Dark Matter Tungsten Coated Braid

These days when it comes to carp rigs there is a lot of focus on the use of stiff hook links and booms, but coated braid very much still has its place and continues to catch plenty of big carp around the world each year, for those who use it.

There are lots of coated braids around, including a number of different ones within the Korda range which combine flexibility with stiffness and are designed to create combi rigs, , so what makes Dark Matter Coated Braid stand out from the others, and why is it so good?

What type of rigs is this semi-stiff coated braid ideal for?

Dark Matter Coated Braid is incredibly versatile, with its supple inner tightly woven braid; stiffer, strippable tough outer coating; and impregnated with super heavy Tungsten granules that ensures it sinks like a brick and lies flat on the lake bed.

Being able to remove the coating, or break it to create hinges, and do so in exactly the places you want to, means that it is very versatile for all sorts of rigs and basically anything that involves a combination of stiff and supple sections, such as combi rigs.

It can be used for anything from more complicated presentations through to a simple knotless knot hair rig with an inch or two of coating stripped above the hook and a supple hair. Or even just stripping a small amount of the coating above the hook to create a hinge that allows the hook to flip over easily into a fish's mouth. It also allows you to easily create hinges at the lead end of your hook link as well if you choose to.

Coated braids like Dark Matter have anti-tangle properties due to their stiff, coated outer layer which acts as a boom during casting. This stiff coating ensures that the rig kicks away from the lead system during casting, and means that coated braid is more tangle resistant in the air than uncoated braid. 

The different rig combinations are endless, but aside from a knotless knot, it is also a popular choice for common set-ups such as a KD, blowback, flipper, reverse combi set-ups, slip D rigs, and of course the highly versatile multi rig that allows the hook to be changed, unlike most coated braid rigs.

It can also be used for boom sections for some rigs, such as soft hinge rigs, where all of the coating is left in place to provide some stiffness, but not as much as you get with out and out stiff materials such as Boom, and makes it less likely to stick up off of the bottom.

Some anglers even strip off all the coating and use the inner as a braided hook link – something that Darrell Peck used to do for his combi rig supple sections as he liked the braid so much and the fact it was slightly stiffer than some braided hook link materials such as Supernatural.

Is Dark Matter Coated Braid strong and durable?

Korda Dark Matter Tungsten Coated Braid features a tough and super strong Dyneema inner core, and whilst still supple, has enough inherent stiffness to it to make it a bit different to softer braid in terms of how it acts.

The slight extra stiffness compared to some of our other braids, means that it acts slightly differently and is less prone to fold back on itself or tangle, especially when you combine that with the outer coating.

This inner braid is also tough and abrasion resistant, which makes it suitable for fishing in weedy or snaggy situations as it is robust enough to withstand that, even for big carp on wild European waters in the heavier breaking strain.

This Dark Matter hook link material also sinks incredibly well, and that is all down to the tough plastic outer coating which has been impregnated with granules of Tungsten to make it as heavy as possible. This ensures that your hook link stays pinned to the lake bed.

At the same time this outer coating adds enough stiffness that the hook link can kick out from the lead and lay fairly straight, but still retains enough suppleness that it will follow the contours of the lake bed rather than sticking up and being obtrusive to carp.

How user-friendly is Korda Dark Matter Coated Braid?

This hook link material has been designed so that it has been very easy to use and create whatever set-up you require.

The coating is tough and durable but also easy to strip once you have broken it – one of the Korda Stripper Tools makes this much easier than trying to use your teeth or nails to do it.

The Tungsten impregnated coating can also easily be broken in any place that you want a hinge, as all of the strength and breaking strain comes from the inner braided core and not the coating itself.

At the same time though you don’t want any hinges in places where you didn’t intend them to be, and a common problem with coated braids is that the coating will often break at the point where a knot is tightened, leaving a hinge there which can potentially increase tangles or prevent the rig from sitting as intended – such as where a break in the coating occurs at the knot attaching it to your swivel. There is no issue with that though for Dark Matter Coated Braid, which knots incredibly well and fully beds down once moistened and tightened, without the coating breaking. The coating of this braid is tough enough that it doesn't split when knotted and end up creating unwanted hinges.

Even straight off of the spool it doesn’t coil too much, and that is easily rectified anyway by steaming it over a kettle whilst under tension – Pulla Tools are ideal for this to prevent you burning your fingers in the steam – to get it dead straight, and once it is, then it keeps that shape in a RigSafe or similar until you are ready to use it.

What options are available in this Korda coated braid?

Korda Dark Matter Coated Braid is ideal for carp fishing both at home and abroad, and the two breaking strains that it is available in – 18lb and 25lb – mean that is it suitable for any situation you are likely to find yourself in.

There is a choice of Weed Green or Gravel Brown so you can match it so that it blends in perfectly with most lake beds you are fishing over, and you get 10m on a spool, which is enough for a lot of rigs and will keep you going for a long time. The spools themselves have been designed to easily dispense the coated braid and stop it coming off everywhere, whilst at the same time won't cause any damage to the coating, and will fit neatly into the Korda Tackle Box.