Shockleaders are a necessary requirement for all sea anglers as they allow you to cast heavy rigs long distances, but the problem in usign them lies with knowing just how to tie a shockleader on to the reel’s mainline.
With a little bit of practice, tying a typical shockleader knot is actually quite easy, and it’s detailed right here, below.
Leaders are essential to avoid breaking the mainline during casting. You need at least 50lb line with a 150g sinker to be safe and 60lb with a 170g sinker.
To cast a reasonable distance and fish effectively, a 15-20lb mainline is enough on sand/shingle beaches and therefore you need to join the two. Keep the knot in the thick leader line as small as possible, so a simple overhand knot is a good choice…
1. Tie a simple overhand knot on the 50lb or 60lb leader line
2. Put the end of the mainline through the overhand knot before it is pulled tight
3. Wet the overhand knotwith saliva and pull it really tight
4. Pull about 20cm of mainline through the overhand knot, then make a loop near the overhand knot and hold with your thumb and forefinger
5. Take the loose end of mainline about six times around the leader
6. Take the loose end of the mainline back towards the loop and put it through the loop
7. Put the mainline around the leader line twice for additional security
8. Gently pull on the mainline behind the overhand knot on the leader line and the loose end of the mainline. This takes out any slack and beds the coils neatly into position
9. Wet the whole knot and pull the mainline behind the overhand knot to tighten up the coils
10. Pull the loose end of the mainline to make sure the coils are tight and give the overhand knot on the leader an extra pull to make it really tight.
11. The finished knot should look neat with the mainline coils close together to minimise any chance of slippage
