Tapered Shockleader?

Anyone use these, Obviously they're good as then decrease the knot Diameter, But as there any downsides to them?

yes they are generally NOT long enough and when you cast the shock is taken by 15lb. line on 15lb. line VERY DANGEROUS.forget them buy yourself some 80lb stuff and practise the KNOT you where shown.

Hi K2,

Used to use them but not any more for the reasons explained by John.

Lee

I have only ever used the Daiwa one, I always found them far long enough, obviously if you keep cutting the thick end off it will come down to the lighter line.

I never use them, price being the main reason.

But they do have a few good points.....They pick up less weed than normal shock leaders and anyone who wanted to use a multiplier with a level wind would find it kinder to cast than a normal shock leader. If your chucking metal lures 3oz or above for good distance they can be a help too.

Tom.

have you ever used one on a 14ft. zziplex mate,you are left with very light line and for casting it is UNSAFE.normal 80lb shock leader is the safest,and the knots now are much smaller and the lot is much safer.have you ever seen the photo of the guy with the lead embedded in his face.NEED I SAY ANY MORE???

beachcaster, mate!

What difference does a 14ft Zziplex make??....I have quite a few Zziplex rods and I've used and own rods longer than 14ft. The tapered leader I mentioned would be long enough to use on any of the rods I've got or used.

The photo of the guy with the lead stuck in his face was not caused through CASTING, if you'd read how it happened you would see it came about because he tried to use the power of the rod to lift the lead free from a snag.....and it came back into his face.

If you read what I said correctly instead of twisting it, perhaps you will see a meaning that makes you less uneasy, I stand by what I wrote!! mate!

Tom.

Last edited by Rockhopper on Sat Feb 11, 2006 2:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.

A quick check on the Daiwa UK website shows that their tapered shock leader come in at 43ft lengths. If that's not long enough I don't know what is :)

beachcaster, not taking a dig at you here....but I hear enough about safety and people talking about 80lb shocker, if it doesn't go around the reel enough times or the knots are not strong enough Zziplex or Zzipless 14 ft or 12 ft safety is out of the window.

All that said, I repeat "I do not use it" but not because its not long enough.

I'm not getting into a rant here and without sounding irresponsible or argumentative.the things we write on this or any other forum are left for lesser anglers to read later......if a young kid get a birthday rod and reel, reads any loose ends we may leave, he could go out and do injury.

Tom :) :) :)

OK, can see both sides of this debate and have to agree that I still use them on my bass rod but find that on a 13ft 6 beachcaster with reel down with 6onz attached, the line at the reel is perhaps 35 to 40lb breaking strain. This can be overcome by using a long trace but to be honest with me doing the amount of practice casting that I do at present - I just dont have as much confidence in them.

I think it was in last months Sea angler that Paul Kerry answered a question regarding these leaders and said that he did not use them for the reasons stated above.

If the spool turns under your thumb during the cast, you rapidly run out of leader strength.

I realise that Daiwa increased the length of the leader a few years ago but still find the strongest part of the leader too short.

Lee

Lee,

I happen to to be old enough to have seen what is said by some of the so called experts (I don't include Paul Kerry, he knows his stuff) in a way that can be used to the extreme.

I was not meaning for Tapered Leader to be used in any unsafe way, like many other things where casting lead is concerned caution is needed, Tapered Leader can take that extreme to the edge easier than normal leader line. For one thing its banned in any UKSF tournament, need more be added :)

Where casting is concerned far to many anglers think to buy a Zziplex or use 80lb line and swing lead up high will give them some kind of magic power to hit great distance....when all they need do is spend a few bob with a casting instructor for a few hours.....they will come away safer and better casters never mind what rod or reel they use. everything in the tackle shop has its place, its how its used by anglers that sometimes causes problems.

I feel all anglers have a duty to pass on safety information to new starters, it may save there life one day :) or at least a big bump on the head :)

Tom.

which is what i have done mate,tapered leaders in MY OPINION ARE NOT SAFE.if you use a proper shock leader for the weight then you have less chance of an acident,and as for the guy with the lead buried in his face i used it to SHOW AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN.i have witnessed a lead go through a car engine block at a UKSF event when the guy casting had a crack of.you have been warned,i would rather someone pay a little extra for the right shock leader than see someone DIE.CHEERS JOHN.

