Accessories

Having heard lots of good things about it, on arrival of the new ESP Tungsten Loaded, we immediately downed tools and began to play.

Firstly we liked the packaging, and no it’s not because Terry Hearn is on it either, the square tackle-box-friendly spool is a convenient size, housing 10 metres of coated material, ideal for when you are trying to streamline your tackle box.

Now, this isn’t your usual coated braid. The tungsten coating is extremely durable and, as you would expect, heavy. Don’t be fooled into thinking that because it’s durable it will be a nightmare to strip, it isn’t and it also remains resilient to fracturing when tying knots.

The nature of tungsten helps to eliminate the need for additional tungsten putty, while providing superb anti-tangle properties and eradicating the need for steaming to get a straight finished hooklength. Inside the coating is a super-strong Dyneema core, which has exceptional knot strength of over 30lb.

There are two varieties available, the 20lb+ Soft and the 20lb+ Semi Stiff, both of which are available in Weedy Green, Camo Brown and Choddy Silt.

The soft version is perfect for subtle, more delicate presentations and works in perfect conjunction with small hook baits like mini boilies and nuts. Balanced or buoyant baits combined with the inherent suppleness of the braid will help the rig settle perfectly while still pushing the bait away from the lead.

The Semi Stiff is a more generic all-round coated hook link and suits my style of angling perfectly. When combined with larger components such as size 4 hooks and 18mm boilies it still retains a rigid feel that pushes the bait firmly away from the leads for maximum efficiency and rig presentation.

It also makes an excellent boom for 360 rigs or the popular stiff hinged variety; this will definitely be getting used extensively over the next few months. (DM)