpose of a swivel is to reduce or eliminate line twist, caused by retrieving a rotating lure. Some lures are much worse tha others for casing line twist - Devon Minnows are perhaps the worst example, though a very popular lure amongst anglers targetting salmon.

You don't 'need' a swivel - but it can be extremely prudent.

Answer 2

It's optional