Shock leaders

I'm sure there are plenty of you that read this blog that i am about to teach to suck egg's, but this is more for the benefit of those of you that are newer to this glorious sport. Here is my advice and thought's on it.

I'll start by saying that all i can tell you is what i personally think and my experiences. I have yet to meet another angler that does things in exactly the same way. I've fished pretty much twice a week for 6 years with Woody but we both do things slightly differently. Different rod's, different reel's, different hooks and different knot's plus, I'm sure, many more.The point i'm trying to make is that we all do things slightly differently and just because i say it, it doesn't mean i am right. It's just my experiences with it.

What is a shock leader?

A shock leader is a length of heavier breaking strain line that is attached to the end of your mainline.

Why and when should you use a shock leader?

In virtually all fishing situations you should use a shock leader. I believe it's your responsibility as an angler to fish in a safe manner. Safe for you, safe for your fishing buddy and safe for the many members of the general public we all undoubtedly come across whilst fishing. A lead can be traveling 150mph when it's leaving your rod tip which could easily be deadly. There are certain times when you might not need a leader though, like when your rough grounding with 30lb+ mainline and only lobbing baits out, or spinning light lures but if your bottom fishing from the rocks or the beach then if you follow the following rule then you won't go too far wrong. Use 10lb breaking strain shock leader line for every ounce you are casting, so 50lb if you are casting 5oz leads. What i have found though is that 60lb shock leader is perfectly adequate for 7oz leads and big bait's, cast hard. Certainly in the brand that i use it is anyway.

What are the advantages of using shock leader? 

Aside from the safety aspects of using shock leader there are several advantages (and also disadvantages)

The first one for me is abrasion resistance. When your fishing from the rocks the closer the fish gets to the shore, the nearer it gets to the abrasive rocks. The higher breaking strain line you use, the better it's abrasion resistance so you are able to lift fish over rocks when 18lb mainline wouldn't stand a chance.

The next is that it minimizes snap off's. Because shock leader is able to take the massive strain of casting hard you won't lose nearly as much gear.

I'm sure that there are many of you that are reading this this that will agree with me when i say that i like the security of the shock leader. When you playing a big fish in a big sea or a beach that has a big shore dump it's a lovely feeling to get that leader knot on to your reel so you've got the security of heavier line.

I suppose i should also mention the disadvantages. Any knot in any line is a weak point. This Means a good knot is required. Another point is that it will slightly slow your cast down as the knot you use rattles through the eye's but again, another reason for needing a good knot.

How do you do it?

As i have mentioned, I use 60lb shock leader for virtually all of my fishing. My own personal favourite is Ultima Powerflex (and I'm not just saying that because I sell it, rather i sell it because i know it's good) and I tend to use longer leaders then the general consensus because, as I said before, I like the security of landing fish on the heavier line. Most would advise that you only need enough for 4 or 5 turns on your reel, then length of the rod and the drop from your rod tip to your rig (20ft or so) I use more like a 40 ft leader but a you do sacrifice a bit of distance on your cast by doing this. It will also catch the tide a little more and will collect a little more weed as but i make these slight sacrifices for the security a longer leader gives me.

Knot's wise i use a leader knot called a spider hitch. Here is a video of how to tie it or feel free to ask for a demonstration next time your in the shop. I use it because it has never once let me down and it's very easy to tie when your hands are cold, wet and windy. You end up with 2 small knots as opposed to one, and a short length of  doubled up line but i feel the extra knot strength that this gives you is worth it.

Here are other leader knots that other people use and links to help you tie them. I'm sure that there are plenty of advantages to each and there are others that I won't have mentioned but it's all about confidence.

The albright knot This the knot i used to use but i binned it after i had one slip whilst attached to a big eel.


The blob knot (usually only used on the tournament field)

The standard leader knot there is also a variation of this knot where you can tie the bigger loop on both sides.

The blood to blood knot

The double grinner knot

The binimi twist This is also a knot I used to use. It's notorious for being difficult to tie but it's easy once you have the hang of it. My issue with it is that it only gives you the same loop as a spider hitch does but involves a lot more messing about. No doubt the loop is stronger but I have never had a spider hitch give up on me.

Tapered leader's are also worth a mention. These are a set length so you usually get 5 or 6 on a spool. They taper off from thin line into your leader. 16 to 60 lb line is common. The idea behind it so that you get a smaller leader knot but my personal opinion is that you lose most of the benefits that i have talked about before and also that the knot strength of 18lb main line to 16 lb tapered leader is always going to be lees then it would be for a proper leader.

The colour of line is also something i get asked about a lot and when it comes to leaders my rule of thumb is that i use a clear leader on a beach and a coloured leader on the rocks because you have less space to cast from the rocks you get a few more tangles and it's just so much easier to pick them out when they are high viz. I don't subscribe to the theory that the fish can see the line if it's bright, or even if they can the odds are they won't have a clue what it is so it wont put them off feeding.

It makes me realise how much of geek i am when i can write over 1200 words about shock leaders but I hope that this has been of use to some of you and if there's anything that i haven't mentioned then please feel free to comment below and ask.