Which carp rod

Most of the best floater rods are around 12ft in length. This gives casting distance without compromising on pulling power.

Small Carp feeding on the surface. Is it possible to get the best of all worlds? It is unlikely that you will find a spod rod that doubles up as an excellent float fishing rod for carp. But you should be able to get something that ticks a few boxes at once if you agree to compromise.

Some feeder rods are strong enough to allow you to ledger with a reasonable amount of weight but have the necessary bend and action to do a pretty great job at float fishing too. When choosing a good all-round carp rod, the aim is to look at the features required for your chosen discipline.

An 11 or foot rod is compact enough to use for stalking but will still have the necessary grunt to throw out a 3oz lead. Depending on what style of fishing you intend to do, check the finish too. For visual and surface-based carp fishing, try and choose something matte. Nowadays, there are a whole host of options for the best carp rod handles. Want a piece of advice? Make sure your reel seat is of the locking screw type.

Friction based reel seats are very much a thing of the past. Remember, with some carp rods, you will be generating a lot of force with heavy weights. If that reel moves even an inch, it can give you a nasty cut on your finger when casting.

I know from personal experience! The rod action is variable depending on type of fishing. For big fish and big weights, ideally, you will want a through action fishing rod.

As you move to lighter weights and shorter distances, it might make sense to look for a rod with a progressive action towards the rod tip. They provide a purpose. Each eye spreads the weight of the line over the rod blank. Fewer eyes can mean more strain placed on the line and the rod. The flip side is friction. The combined friction of many eyes can seriously curtail your casting distance. Makeup jokes aside, you can get more distance on your cast and a smoother experience if you choose a carp rod with lined eyes.

Anything that reduces friction through the eyes is a good thing. Rod weight is twinned with several factors. The blank, the handles and your reel will all come into play. Our advice is this If you are fishing in a style that requires you to hold the rod, such as floater fishing or stalking carp, you will need a rod that is as light as possible. Rod power is important in two ways. When you are casting, you need enough backbone to shoot that bait and maybe a lead out to the correct distance accurately.

The reason we fish for carp is that they are bigger and they fight hard. That certainly means you are going to need a rod that has a decent amount of power. But what does it all mean? Simple, right? Tip action rods are where the majority of movement happens at the very end. They are good for picking the line up quickly and casting very lightweight setups like floats. Tip to middle action carp rods are great all-rounders.

They have some tip action, but this spreads down towards the central section of the rod. You can fish a variety of styles with a tip to middle action. Through-action carp rods tend to be a little more heavy-duty. They bend under load along the entirety of the rod. With all of the above in mind, the test curve is the ultimate deciding factor in how big and heavy a rod can go. The higher the number, the greater the power. It is worth noting that the test curve is often independent of the rod action.

Ideally suited for lighter applications like stalking and surface fishing. There is also a smaller chance of catching extremely large fish. This test curve range is widely considered an average for a carp rod and better suited towards a more all-round fishing approach. Most spod rods tend to start around this range as they require a stronger blank to get a good launch on the rig.

This is a mark of the big guns. For small still waters, it is probably a little too heavy-duty. These rods are purely designed to cast extreme distances with heavy weights, method feeders and spodding setups. The length of the carp rod to use boils down to a couple of things.

One of which is a personal preference. As a good middle ground, ft is the place to aim for. For casting longer, a big rod increases distance hence the reason sea fishing rods go up to 18 feet.

If you are looking for something to stalk fish with or are restricted on space, you can go down to 9 or 10ft. Some stalking rods even go down to 8 feet! The most important factor in this choice is always balance and synergy. For light work and floater fishing, a standard sized reel will cover you when paired with an all-round carp fishing rod.

When we start talking about strong test curves and casting big weights, you might need something a little more specialised. Big pit reels are often paired with heavy setups.

They have huge spools that allow the angler to wind the bait and the fish in much quicker. Because of the large spools, they also give a really even line lay.

As a result, it comes off the spool easier when casting, increasing distance. Another great solution is the use of a baitrunner reel. This allows the spool to pay out line freely when a fish takes the bait and 'runs', giving you time to emerge from your bivvy and strike!

