By Sean Manning
In this section we will take a look at both shock and snag leaders and their usage:
SHOCK LEADERS
A shock leader is recommended in any situation where a reasonable weight is going to be cast to distance thus needing a significant amount of compression on the rod. This can either be with a lead, fully laden spod or marker set up. Safety is a primary concern. As you can imagine a 4 ounce lead being cast to distance of say 120 yards requires a certain amount of both momentum and compression from the rod putting a great deal of pressure on certain elements of the tackle.
If for any reason the lead or object cracks off during the cast not only is there a loss of tackle but also a very dangerous situation.
Common sense as a rule will ensure that the correct steps are taken when making the decision regarding use of a shockleader…for example an Angler using a 2oz lead fishing at 60 yards with 15lb b.s. line would likely not require the use of a shockleader whereas an Angler fishing at 100 yards plus using a 4oz lead would be advised to.
Again common sense must come into play given the situation…an Angler using very light line (4lb or less) with a 2oz or heavier lead is also likely to have some problems!
The shockleader is generally a monofilament line that is much heavier than that of the actual fishing line used. Monofilament has some great ‘stretch’ ability so it is a very common choice as it helps absorb the shock and pressure exerted on the tackle very well. If you think about it from a standing start the pressure that is concentrated on the tackle from a powerful cast is very significant. A 4 oz lead will excerpt much more than 15lb in ‘weight’ on a line during a powerful cast when both the pressure and compression of the rod are taken into account.
The strength of the leader will be determined by the weight to be cast…35lb – 40lb is a very common test of leader that is used for general all around distance fishing though there are some situations when this may not be sufficient. Use common sense and remember that safety always comes first!
There are some excellent ready made shockleaders available on the market today such as those made by E.S.P. If you have any questions regarding the use of shockleaders please do not hesitate to contact us.
SNAG LEADERS
As the name implies snag leaders should be used when fishing waters that contain unusually heavy or sharp snags such as Sandstone, Zebra muscles, tree stumps or large sharp boulders where a mono leader will simply not do the job. Fishing such waters without snag leaders in these situations will result in lost fish and tackle. This is not good for the Angler or the fish so please be prepared for the different waters that you may encounter.
The snag leader is the length of line that is between you, the snag and possibly the fish of your dreams ! The length needed will depend on the situation and weather you also choose to use a shockleader as well.
One example would be fishing The St. Lawrence River in certain swims during the summer months when the Zebra muscles are at their worst. They will cut through 25lb mono like butter resulting in loss of fish and tackle.
You may not need the use of a shockleader in conjunction with the snag leader if you are fishing within reasonable range, however you may need 10 to 20 meters of snag leader dependent upon the situation. There is one point on the St. Lawrence that holds some very large fish where a ledge drops from 12 to 35 feet immediately. The 12ft ledge has some very sharp boulders and stumps covered in zebra mussels on it and a good length of snag leader is needed to successfully land the big fish because of the drop off and the snags.
Ironically the big fish can ofter be found in these ‘snaggy’ swims as both the Zebra muscles and snags are attractive to the Carp… so if you want to pick up some of the big boys go prepared !
Both ‘Quicksilver’ and ‘Ton Up’ by Kryston are highly recommended snag leaders.