I have seen a lot of our European counterparts on the Match circuit and at World Championships as I am sure Tom has experienced too being almost obsessed with tapered leaders for a number of reasons, personally I think the disadavantages outway the advantages. Even when you tie ultra neat knot it still can gather some weed in bad conditions and you are left with a fish in the surf whilst you run back up the beach. And the big factor is the cost, serious rip of for what it is.

I answered a guys question and made a comment about the length that I found to be ample. I went on to state IMHO the points it was good for and still stand by that. That's my 2 cents spent :)

Robert,

You mention the point about the Europeans being obsessed by tapered leader, if they are, you may be right, I've never took any notice.

But I bet a lot more would agree that their obsession is not half that of the UK and Irish anglers with casting distance and all that goes with it.
No offense meant to anyone but if the cap fits then wear it. In the last couple of years we have witnessed the long rod revolution (as some call it) where even a novice can manage to cast easier and further than ever before....this is where it makes me laugh.....what is out there to catch most of the time....little fish and where are they most of the time....a few yard in the suds. Yet most anglers seem to think if they've not got a big powerful rod (that most cant load) that is used with the reel low (tounament style) then they wont catch fish, either that or its not manlike, surly not!

Braid is getting more popular every day, that brings more problems than it solves too, what knot is best? How to join it to mono? etc...etc

Why does it seem that to use something that can possibly be dangerous (if used in the wrong way) makes you a danger. Who ever cracked of in a UKSF was either casting in the wrong direction or the stewards had the court set out wrong. All the events I've been to had the cars parked behind the casters, wind change or not.

This is the second time in a few days that my post has been taken totally back to front and become long and drawn out, perhaps it would be better if I took a sabbatical.

Good Luck.

I agree we are obsessed with casting, its probably because it takes our attention away from the sometimes grim fishing. Its an extension to fishing not necessarily a huge benefit. I myself have had my best results under 60 yards!

I'm no genius at casting or anything else, but am probably as bitten with the distance bug as any. I tie a reasonable knot though and so far my braid and mono have not parted company on a cast yet.

I still distrust my knots (and casting ability) so in a comp I only ever cast OTG from directly behind where I hope to god the lead actually goes. At least that way if I crack off my lead is not speeding for the nyuck of the poor sod on the peg to my right.

I think in competitions, any form of roundhouse cast and tapered leaders should be banned for safety reasons. And as somebody pointed out, most of whatever is in front of you is most often in the suds anyway. The only problem is, when things are thin in close, the temptation to try and dent an oil rig is often indulged, and that's when dodgy knots, leaders or casting technique is going to cause bother....

If you're on a beach on your own, well, wouldn't matter if you fished in the buff, with a tapered leader or not.

ah catch yourself on -

tapered shock leader come in at 43ft lengths

- the key thing missing from this discussion is the combination of leader material and knot type - are you going to use a double grinner on a co-polymer etc. the length of the leader is a red herring

How many posts do you need to get SAI Inmate beside your name? - do you get a badge then for your jumper sleeve with that? :?
If the fishing mags had Alan Yates extolling the virtues of shockleader that tapers from 70lb to 90lb ye'd be buying the stuff by the drum. More fishing, less inane discussion on the virtual shoreline. Practice your knots- its stood me well for over 35 years fishing

i have been using tapered leaders for months now with no misshaps , daiwa ones which are plenty long enough regardless of rod length , reel possition or casting style , i wouldnt want to be chucking anything heavier than 5oz though.
I only use them on the ABU levelwind reels .

bs

I've had to delete a few posts here that really weren't contributing to anything except a flame war. The posters know who they are and the next outburst will see IP addresses being blocked and acccounts locked etc. Like tapered leaders, the patience of the moderators has a thin end as well.

If you really take exception to something another angler says, try and resolve it by PM. Dirty laundry etc.....

(Tip: always examine any post with the mindset that the poster is well intentioned, no matter how wrong they might be)

Let's all try to act our ages, please. Civilised discussion is fine, different points of view are fine. Personal attacks are not.

As we've seen before, the moderators are quite capable of sorting out any posts that contain information which could be dangerous, or where such information posted could be misconstrued by inexperienced (or experienced) anglers. It is not an excuse for a flame war.

Beachcaster,

Check your PM's :)

I only use the stuff on clean ground any snags and good bye gear!