15lb Mainline - Do i need a shockleader ??

[Brian Carragher]

Shockleaders and lighter main line almost seem beach casting territory and in the main are unneccasary. Without knowing which rods you use I would say that if youre using 3 ounce leads then youre unlikely to experience any problems.

The rods I use are 3.5lb bait blasters by Dave Lumb and a 2.75 normark rod that give me great distance with three ounce leads and no crack offs. I now use diawa sensor in 12lb having previously always used maxima chameleon and providing I use only 3 ounce leads then no problem. However if I use the same set up and 4 ounce leads and go for a distance cast then I will loose my leads.

I do a lot of practice casting on a local field using a surveyors tape for measurement and can when using 3 oz and 12lb reach 145 yds with the wind on my back, punching the lead into the wind knocks 10/15 yds off the distance, putting terminal gear on reduces your distance significantly.

If you want to practice accuracy at distance try casting over 100yds at a rod rest in a field ,you might be suprised at how wayward your casts are at first but with a lot of application you can do it