i tie a fishermans knot on one shock pull tight then do one on the shock towards the mainline and pull tight, usually 3 turns of the handle on then

 

Hi,

keep it simple : twice as long as your rod is a good average length for a shock leader, and i never had issues with the uni leader knot : easy to tie and very strong : http://www.kentsportcast.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/knots.html

Gert

 

Generally twice the length of the rod and 6 times around the reel.....many prefer the tapered leaders which give a much smaller/neater knot (Varivas Shockleader for me)....Double Uni Knot

 

As been said above tapered does it for you and double uni knots
Plain line 6 turns plus hanging atleast to middle of rod.
But do bare in mind amount of leader with reels/rods has if you have on a 12ft it's going to be short or too short on a 16ft plus rig lengths as you could be fine with a long 3 hook flapper but go to a short running rig with a devize(tubed weight) and too short.
Things to bare in mind when choosing set ups

 

As said twice the rod length and a few times round the reel. I just use normal shockleader 60lb which I tie to the main line with an 'improved Albright knot'.

 

tapered leader ? must give it a go

 

as mentioned above tapered shock leader is good it also comes cut to length so just tie it to the main line and reel it in until it pops off the spool

 

Hi,

as said : tapered shockleaders are great and give a smal knot... but they are expensive. That's why i only use them on clean ground, never at spots i might loose some tackle.

Gert

 

will definatly check them out thanks guys

 

will definatly check them out thanks guys

With tapered shock leaders you normally buy with regards to your main line strength... So if you are using 15 lb main line you should look for tapered leader rated 15 - 70 where 15 is the starting strength of the shock leader in lb and 70 the other end...
That being said I always find myself cutting the first few feet on the thinner side to give me a better strength knot... I tend to cut as much needed for the leader to have same thickness as my main line and then join them together with a blood knot... It's a harder knot to tie and needs quite a bit of practice in order to tie it nicely on a wet windy beach, sometimes it takes me 2-3 attempts to get it right but I never ever had a problem with it , it makes a very fine knot that the weed passes quite easily and it hauled in many lb of weed without snapping!
Good luck

 

All good advice above for general fishing.

Bear in mind the advice would vary depending on conditions though.

For example, if you're fishing in fast currents, not having to cast too far and weed is clogging up your mainline, use heavier mainline and ditch the leader altogether. This way you can retrieve your line, rig, lead and hopefully fish, without the weed on your leader knot jamming in the tip ring of your rod.

If you're fishing rough ground / going for big fish, go for a stronger knot (or knots actually) altogether. In such circumstances I use a spider hitch to create a loop in the mainline and then tie the leader on with a Yucatan knot. Both very easy to tie and much closer to 100% mainline strength.

Just my 2p

 

i have all my leaders cut to length and on a spare spool in my box. these also have a swivel attatched. i simply tie the loose end to my mainline and wind on to my reel. much quicker when match fishing.
to attatch the leader to the mainline i use a spider hitch then tie the doubled line to the leader using an albright.

my leader lengths when cut at home are 6 arm widths. these are a bit longer than most described here. if i know im on a pier or mark that requires a long lift i,ll put leaders on of 7 arms width. for casting events i drop this to 5 arm lengths but as said earlier for general fishing i use 6.

 

All good advice above for general fishing.

Bear in mind the advice would vary depending on conditions though.

For example, if you're fishing in fast currents, not having to cast too far and weed is clogging up your mainline, use heavier mainline and ditch the leader altogether. This way you can retrieve your line, rig, lead and hopefully fish, without the weed on your leader knot jamming in the tip ring of your rod.

If you're fishing rough ground / going for big fish, go for a stronger knot (or knots actually) altogether. In such circumstances I use a spider hitch to create a loop in the mainline and then tie the leader on with a Yucatan knot. Both very easy to tie and much closer to 100% mainline strength.

Just my 2p

Wot e said , job done

 

Try it and see

 

it looks huge.

 

Only this big to show not to use, but in reality the sizes are much smaller in most cases.

 

I use the Special / Improved Albright Knot. It's a fantastic knot. Apply 10 wraps around followed by 3 through & out. - 70Lb Blue Marlin - (UK Hooks) <Fantastic for Leader & Rig Body - 25Lb Clear Amnesia - 25Lb for photographic purposes.

 

Been trying to tie these knots with some off cuts of line to no avail. Trying to get 10 turns on spool line without it unravelling is harder than you think when you have not done that many turns before. (And no I do not get dizzy)
I can manage about 5 turns and as I do the sixth or more it unravells itself to not allow me to make it look tidy. When I try to sort out the shock leader, it then looks more like a grannies knot than a perfect blood, hitch, or Albright. The line has been moistened I might add to allow the line to slide better.
Where am I going wrong with what should be a simple thing?

 

For Boat uptide (9'6 5-10oz) and boat spinning (8' 1-2oz) I'm assuming the length of shock leader can be shortened? I'm assuming the smaller rods put less force (i.e. cast less distance) on the line, and, with most boat casting not being a out-and-out distance fest.

I've been using 50lb shock leader for leads with short lobs but would be interested for comments on putting larger 10oz (i.e. 5oz+ lead and large bait) out further for the next anchored wrecking session.

 

On regards to knots, I think it's not just about its strength but also its size and how streamlined it is. If it doesn’t catch on the rings it is going to go further right.

 

If the knot is right then as you say Nicholas the cast should end up going further if it all goes to plan. I am unfortunately am still at the tying of knots stage.

 

It took me a good while to learn the knots I've perfected today. It can be frustrating. It will be. Select two good knots. Don't bother with all this Bimini Twist / Slim Beauty business. You don't really need Knots like that. I use two. And they're very strong. You've seen one of them already. The other ? The Spider Hitch Knot. You can watch it being tied by Andy Webb on YouTube. Good Luck.

 

Thanks for this, I shall keep this in mind.

 

Went back to basics, my blood knot will do as it has locked both lines together and now tested the strength which holds a 5oz bomb on 50lb shock over 18lb mainline. Took this up the field and let it loose along the hedge line. Went really well and with the bomb painted yellow could see it. My cast was about 80 yards so cannot complain there either.
As they say if it ain't broke don't try and fix it. New knots and me will have to come later when I have more patience and not doing night shifts.