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Carp rods
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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 2½ 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 2½ 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 2½ 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 1½ 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 fibre 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 of the line 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 lose you that fish you have been
waiting for.
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