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Braid shock leader

Not always, depends on what I am am using the reels for.

I have some 35lb tapering to 15lb mono which are on my Shimano baitrunners, I have about 9 metres of 20lb Flourocarbon on my MAP Carptek 4000FS reels but I do not have leaders on my centrepin reels.
 
I always use a leader, imo its foolish not to. I use amnesia in 25 or 20lb, I sometimes use a fluoro mainline too.
 
Terry Simner said:
Yes, always....between 3 and 5ft (not pre-stretched "strong") mono or fluoro.
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Why would you use between 3 and five foot of leader?

Hope you are not casting opposite me, the connection between your lines will be weaker than the line itself, with a long cast you could end up killing someone.

The leader is supposed to act as a shock absorber in case something goes wrong when you cast unless you are using silly strong braid and as such you should use enough leader to go from the weight through the rings and have a couple of turns on the reel. For a 12ft rod you should be looking at between 8 and 9 metres for safety.

if your braid is strong enough then a shock leader isn't essential, if you think that having a short leader is better for your fish then perhaps you can tell me how? The fish should never come into contact with your mainline unless you are using short hooklinks.

I don't use leaders on my centrepins as I don't cast them far enough to warrant it, a lump of meat coming off on the cast is unlikely to kill someone.
 
Eddie Bray said:
Why would you use between 3 and five foot of leader?

Hope you are not casting opposite me, the connection between your lines will be weaker than the line itself, with a long cast you could end up killing someone.

The leader is supposed to act as a shock absorber in case something goes wrong when you cast unless you are using silly strong braid and as such you should use enough leader to go from the weight through the rings and have a couple of turns on the reel. For a 12ft rod you should be looking at between 8 and 9 metres for safety.

if your braid is strong enough then a shock leader isn't essential, if you think that having a short leader is better for your fish then perhaps you can tell me how? The fish should never come into contact with your mainline unless you are using short hooklinks.

I don't use leaders on my centrepins as I don't cast them far enough to warrant it, a lump of meat coming off on the cast is unlikely to kill someone.
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Same principles as a sea fishing shock leader
 
Eddie Bray said:
Why would you use between 3 and five foot of leader?

Hope you are not casting opposite me, the connection between your lines will be weaker than the line itself, with a long cast you could end up killing someone.

The leader is supposed to act as a shock absorber in case something goes wrong when you cast unless you are using silly strong braid and as such you should use enough leader to go from the weight through the rings and have a couple of turns on the reel. For a 12ft rod you should be looking at between 8 and 9 metres for safety.

if your braid is strong enough then a shock leader isn't essential, if you think that having a short leader is better for your fish then perhaps you can tell me how? The fish should never come into contact with your mainline unless you are using short hooklinks.

I don't use leaders on my centrepins as I don't cast them far enough to warrant it, a lump of meat coming off on the cast is unlikely to kill someone.
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I very much doubt Terry is going to kill anyone with an underarm lob cast a few rod lengths out Eddie.

I'm assuming Terry is using a leader purely to provide extra abrasion resistance at the business end, not as a shock leader for distance casting.
 
I think there is confusion here about "shock leaders" and "rubbing leader", no doubt other terms might be used.

Shock leader is another term for a casting leader, normally used where the mainline is thin to get greater casting disatnce. Used mainly by sea surf casters where the rule is "10lb bs per 1oz casting weight", so for a 6ozs lead a 60lb bs casting leader is used. This leader is long enough to have several turns on the reel when starting the cast.

Heavier freshwater fishing for distance carp or pike do similar.

Lure fishermen and coarse anglers often have a short length of mono or fluorocarbon (3-8ft usually) between their braid mainline and lure/end rig. Pick the right mono and it is more abrasion resistant than braid. Braid is also expensive, so replacing the mono casting leader rather than cutting back the braid makes financial sense as well!

For river barbel fishing I use 30lb braid mainline with a rubbing leader of between 15-20 lb bs. That will cope with moderate casting of weights between 2-4 ozs - as long as the rubbing leader is checked frequently. Doubt many barbel rods would break even 15lb bs with the weights they are built to cast. No exagerated pendulum casting needed on the river! Stick on overweight feeders and the rod will tell you a lob is necessary!
 
Eddie Bray said:
My mistake, I've always thought leaders referred to shock leaders and not rubbing leaders for abrasion resistance.
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The 'shock leader' is to add some 'cushioning' to the system ...that little bit of stretch to reduce hook-pulls, or snaps when attempting to stop a fast swimming fish (e.g. snag fishing) .... plus additional abrasion resistance. And as @Joe Winstanley rightly comments, many of my casts (even when trundling) are underhand lobs.
 
I fish 32lb Berkley Whiplash tied to enough 25lb Fox Camo snag leader to go from the lead to the reel giving me 6 or 7 turns on the reel. I slide a Korum running rig clip on that, then an ESP 8mm buffer bead, followed by a Korum sz8 QC swivel. I know then I'm casting of mono which has better abrasion resistance than my cotton thin braid which casts well and enables me to use lighter leads and get better bite transmission with the safety buffer of the mono at the business end.
 
Joe Winstanley said:
I very much doubt Terry is going to kill anyone with an underarm lob cast a few rod lengths out Eddie.

I'm assuming Terry is using a leader purely to provide extra abrasion resistance at the business end, not as a shock leader for distance casting.
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Why braided main line for underarm lobs?
I see no benefits for close in fishing.

I’ve never used leaders until this year when I was firing 6oz across the tidal and used a braided main line.
My Usual fishing is a 15-20 yard cast at absolute best which is very achievable to do and pick up from on a quality mono main line straight through to your hook link.
 
Richard Isaacs said:
Why braided main line for underarm lobs?
I see no benefits for close in fishing.

I’ve never used leaders until this year when I was firing 6oz across the tidal and used a braided main line.
My Usual fishing is a 15-20 yard cast at absolute best which is very achievable to do and pick up from on a quality mono main line straight through to your hook link.
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When fishing at 20-25m into 30ft deep debris containing Lower Severn then I think it helps. Plus I enjoy using it, and that alone is enough reason for me.
 
Terry Simner said:
When fishing at 20-25m into 30ft deep debris containing Lower Severn then I think it helps. Plus I enjoy using it, and that alone is enough reason for me.
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Yeah that’s fair enough, I’ve just never really got to grips with any advantages it can bring to the table for my preferred style of fishing which seems quite similar to yours (minus the depth)
I totally get it for what Jon does on the Trent and what joe does on the big pits and as said using it without the appropriate shock leader would be bordering on criminal. I’m quite a simple guy and the less links in the chain the better for me. I like a quality mono main line which has all the shock absorbing and abrasion properties I need for short distance fishing. If I can get away safely with less knots and different lengths of different materials then all the better.
 
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