My setup

Rod Pod: Fox Sky Pod & Euro Pod
Bite Alarms: 3 Delkim Txi's & 3 Delkim Standards
Receiver: Delkim RX 2004 Receiver
Indicators: Fox Euro Swingers & Solar Flouro Danglers
Rods: 6 12ft Excalibur 2.75 TC
2 13ft Rod Hutchinson Sabre's 3.00 TC
2 12ft Hand built BBC Tackle 2.5 TC
2 13ft Daiwa Powermesh X 2.25 TC
Reels: 5 Shimano Baitrunners 8000 GTE
5 Shimano Baitrunners 8010 GT
Lines: Sufix X-tra Strong 17lbs/20lbs & Shimano Technium 15lbs

 

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Carp Tackle

The array of carp tackle available to today's carp angler is bewildering. To anyone starting out in carp fishing the range of carp tackle is huge and knowing where to begin can be daunting. You need help and good advice to make the right decisions when buying carp tackle. Then once you have the basics sorted out, you will want to start thinking about some of the extra bits of kit which will make your fishing more comfortable or maybe even help you catch more or bigger carp. Hundreds of manufacturers will be trying to persuade you to buy their carp tackle and deciding which ones to go for is not easy.

On these pages, we will discuss some of those items and explain what they are, how to use them, what makes them work and what to look for when making your decisions.

The idea is to discuss types of carp tackle in general, such as rods or reels, and not specific manufacturers or models. This information will be included in the reviews section.

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Beginners guide to carp tackle

Tackle to start carp fishing

What do you really need to start carp fishing? Some would argue that any rod and reel, some hooks, weights and shot would suffice. Others would recommend spending a fortune on top brand equipment and every type of accessory available. So what should a beginner spend their hard earned cash on to get them started? Like any hobby, if you start off with the cheapest carp gear available, then it won't be long before you want to upgrade to something bigger and better.

On the other hand, if you buy the best carp rods on the market now then you won't be able to afford anything else to go with them. Unless of course you have just won the lottery, in which case spend half of it on the best carp tackle you can get and send the rest to me.

If like most people though, your budget is limited, then you need to compromise a little, but get carp tackle that will be fun to use and catch you some fish while you are learning. Part of the fun of fishing is looking in the tackle dealers and deciding what you would like next and what you can afford to upgrade.

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 your tackle dealer knows the water you will be fishing, ask his advice.

 

Carp Hooks

Hooks. Here is where I would recommend investing a bit of money. A cheap hook can mean a lost fish, and that is the last thing you want. Compared to the rest of the gear such as carp rods and carp reels you will be buying, they are inexpensive anyway. Cheap hooks will bend, break or not be sharp enough to hook the fish in the first place. Invest in a selection of sizes say from a number 12 up to a 4 to start with and make sure that you buy barbless if your water insists on them. I don't think I have ever lost a fish due to using barbless hooks, although there are many arguments for and against them, and I don't intend to get involved in them here. Just abide by the fishery rules and you will be OK.

 

Weights

Weights. These come in a huge variety of types, shapes and sizes. For carp fishing, the main two are the in-line and the bomb type. In-line leads have a hole drilled through their length, through which the line is threaded and bombs have either a wire loop of swivel fixed into one end through which the line is passed. They are available in their natural grey colour or can be coated to camouflage with the lake bottom. Different types will be needed for different rigs. Weight wise, a selection should be bought to start you off between say 1 and 3 ozs, of varying types. Remember though that you need to carry round what you buy, so don't go too mad or try to leave some at home. (try telling me that) :)

 

Carrying it all about

What else? Well, you are going to need something to put your gear in. To start off with, an old rucksack will do but if you want to buy something specially for the job, then there are a whole host of different rucksacks and bags to choose from. Carp carryalls are available which hold a large amount of gear, but you will have to carry that in your hands and there will be plenty else to carry. A rod holdall will protect your new acquisitions and they also come in all shapes and sizes. If you can afford this now, then don't get something too big that you won't be able to lift, but too small, and you won't have room for expansion when you want to buy something else. Make sure it is made of a fairly strong waterproof material that won't rip when walking through tree-lined footpaths. Some holdalls have built in reel pouches that enable you to put your rods away with reels still attached. These are excellent and save a lot of time on arrival at the water, but do tend to be fairly bulky. If you intend to buy an umbrella, then make sure there is room for this as well along with bank sticks landing net handles and pods.

 

 

Tackle box

A good tackle box is invaluable. An old sandwich box will do to start you off, but as your collection of bits and pieces grows, you will want a box with partitions to keep everything tidy and separate. Try to pick one that has a lid that touches the top of the partitions so that you don't end up with everything all mixed up when you arrive at the swim. Some DIY shops sell some good ones, which are robust and sometimes a lot cheaper.

