When it comes to coated braid hook link materials, the newly upgraded Camotex is the best out there and will cover you for all eventualities, according to Harry Charrington…

Three versions of the updated Camotex… probably the only coated braids you’ll ever need.

Q: What’s changed about the Camotex, Harry?

HC: Basically, we’ve updated the camo pattern, fusing the colours together a bit more and replacing what we called the light and dark versions previously in the range. The final coloration is what I’d describe as a little bit darker than the old ‘light’ version, which blends in over pretty much every lakebed. This gives one camo version, a proper all-rounder, and simplifies it in terms of angler choice.The new coloration blends well with different lake-bed types.

You can, of course, still get the Coretex in a range of colours if you’re really obsessive about matching the line to the lakebed, but the broken outline of the Camotex really does cover most situations. A good example of where it scores is when casting at a showing fish, a common tactic at this time of year. You don’t really know what you’re going to land on so having a hook link that blends well over most bottom types is the ideal choice.

Q: One of the main differences between types of coated braids these days seems to be the stiffness, with varying options available. What’s the score with Camotex?

HC: Yeah, absolutely. Initially, and for many years, most coated braids came in one standard stiffness, which I guess you’d say is the equivalent to a modern ‘semi-stiff’, but these days there are other options. We’ve kept to the soft, semi-stiff and stiff versions with the Camotex. Soft…

… Semi-stiff…

… Stiff.

The semi stiff is a kind of jack of all trades, a real all-rounder, but in some scenarios the others will offer a few additional benefits. We’ll get to those shortly, but a good example is when fishing over low lying weed or detritus, especially with a critically balanced hook bait as I like to do. The soft version will sit far more nicely than the semi stiff, which could still poke up slightly. At the other end of the scale, many anglers are intent on ensuring that their hook link re-sets itself after any kind of occurrence, in which case the stiff (in the right circumstances) performs better.