As bullet-proof hooklink materials go, Armourbraid must rank as one of the best I’ve ever used. Not only is it capable of withstanding prolonged abuse from gravel bars, mussel beds, branches, snags and weed, but will also sit neatly beside a standard supple braid, so thin is its diameter.
It’s not a supple braid but to be honest, for me, that’s one of its qualities, as I find it less prone to tangles on long distance casts. It’s one of those products that gives you total confidence however you use it - make a rig up with this and it’s one less thing to worry about!
As for strength, I’ve not seen much to beat it. I remember once hooking a deadweight snag on the Top Pool. I was convinced I was pulling for a break as the singing line announced it was nearing maximum stretch, but then, ever so slowly, I managed to dislodge it. It was only a small way out but it took almost twenty-minutes to get in. Time and time again I had to dislodge it, pull a bit, then drop it again before tightening up and pulling again – it’s the heaviest thing I’ve ever had to drag in. The culprit? An old fencepost that must have been lying on the bottom for twenty years - it was 5inch square, over three and a half feet long and totally waterlogged. I couldn’t tell you how heavy it was, other than to say it bottomed out a friends 60lb Ruben’s in an instant! There were a few of us fishing and we were all completely amazed, one lad even took a trophy shot as a bit of a laugh!
The point is, the hook had wedged in the wood but the braid had slipped into a crack on the side until it rubbed up against one of the many sharp-edged nails that protruded from the post. To look at how the rig pulled the fencepost in, you’d have said it was an impossible feat - yet there it was, a complete rig with just a small knick where the nail had tried to eat away at it!
Not surprisingly, I’ve had supreme confidence in its abilities ever since. No snag too big, no gravel bar too high – bring it on!
Nash Armourbraid is available in various breaking strains; my personal preference is the 25lb version which has a diameter equivalent to a standard 12lb supple braid. It comes on a twenty-metre spool and retails at around £8.00.
Available from most tackle shops. For more information visit: http://www.NashTackle.com
Julian Grattidge
October 2006
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