Kryston Silkworm and rough hands

This may well have been raised before so apologies if this the case...

With the amount of fishing I do my hands(in and out of water)tend to get a mite rough generally and even more so with cooler weather coming on.
For most of my carp fishing I use Kryston Silkworm in the 8 to 12lb bs range which is fine for the size of fish I'm after and generally I catch pretty well.I tend to tie hook lengths at home and only on the bank when I want to try something different.

HOWEVER,in both cases I have the problem of catching the rough skin on the Silkworm strands(particularly when tying knots)which,in some cases pulls a fine strand away and this is affecting confidence to a degree and planting thoughts of line weakness in my mind.

Yes,I have thought about using a general hand cream(which the wife insists on sometimes!)to smooth the skin before tying the knots but I'm not sure if this might also affect strength although I would doubt it.....
I have to say I have not lost any fish from line breakage but I still keep thinking about the problem....and as I've said its a confidence thing..

I have tried to contact Kryston but they don't as yet have a website(that I can find)so I thought I'd ask the question.....SURELY I cannot be the only one who has experienced the problem??

Any comments or solutions appreciated

The Kryston website is currently being replaced...

The number is 01204 669 222. Ask for Dave Chilton

Hi tee cee, get the nivea out mate,but don't use it the day you get out on the bank,it may taint your bait, or worse, your reputation.........

wet the silkworm before you use it

Thanks for the info-will give suggestions a try-I think wetting sounds better for the reasons you give Peter!!

(reputation?...what reputation?......best I can do is catching more carp than most on my local pit but then I only have two other anglers to beat!!)

Tee Cee, I spoke to the man, Uncle Dave (he of Kryston) as he is affectionately called, this evening. He apologises for the site not being ready still, but he does know of your plight.

He has a product called "Super Stiff Anti Tangle Gel" that when used on soft braided lines like Silkworm, Super Nova, and Multi-Strand will sort the problem out for you. He's even including a paragraph on his new website covering this very topic because of you.

Dribble some on your fingers and rub it all along the line, one way, then back the other way. Now dry your fingers completely and go back to rubbing it in with dry fingers. When it's dry it will make the line stiff and all the soft fibres will be more resistant to your rough hands.

In the water, the gel will disolve almost instantly leaving the braid as it was made. He said it's about £4 a bottle, but it will last ages, if not years. So there you have it from the horse's mouth, not that Uncle Dave is a horse nor looks like one. Well, .........

He also suggests Vaseline Intensive Hand Care Lotion and sends his sympathies to your wife.



PS, When Super Stiff Anti Tangle Gel was first made he was thinking of calling it "R-Don", but he could imagine lots of the older men, especially some of those on this site, that would be rubbing it into their private parts inthe hope of saving money on Viagra. Note: It doesn't work like that. I tried it.

it has lots of other uses too.....

Tee cee, I suppose you could try say, 100 grit sandpaper, working down to 500 grit. It will certainly make your fingers smooth. Of course olive oil or halibut oil could also soften your skin, if this is what you end up doing. I am sure your wfe will simply adore the delicate and playful scent of halibut oil. It's the secret ingredient in "linx" deodorant. lllooovvely!

Thanks for that Woody-good of you to sort it!...........can't say I've seen it in the tackle shops but I will hunt it down.........perhaps Kings in Maidenhead have some......in the meantime I will try the Vaselene but the wife tells me it has quite a strong odour!!

ps...I did try wetting the Silkworm before using it as suggested by Frothey and it did improve the tying process

Thanks to all!!

pps I think that Klik character only has sex in his mind...................sad really....

Tee-Cee said:

I think that Klik character only has sex in his mind...................sad really

Click to expand...

it must be my subconcious.

what about the sandpaper?