Big Pit Reel left vs Bait runner right. Why not take a look at our list below. If you are looking for a decent carp rod at a low price, then look no further than this great rod offering real value for money. Shakespeare has been in the fishing game since Adam was a lad producing good quality gear and offering great value. At 12ft, this rod is the ideal size as a good all-rounder. The test curve is 2. There are a few nice features that make it really suitable for carp fishing.

The cushioned reel seat is comfortable in hand and also features a locking screw system, keeping your reel fixed firmly in place. As mentioned earlier in the article, spod rods need to be strong and solid to cope with huge weights with rockets full of bait. The following rod is a clear winner in terms of performance, quality and is reasonably priced as well.

Remember the features we talked about at the start when it comes to spod rods? Here is a prime example. At 12 foot, it is plenty long enough to launch a spod rocket into orbit. The rod features a through and ever so slightly progressive action. The blank is really strong and powerful, constructed from multi layer technology. We think there is merit in a traditional cork handle. After all, it has worked for the past century.

However, a more modern approach is to use a shrink wrap handle. Namely, the butt section and up near the reel when you are casting or playing the fish. Test curves of carp rods play a really important part in your setup.

This is for two reasons. The first is obvious. The stronger it is, the more strain the rod will take. A bigger one will allow you to play bigger fish. This is useful for pulling carp out of weed beds or stopping them from diving under that fallen tree branch. The second area where they play a role is in casting power.

Bigger test curves allow you to tie on a bigger weight, and a bigger weight equals more inertia. What this equates to is a longer costing distance. Have a watch of this two-minute video to see how they calculate carp rod test curves. If you like using bite alarms , a line clip is ideal. It stops the line from flowing off the spool. They make ideal companions for when you are fishing using a carp baitrunner too.

If you are fishing close to weed or obstructions, a line clip can be invaluable. This will give you time to get to your rod when you hear your bite alarm goes off, hopefully allowing you to set the hook before the fish reaches cover.

Action is a really vital attribute to look at when choosing the best carp rod for you. If you are looking to fish margins or cast a relatively lightweight float out with pinpoint accuracy, you ideally want a rod that offers a mid to tip action. This means that most of the bend in the rod takes place from halfway up to the last third. The rod will probably be slightly more whippy, great for propelling a float a fair distance.

However, tip action rods are not the best for putting pressure on really big fish. Nor are they good for throwing a heavy weight a long way. This spreads the weight and pressure equally. It is a really good option for those intending to throw out huge rigs and baits. You are looking for a real value for money carp rod. Our advice is this…. First, only spend what you can afford. An average rod and reel will fish better than a really expensive rod and poor reel or vice versa.

Second, choose a rod based on its features and the things you like. Some of our suggestions above fish just as well if not better than some really premium brands. One of our suggestions is moderately priced and is designed by professional angler Danny FairBrass! For us, we like a little flexibility. You will see carp rods going all the way down to 9ft. These tend to be specialized. If you are unsure, anything between ft will cover you for the majority of situations.

We like to catch carp because they tend to put a good old bend in the rod. Too much bend might be a bad thing, however. As a minimum, we would recommend a one of 2. For us, 3lbs is the optimum for a carp rod. That offers a decent cast, the flexibility to throw out a fair old weight or bait and give us the grunt required to fight a feisty carp.

Well, hopefully, our suggestion of the best carp rods has made it slightly easier? How do I like to fish? Float or bottom fishing? The answer will set you on the right path. Float fishing, you can afford to go lighter. Heavy bottom fishing, pick a rod that has a bit of muscle. Consider your budget… We all know what we want, but what can we afford? Ultimately this may be one huge deciding factor. Consider a carp rods features… If we want a line clip, wide rings, and a strong rod with a through action, we will only look at rods with these features.

Well, there was our review of the best carp rods on the market for There is a great deal to choose from, and a rod is a personal choice. Vic is regarded as probably the U. K's leading rod builder and with over 30 years experience the finish he gets is second to none. Our rods can be finished to your own specification for example ring sizes and patterns, reel seat otions, duplon styles, cork handles, carbon line clips etc etc.

Our range of carp rods are produced by the leading carp fishing brands. Browse through our wide selection of carp rods and find the ideal carp rod to suit your requirements.