ESP Cryogen Para-Point, Curve Shanx & Grip Rigger
ESP have another three patterns to add to their popular Cryogen range…
Last spring ESP launched their Cryogen collection. It was the culmination of three years of development and instantly proved to be a hit. 12-months on and now the Oxford-based behemoths have another three patterns to add to the range…
If you don’t know the Cryogen range of hooks from ESP, you need to. These are the hooks that are tempered in the same way as Formula One and jet engines, to give ridiculously long-lasting sharpness and strength. After taking the steel up to 800-degrees centigrade, they are then frozen down to -195 degrees to give enhanced molecular structure (and you thought all hooks were the same?). The result is a range of hooks that Terry Hearn relies on, and that’s saying something! Here’s a quick rundown of the new patterns that ESP has just dropped for spring…
1. Para-Point
ESP’s Dave Ellyatt calls these the ‘enforcer’ of the range, and it’s easy to see why. That heavily forged bend, and medium shank make for a hook that just won’t be moved. A long, needle-sharp point completes the picture for this versatile pattern. They’re perfect for pop-up or bottom-bait presentations, and you can reach for these when the going gets tough! “GIMME”: £3.95; esp-carpgear.comt
2. Grip Rigger
Now you can have a stiff rig hook with a beaked point, to sit alongside the legendary straight-pointed Stiff Riggers! That elegant beak, coupled with the hard-as-nails Cryogen tempered steel combine to give an eye-wateringly sharp stiff rig hook that’s going to give you the very best hook holds going. This one is going to find a lot of fans in 2017, especially in the size 5! “GIMME”: £3.95
3. Curve Shanx
Remember the original ESP Curve Shanx? Well these brutes are the same shape, but with a stepped-up wire gauge and that all-important Cryogen tempering. We just know that fans of the Ronnie Rig are going to be moving over to these in droves! They’re pretty versatile though, to be honest, and make great bottom bait hooks too – think the KD Rig for instance, no shrink tube needed! “GIMME”: £3.95