I haven't been fishing for too long and usually use a swivel so I can quickly switch between different jigs/hooks/spinnerbaits with leaders already tied to them. Today I wasn't catching anything and another guy fishing near me was fishing the same bait and was catching a whole lot, and he recommended taking my swivel and bobber off. Right after I did, I almost immediately was pulling in fish. I use really small black swivels, but could they still be too noticable and scare fish away?

Also, when I finally started reeling them in I caught about a 10 or 11 inch tilapia and it was super big around too.