Shock Leaders - Why use them?
January 2007
Safety First - Shock Leaders for Sea Fishing
When fishing from a beach or pier and casting 5 or 6 oz of lead its vital to yours and others safety that you use the correct tackle.
This begins with a shock leader and rig body made from line strong enough to withstand the extra strain caused when casting, as the rod is brought round in the cast and the line is prevented from leaving the reel, a vast amount of force is exerted on the line, if the line is not strong enough it will break and can often cause the entire rig with weight to fly off at an angle up the beach, if this hits someone it will seriously hurt them!
A shock leader is a length of line strong enough to take this added pressure, that generally when casting runs from the rig top through the rod rings and then 6-10 turns around the reel spool, in general around 30ft in length is plenty.
Both the shock leader and the rig body should be at least 10lb breaking strain for every 1oz of leader being used, ie 50lb for a 5oz lead.
As a chain is only as strong as its weakest link its also just as important when shore fishing that the knots you use do not reduce the strength of the line, a 50lb shock leader is no use if a poor knot is used and reduces the b/s to 20lb. Either Blood knots or Grinner knots are best for attaching swivels and clips to the rig or leader, and these should be wet before pulling tight to prevent any burn damage.
Blood Knot
Grinner Knot
To attach the leader to you main line there are a selection of knots used, by far the strongest is the bimminie twist, which is fairly hard to master, but once you know how to do it offers a knot with virtually no reduction in the breaking strain of the line. Possibly the most popular shock leader knot is the uni knot:
Uni Knot
The colour and type of line you use for shock leader is very dependant on your personal choice, some anglers like to use clear lines, whilst others prefer bright fluro lines.It is certainly a benefit when night fishing to have a bright coloured leader, as it greatly aids vision and helps in tangles.
There are also a wide range of tapered shock leaders available, these are specially made lengths of line which taper from 15lb at one end to 60 or 70lb at the other end, this means that you avoid a bulky leader knot and a double blood knot is best. These tapered shock leaders work particularly well when you are fishing in weedy conditions, as the small knot slips through the weed with ease, rather than building up with a large knot.