In reply to Post #13
The shock leader is to withstand the shock of casting, not to cushion it.
Personally tho, every crack off I've ever had has involved a shock leader, and always happened immediately after the knot.
So I don't use them anymore
The shock leader is to withstand the shock of casting, not to cushion it.
Personally tho, every crack off I've ever had has involved a shock leader, and always happened immediately after the knot.
So I don't use them anymore
In reply to Post #13
That advice has the potential to be very dangerous. If the shock leader isn't wound onto the reel then the lower strain mainline is taking the force of the cast, potentially overloading the line and causing it to snap, and have a lead hurtling through the air like a missile.
That advice has the potential to be very dangerous. If the shock leader isn't wound onto the reel then the lower strain mainline is taking the force of the cast, potentially overloading the line and causing it to snap, and have a lead hurtling through the air like a missile.
Or snap on the wind up and slice your finger off.
In reply to Post #13
A shock leader is a casting leader. If it's not got 3 turns or more on the reel then it's not taking the force of the cast.
A shock leader is a casting leader. If it's not got 3 turns or more on the reel then it's not taking the force of the cast.
I make sure I have a minimum of 4 turns on the reel. I have switched to braid on the spod rod (😮😉 
, and use a 40lb mono leader for casting a medium Spomb, and a 3.5oz lead for leading around to 70metres.
The best way to reduce crack-offs on casting is make sure the leader knot is at the back of the spool, nearest you, otherwise the line can catch.
The shock leader is to withstand the shock of casting, not to cushion it.
Personally tho, every crack off I've ever had has involved a shock leader, and always happened immediately after the knot.
So I don't use them anymore
, and use a 40lb mono leader for casting a medium Spomb, and a 3.5oz lead for leading around to 70metres.The best way to reduce crack-offs on casting is make sure the leader knot is at the back of the spool, nearest you, otherwise the line can catch.
The shock leader is to withstand the shock of casting, not to cushion it.
Personally tho, every crack off I've ever had has involved a shock leader, and always happened immediately after the knot.
So I don't use them anymore
In reply to Post #20
There are dozens of 'best ways' to prevent crack offs.
Don't get me wrong, I was nowhere as bad as some who seem to go through 3 spods a session, but they happen occasionally.
I Swapped to heavy braid straight through to cope with weed rakes, but it's just so much more forgiving.
I don't have to retrieve slowly with the tip under the water to keep even tension, don't have to consider the knot position, and don't wince when the wind changes mid session and I'm risking overloading the rod(causing overrecovery and slack line) to reach the spot.
And i can still put a dot spod beyond where I can put a rig.
If I'm casting a £300 bit of tech I'd trade 10 yards for reliability all day long
There are dozens of 'best ways' to prevent crack offs.
Don't get me wrong, I was nowhere as bad as some who seem to go through 3 spods a session, but they happen occasionally.
I Swapped to heavy braid straight through to cope with weed rakes, but it's just so much more forgiving.
I don't have to retrieve slowly with the tip under the water to keep even tension, don't have to consider the knot position, and don't wince when the wind changes mid session and I'm risking overloading the rod(causing overrecovery and slack line) to reach the spot.
And i can still put a dot spod beyond where I can put a rig.
If I'm casting a £300 bit of tech I'd trade 10 yards for reliability all day long
In reply to Post #21
out of interest what braid are you using, and what distances can you comfortably hit?
I've always used 25 or 30lb braid with a 50lb leader, but I do like the idea of straight through.
out of interest what braid are you using, and what distances can you comfortably hit?
I've always used 25 or 30lb braid with a 50lb leader, but I do like the idea of straight through.
In reply to Post #22
I'm using 58lb j braid, probably a touch heavier than needed.
I can't really do a comparison for achievable distances, but I could still hit 130 comfortably with my 13ft fox xt, that's about the limit for my fishing rods so I never tried to go further. I was casting a marker setup 160 with that rod when I first got it, using 30lb braid and a shock leader
I've since bought a new spod rod this year, but I haven't used it much and haven't had/wanted to go much beyond 100yds.
