Braid - Shock Leaders

Hi

Does anyone use shock leaders when using braid to cast at distance?

After having read up a little about braid and wishing to use up to 4oz leads with my braided lines I am conscious of crack offs so was looking at using ESP Tapered Shock Leaders to attach to my braid to help buffer against this possibility.

Shock Leader

However, I was wondering if I should bother with a shockleader at all and if so would this product do the job?

Cheers

How far you intend to cast?

A good rig will add distance before you start thinking about shockleaders and to braid...hmmm...I wouldn't be too confident in it. I know people do it but I'm one of those mono Vs braid sceptics. I'd be scared using it.

having tried braid and mono gone back to mono will use it on a drifter float it floats well

I've done a fair bit of sea fishing this winter and my advice would be not to use braid as a shockleader. As a rule of thumb, your shock leader should be 10lb breaking strain for every ounce cast. i.e, flinging out a 3oz lead you would use 30lb. Mind you, with a big fish bait this could be even more. But this rule applies to when you are pendulum casting to get some distance. The risk is really occuring when you are swinging the lead around and the potential for snapping meaning the lead would fly parallel with the beach - not good for a bather!

How far are you looking to cast?

what braid are you using?

Braid - Power Pro

Distance - As far as I am confident in casting a 4oz weight along with a deadbait attached.

The deadbait and weight would probably be attached together via PVA tape similar to the image in the link:
LINK

Just that I am conscious of 'crack offs' hence the query about using a shock leader.

raf1870 wrote:Braid -powere pro

Distance - As far as I am confident in casting a 4oz weight along with a deadbait attached.

The deadbait and weight would probably be attached together via PVA tape similar to the image in the link:
LINK

Just that I am conscious of 'crack offs' hence the query about using a shock leader.

what strain sorry i mean if your faffing aroud with 20lb then bin it and buy 50 or so no need for a leader then

50LB breaking strain Noodle.

if using a ledger link, always make it longer than the trace by around 5inch+, the weight of the lead should take the bait out for you,

Depends how much weight and how far! Eric Edwards’s method of freezing the bait to a weight made from sheet roofing lead is the way forward. Deburr the lead well as it just may abrade the mainline. I can cast a 6oz bait + a lump of lead of about 2 ounce well in excess of 100 yards with a simple off the ground cast. So can anyone who is prepared to spend a few afternoons looking like a proper knob on the local recreation ground. Have a look at John Holden's website for the basics.
I use 50lb braid straight through to the lead and use a balsa popup rig running on the mainline with a bead and float stop. Always tangles on the return unless there is a fish on. But I am fairly confident it arrives and fishes well. . If I want to cast silly distances I backcast, then I need a shock leader, and something a hell of a lot stronger than a bought tapered leader. 70 lb Stren is my choice.
There are in reality only a dozen or so of the top tournament guys who can manage a proper pendulum cast with anything like the weight we are taking about. Pendulum casting, and backcasting for that matter anything over 5 ounce needs very specialist rods.