Carp Rods
So let’s start with carp rods. The first question is one or two. Well, most carp anglers these days use at least two, three if their waters allow it and they have the gear. Why? Simply because they can. If you told a carp angler they could use five rods then they probably would. Carp angling is very much a waiting game. It involves a lot of patience and being able to cover as large an area of water as possible, and if they can increase the area covered and decrease the waiting time and double the chances of a run, then why not? Remember though, if you are going to buy two carp rods to start off with, then you are going to need two carp reels, two lots of line, two sets of rod rests or a rod pod, and maybe twice as much terminal tackle and bait. Also if you are buying a rod holdall then a bigger one will be needed to accommodate them. So, if you can afford all of this then fine. If you can’t, then why not start with one carp rod and build up to more when funds allow. You must remember as well that if you use three rods, you will need an extra fishing license, as each one only covers two rods.
What type of carp rod? This depends a lot on the venues you are going to fish. If you are fishing small estate lakes and your quarry are carp of up to 15 lbs say, then a fairly light rod of say 1 ½ to 2 lb test curve will be ample. For larger venues where distance casting is required, then maybe a heavier test curve will be required, maybe up to 3 lb. As well as the test curve, the action of the carp rod must be considered. Carp rods come in three types, fast taper tip action, medium tip action and all through action. For close in and short range work, an all through action is best, as it will take all of the power a carp has and distribute it throughout the rod, the more the fish pulls, the more the rod bends. For more distance fishing, a medium action rod is better suited as it will still bend at the tip fairly easily, but has more power as the action transfers towards the handle or butt. For really long distance work, where heavy weights need to be cast a long way then a fast tip action rod is best. This will have plenty of play at the tip, but have the power for casting and playing a fish at range.
Carp Reels
Carp reels will need to be matched to thecarp rod. Depending on the distance you are going to be casting and the line strength and diameter you will be using, you need a reel that can hold the amount of line required. Choice of actual carp reel is very much a personal thing and you need to be comfortable with whatever you choose. I would recommend trying a carp reel on the rod you will be using it with. A good fitting is essential as is good balance. I would certainly try to buy a carp reel of the baitrunner type. If you are going to be using two rods and maybe waiting for a long time for a run, you can’t always watch it the whole time, and a carp needs to be able to pull line free from the reel before you can strike. If it can’t then a big carp can pull the whole rod and reel into the lake; believe me, I have seen it happen more than once! OK, so you could open the bail arm, but try this on a windy day and you will wish you hadn’t. It can also produce disastrous messes on a strike if you forget you have done it. A baitrunner is simply a mechanism whereby a switch is set that allows line to be pulled from the spool under very slight (adjustable) tension whilst the bail arm is still closed. Resetting the switch or commencing reeling both have the effect of stopping line from being pulled through and the reel is then back to its normal state. Therefore, when a carp moves off with your bait, it takes line from the reel, you hear the bite, lift the rod and start reeling and hopefully the fish is on.
Line for carp fishing
Line. This again depends on the type of fishing and on the chosen carp reel. Multiplying the test curve of your carp rod by five is a good rough guide to breaking strains, so a 2 lb test curve carp rod would warrant a 10 lb line. This is only a guide though. Don’t be tempted to go too light, it may produce more runs, but may also cause more lost fish and tackle, a nuisance to you, but maybe discomfort or damage to the fish, a situation that should be avoided at all costs. Different types of line are now becoming available and popular, such as braids, but for the purpose of this article, I will not go into their merits, and standard monofilament lines would be fine for the newcomer.
