** Realistic Reviews by Real Anglers**
As most of you know catfish don’t have teeth like a pike or zander. However, what they do have are ‘pads’. These pads resemble Velcro strips and are as abrasive as a metal worker’s file. 
In the UK I have always used Kryston’s Quick Silver snag leader material as a hook length. When I first travelled abroad in search of giant Cats it seemed logical to try the same material in 45lb. After landing many fish over 100lb with no problems this became my standard big cat hooklength. It combined good abrasion resistance and a high knot strength without being too stiff.
In recent years the size of the fish I now expect to catch has risen. Cats approaching 200lb now being the target. Also, a lot more of my fishing is done from a boat. As those who have caught a cat in a fast current from a boat know, they have a tendency to spin in an eel-like fashion when alongside. Despite never having lost a fish due to the 45lb Quick Silver failing I could not help notice the increased wear. To play safe it was time to up-rate the hooklength.
My mate Luke Moffatt had been trying out a lot of different materials, some good, some bad, but none of which I liked. It was time to contact Dave at Kryston. After several months he was able to send me some of his new ‘Ton Up’ hooklength material.
It has been used so far on two of my guided trips to the Rio Ebro and by many of our customers visiting Luke on the River Saonne in France. It has been tested on several 100lb+ fish, the biggest at 147lb. It is obviously still early but so far we cannot fault the product. 
It resembles the old Quick Silver and is rated at 85lb breaking strain. It comes in the standard Kryston packaging in a length of 10m. At first glance it is not cheap at £ 8.10 but if you take into account it’s long life-span and the added security it gives you I think it is well worth it. As with all Kryston’s products it comes with a useful knot guide. I am not a great believer in the twice through the hook eye method and have always found a correctly tied Grinner knot perfectly all right.
Due to this being such a specialised product I wouldn’t think many shops will be stocking it. If you are planning a trip abroad for big cats then I would have no problems in recommending this product. If you have any problems obtaining it give me a call (or e-mail) at the usual numbers.
Budgie Burgess Tel: 01797 321618 or Email: BUDGIE@burgess23.fsnet.co.uk
Luke Moffatt Tel: 01895 835745 or Fax: 01895 835265.
