It is during the preparation of the future fishing session that are forged the most folish fishing dreams.

Need for a Shock Leader

ou are free to design your rigs and your main line as you wish, some invents and creates new knots, others consider the improvement of the rigs, others fish with their own self-made rods.
It is during the preparation of the future fishing session that are forged the most folish fishing dreams, those which, thereafter, will perpetuate in our old brains the desire for fishing.
Among all these rig assembling and various wild imaginings, there is an essential point with the safety that I want to propose here: the Shock Leader.


As in the diagram description below, the complete line consists of four (4) main parts:

-1- the leader (main line) by itself (250 m of nylon 30/100e, resistance 7kg or so).
-2- the Shock Leader (8 m of resistance 25-330 kg).
-3- the rig with swivels, hooks and so on..<
-4- the lead (from say 30g to 180g).

Parts of the line.

he majority of the Surfcasting Anglers do not use and never used a shock Leader and don't feel guilty for that. Therefore, why add this 8/9 meter piece of 0.6 or 0.7mm dia. ?

Please, just have a look at the picture below :

We can say that, if one pushes strongly to propel the lead and the rig, a 5 kg resistant nylon inevitably snaps with a 100g lead.
So... DANGER! The lead can take the direction of your best fishing companion, and.... at 200km/h.... :-((

Question: Which nylon resistance is necessary, to be able to support casts with a maximum weight of 180g? (add the baits too).
Not being a caïd in ballistics, I base myself on the English expertise on the matter, the basic and simple rule of thumb and which proved reliable: 10lb/OZ (ten pounds per ounce of cast weight).

And it comes from this the small table on the right.

herefore, according to the heaviest lead that you are likely to use, you will choose a nylon with a resistance immediately above. To me, I made the choice of a 60/100e Shock Leader = 30kg resistance.

The length of this "Shock Leader"?
The right measurement is this one: 6 full turns on the spool + the length from the reel to the tip top + a certain length X.
X is representing a part of the hanging banner and depending on the length on your snapped rig. See small diagram below.

To ease the knot connection between the Shock Leader and the leader, there are tapered Shock Leaders (ending in "rat tail" like fly fishing lines). You can have 50/100e on lead end side and 25/100e on the butt knot end. It is a good choice but, I find it too expensive and, my faith, a good 60/100e nylon spool and a little training for the Shock Leader knot will make it.

Note: we could focus on resistance and consider a braid Shock Leader, which would give a rather low diameter offering less penetration resistance in the air for the cast. This must be regarded as an error because this braid is not only source of tangle but especially very fragile to abrasion by friction on sand: TO AVOID (I dont speak for the Mediteranean sea which is particular on this point).

...Security before All...an essential point with the safety :
the Shock Leader...

...now, there are tapered Shock Leaders..