Hello All,

I usually fish with mono 20lb test on a 10' Penn power stick. I was recently told by a fellow surfcaster that I should be using a shockleader. Anyone have any preferences on these ( lb test, knots, or whether or not to use them) I appreciate any comments!

Hope everyone had a great 4th! God Bless the USA!

I think a shock leader is more for using braided line, (but I could be wrong) most guys I see using them fish conventional reels and braided line

Agree with Bob but you probably want to go up to a higher pound mono or florocarbon for your leader which will provide greater abrasion resistance against rocks and against the fish itself.

I don't use mono but I do use leaders (3' +/-).
no moon/clouds=dark 50# big game or 60# mirage
moon showing lots of lite 20# fluro ( this is a time you might want to use plain clear 20# mono
The heavy leader makes it easier to deal with fish, I have yet to break a 50# leader by grabbing it with a fish on.

What kind of weight are you throwing? I'm far from an expert, but I'd think you'd only need a shock leader if you were throwing heavier weights and having break off issues during the cast.

Some of the people I fish with throw bait with an 8oz weight and 20lb mono tied direct without breakoff issues.

The most I throw is up to 5oz. so I should be fine without one then. Thanks for the info guys! Now if I can just get something on the end of the line besides just the popper!!

I'm thinking you're tie-ing your offering directly to 20 mono (your main line w/NO leader at all)...right?

If yes,...I would use a 40# or 50# leader (Ande or Trilene MONO), swivel on one end, break-away clip on the other. I don't normally use anything longer than 3 feet. When wading with longer leaders...I can't dip the rod low enough to load my cast without my offering sitting in the water. I sometimes have to shorten the leader if the tide is rising and I don't want to back up...and the reason I stick to an average of 3 feet is because I don't want a diversity of leaders to choose from in the heat of the moment. I'll adjust as needed, if needed.

If no, disregard the above. :)

God Bless you too.

I agree with bloocrab. 3' of 50# ANDE SPRO swivel on one end, breakaway on the other. Done.

On my conventional setup I use a shock leader. I use a 10' Lamiglas custom rod, with a Penn 525mag reel. I use this for heavy jigs and bait and its spooled with 20lb mono. I put a 40lb mono leader on it that is ling enough to make 3+ turns around the spool and then through all the guides. Thus I am casting heavy weights with the 40lb line taking the force.

I tie the 20lb to 40lb with a back to back uni and have no problems with the knot in the guides and almost never have breaking problems.

I then tie a swivel to the end of the shock leader to which the rig of choice is tied....

I do not like casting a 5 oz sinker without the shock leader as I have broken 20lb mono before on the cast. No a good thing to have 5 oz of lead flying off in the wrong direction...

I used to double the poundage on the shock leader when I fished mono. Always fished 20 # ande, with a 40 # leader. I think its worthwhile for most venues.