Hook length
Hook lengths are next on the agenda, and again there is a huge variety available, too many to discuss in this short piece. Suffice to say that there are many types of braids all with their own merits in different situations, and of course you can use monofilament as a hook length. To start with, maybe try buying one braided type and see if you get on with it and whether it catches you fish. You can build up a collection of different types as your skills and knowledge increase. If you
If you go on line to either glasgow anling or veals mail order you can get a complete carp set up in one go, and quite cheap, also look on ebay and other fishing sites, also if you buy course fishing weekly , you will find some good deals
Carp Rods
So let’s start with carp rods. The first question is one or two. Well, most carp anglers these days use at least two, three if their waters allow it and they have the gear. Why? Simply because they can. If you told a carp angler they could use five rods then they probably would. Carp angling is very much a waiting game. It involves a lot of patience and being able to cover as large an area of water as possible, and if they can increase the area covered and decrease the waiting time and double the chances of a run, then why not? Remember though, if you are going to buy two carp rods to start off with, then you are going to need two carp reels, two lots of line, two sets of rod rests or a rod pod, and maybe twice as much terminal tackle and bait. Also if you are buying a rod holdall then a bigger one will be needed to accommodate them. So, if you can afford all of this then fine. If you can’t, then why not start with one carp rod and build up to more when funds allow. You must remember as well that if you use three rods, you will need an extra fishing license, as each one only covers two rods.
What type of carp rod? This depends a lot on the venues you are going to fish. If you are fishing small estate lakes and your quarry are carp of up to 15 lbs say, then a fairly light rod of say 1 ½ to 2 lb test curve will be ample. For larger venues where distance casting is required, then maybe a heavier test curve will be required, maybe up to 3 lb. As well as the test curve, the action of the carp rod must be considered. Carp rods come in three types, fast taper tip action, medium tip action and all through action. For close in and short range work, an all through action is best, as it will take all of the power a carp has and distribute it throughout the rod, the more the fish pulls, the more the rod bends. For more distance fishing, a medium action rod is better suited as it will still bend at the tip fairly easily, but has more power as the action transfers towards the handle or butt. For really long distance work, where heavy weights need to be cast a long way then a fast tip action rod is best. This will have plenty of play at the tip, but have the power for casting and playing a fish at range.
Carp Reels
Carp reels will need to be matched to thecarp rod. Depending on the distance you are going to be casting and the line strength and diameter you will be using, you need a reel that can hold the amount of line required. Choice of actual carp reel is very much a personal thing and you need to be comfortable with whatever you choose. I would recommend trying a carp reel on the rod you will be using it with. A good fitting is essential as is good balance. I would certainly try to buy a carp reel of the baitrunner type. If you are going to be using two rods and maybe waiting for a long time for a run, you can’t always watch it the whole time, and a carp needs to be able to pull line free from the reel before you can strike. If it can’t then a big carp can pull the whole rod and reel into the lake; believe me, I have seen it happen more than once! OK, so you could open the bail arm, but try this on a windy day and you will wish you hadn’t. It can also produce disastrous messes on a strike if you forget you have done it. A baitrunner is simply a mechanism whereby a switch is set that allows line to be pulled from the spool under very slight (adjustable) tension whilst the bail arm is still closed. Resetting the switch or commencing reeling both have the effect of stopping line from being pulled through and the reel is then back to its normal state. Therefore, when a carp moves off with your bait, it takes line from the reel, you hear the bite, lift the rod and start reeling and hopefully the fish is on.
Line for carp fishing
Line. This again depends on the type of fishing and on the chosen carp reel. Multiplying the test curve of your carp rod by five is a good rough guide to breaking strains, so a 2 lb test curve carp rod would warrant a 10 lb line. This is only a guide though. Don’t be tempted to go too light, it may produce more runs, but may also cause more lost fish and tackle, a nuisance to you, but maybe discomfort or damage to the fish, a situation that should be avoided at all costs. Different types of line are now becoming available and popular, such as braids, but for the purpose of this article, I will not go into their merits, and standard monofilament lines would be fine for the newcomer.
Hook length
Hook lengths are next on the agenda, and again there is a huge variety available, too many to discuss in this short piece. Suffice to say that there are many types of braids all with their own merits in different situations, and of course you can use monofilament as a hook length. To start with, maybe try buying one braided type and see if you get on with it and whether it catches you fish. You can build up a collection of different types as your skills and knowledge increase. If you
If you go on line to either glasgow anling or veals mail order you can get a complete carp set up in one go, and quite cheap, also look on ebay and other fishing sites, also if you buy course fishing weekly , you will find some good deals