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Carp rods  

 

Types of Carp Rods

When choosing carp rods you need to know what type of carp fishing you are going to be doing. You must be aware of whether you will be margin fishing, stalking, distance casting, float fishing, casting heavy leads or method feeders or maybe you just want a rod for spodding or as a marker float rod. The reason for this is that carp rods, like all fishing rods, come in a huge array of lengths, strengths, actions and test curves and are made from different materials. So let's take a look at the different features of carp rods and what they mean.

Carp Rod Length

The length of a carp rod can vary between 10 feet and 13 feet, but a good all round size is 12 feet. For stalking, where you may want to be scrambling amongst undergrowth or climbing trees with your rod in hand, a 10 foot rod can be more useful, and for distance fishing, where a good line pick up is required on a strike, a 13 foot rod will do the job, but the most common length for all round ledgering tactics will be 12 feet. Remember that unlike other coarse rods, such as match rods, carp rods tend to be two-piece, and not three-piece, so make sure that you have room in the car for the chosen rod.

Carp Rod Strengths

The strength of a carp rod is known as its test curve. This is the amount of weight which when applied to the rod tip, will bend the rod at ninety degrees. Therefore if a 2 ½ lb weight were to be attached to the tip ring of a rod, and the rod lifted, if it bent at ninety degrees exactly, the rod would be said to have a 2 ½ lb test curve. The test curve determines how easily the carp rod bends under pressure from a fish and so the bigger the fish you catch and the harder it pulls, the sooner the rod will reach that ninety degree curve. This does not mean however that the rod stops bending there. As more pressure is applied, the bend in the rod will transfer further towards the thicker or butt end of the rod, therefore handling more pressure. Depending on where this transfer begins in the rod's length determines the rods action.

Carp Rod Action

A carp rod said to have a fast or tip action will reach the ninety-degree stage with only the tip of the rod bending to start with. However a carp rod with an all through action will reach that stage when much more of the rod is curved before reaching ninety degrees. A composite or all round rod will fall somewhere between the two.

Carp Rod Materials

Most carp rods these days are made from carbon fibre. This has the advantage of being very light and thin in section for its strength. Some older carp rods were made of hollow fibre glass and you will see the difference in these straight away, being much thicker and heavier looking. On some of the newer more expensive models, extra strength is added by including Kevlar in the compound, making an extremely strong but still lightweight material indeed.

Carp Rod Choice

So, with all of these factors to consider, which type should you choose. Well, as I said earlier, it all depends on the type of carp fishing you intend to do. If you want to travel light and stalk your quarry from a tree branch, then a 10 foot model is for you, but for most purposes look for a 12 foot carp rod. The test curve will depend on the weight to be applied and a 2 ½ lb test curve is a good all round model. If you are intending fishing mainly in the margins or close in work and the carp you expect to catch are mostly to be around the 10 pound mark, then anything between 1 ½ lb and 2 lb will be fine. But if you are intending casting to the sun, maybe with a method feeder attached or 3 ounces of lead, or if you are looking for a rod for spodding, then look at a 3 lb test curve. And if you are really serious about casting long distances for 40 lb plus fish, or spodding out a few pounds of trout pellet at a time, then maybe go as high as 4 lb.

Let's see action

As far as the action of the carp rod goes, if you want all round fishing then look at a compound taper rod. If however you are trying to hit the centre of a 20 acre gravel pit with four pounds of groundbait attached to your feeder, then a fast or tip action is required to really punch it out there. The tip will bend quickly on the cast, but the rest of the rod will hold plenty of reserve power as your cast follows through. For margin or close in work or floater fishing, an all through action carp rod will give you that control on the strike and while playing a fish at close range, using the whole length of the rod straight away.

Kevlar

Material wise, well if you can afford the superior Kevlar materials, and want the strength that this provides, then go for it. If however you just want a good carp rod for general everyday use, then an ordinary carbon fibre rod is fine and is still a very strong bit of kit. If anyone offers you a second hand fire glass rod, try it out first. You will find it much heavier and bulkier and it will be harder to cast due to the extra wind resistance.

Line

As a guide to help you decide, look at the strength of line you expect to be using. If you multiply the test curve of the carp rod by five, it should determine the required test curve of the rod to suit it. A line strength of 10 lbs therefore would be well suited to a 2lb test curve carp rod. Remember, choose a carp rod carefully and it will last a lifetime, but the wrong type of rod can spoil your fishing, be uncomfortable and maybe loose you that fish you have been waiting for.   obust and sometimes a lot cheaper.

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