The 8 strand braids are easier to manage than the older types, I don't even bother wetting it before casting anymore. I'm sure it costs a bit of distance with this setup but it doesn't limit me and it does as its told. I'm yet to have a frap up or crack off in 2 (admittedly slow) years, I would have expected at least 1 or 2 in that time with the old setup
I'm using 58lb j braid, probably a touch heavier than needed.
I can't really do a comparison for achievable distances, but I could still hit 130 comfortably with my 13ft fox xt, that's about the limit for my fishing rods so I never tried to go further. I was casting a marker setup 160 with that rod when I first got it, using 30lb braid and a shock leader
I've since bought a new spod rod this year, but I haven't used it much and haven't had/wanted to go much beyond 100yds.
The 8 strand braids are easier to manage than the older types, I don't even bother wetting it before casting anymore. I'm sure it costs a bit of distance with this setup but it doesn't limit me and it does as its told. I'm yet to have a frap up or crack off in 2 (admittedly slow) years, I would have expected at least 1 or 2 in that time with the old setup
In reply to Post #21
In reply to Post #20
There are dozens of 'best ways' to prevent crack offs.
Don't get me wrong, I was nowhere as bad as some who seem to go through 3 spods a session, but they happen occasionally.
I Swapped to heavy braid straight through to cope with weed rakes, but it's just so much more forgiving.
I don't have to retrieve slowly with the tip under the water to keep even tension, don't have to consider the knot position, and don't wince when the wind changes mid session and I'm risking overloading the rod(causing overrecovery and slack line) to reach the spot.
And i can still put a dot spod beyond where I can put a rig.
If I'm casting a £300 bit of tech I'd trade 10 yards for reliability all day long
I haven't had a crack-off in years either, and like you I don't have to think about retrieving.
My only problem is that a Spomb sometimes doesn't open, and to be honest that is usually my own fault for hitting the clip (too hard) and 'flattening' the Spomb as it impacts the water rather than diving in tip first.
I haven't even tried outcasting my fishing rods, not with the Sonik Spod/Marker rod, and I don't think I ever did it with Big Bertha either.
I say I haven't had a crack-off, I did catch up in a massive floating weed raft last week with just a tournament lead, (my own fault for trying to be clever using the lead to drag it) and the leader knot gave way on the retrieve. I think the weed raft was about the size of a hatchback car. A fresh leader and I pulled the whole lot back in, and got my original leader, bomb etc back.
I have cracked off a few times with shockleaders on a multiplier when sea fishing, usually as you have said when the wind changes or is in your face and you try to push too hard. Mind you casting a 5/6oz lead and 3 tails loaded with rag and lug is a bit different.
In reply to Post #20
There are dozens of 'best ways' to prevent crack offs.
Don't get me wrong, I was nowhere as bad as some who seem to go through 3 spods a session, but they happen occasionally.
I Swapped to heavy braid straight through to cope with weed rakes, but it's just so much more forgiving.
I don't have to retrieve slowly with the tip under the water to keep even tension, don't have to consider the knot position, and don't wince when the wind changes mid session and I'm risking overloading the rod(causing overrecovery and slack line) to reach the spot.
And i can still put a dot spod beyond where I can put a rig.
If I'm casting a £300 bit of tech I'd trade 10 yards for reliability all day long
I haven't had a crack-off in years either, and like you I don't have to think about retrieving.
My only problem is that a Spomb sometimes doesn't open, and to be honest that is usually my own fault for hitting the clip (too hard) and 'flattening' the Spomb as it impacts the water rather than diving in tip first.
I haven't even tried outcasting my fishing rods, not with the Sonik Spod/Marker rod, and I don't think I ever did it with Big Bertha either.
I say I haven't had a crack-off, I did catch up in a massive floating weed raft last week with just a tournament lead, (my own fault for trying to be clever using the lead to drag it) and the leader knot gave way on the retrieve. I think the weed raft was about the size of a hatchback car. A fresh leader and I pulled the whole lot back in, and got my original leader, bomb etc back.
I have cracked off a few times with shockleaders on a multiplier when sea fishing, usually as you have said when the wind changes or is in your face and you try to push too hard. Mind you casting a 5/6oz lead and 3 tails loaded with rag and lug is a bit different.