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As a professionally trained rod builder why would you buy a pre made rod instead of making it I’m blooming sure I wouldn’t

My son is obsessed with carp rods. Over the years he's spent a great deal of money on several sets of three rods. His go-to, all-time favourites? Three Chub Outkasts that cost him £145, several years ago. It isn't all about the money. Ian.

Buy what you can afford. After all it's the last 6-8inches of your set up that's out in the pond that catches your fish and your watercraft obviously. Carp don't care if you've got a £50 fishing rod or a £500 fishing rod. I'm pretty sure I've said this before on here somewhere but mates of mine swear by the lower end chub rods. To the point of using them over their much more expensive other rods.

Well they are double DD's, or bigger 😂

They are doubling up on me now, but I'm just about resisting 😢

I would buy whatever I fancied to do the job, but I was asking because I was on a budget, thanks to the pandemic and cost of living rises it meant fishing funds were low, I am quite happy with my crosscasts though, nice slim blanks, minima guides for the money I think they are pretty great tbh, time will tell if they last but I only got to fish a handful of times last year so hopefully they will last a while yet,

Another classic bit of story telling from the master!

I just wish I had Terrys' energy and enthusiasm .

I think in a rod the main thing is action ,will it be able to get you to where you need to fish if it does,it doesn’t matter if it cost 50£ or 500£ until the last few years I never spent over 120£ on a rod as food and clothes for the kids came first then sonik came out and I could then afford to get 3 as it was always a 3 for 2 deal. Now I can afford nicer things so can upgrade the rods I still have 2 sets of infinity rods also have a2 sets of free spirit cosmetics mean nothing when all said and done people rave about Alps seats “I” think they look stinky winky cheap and bulky I still havent paid over 250£ for a reel though lol and most are under 100

I have had carp while the marker float is still in the swim after feeling around and baiting up to it, and had takes within minutes of reeling in. I tend to lead around, or even use the marker float every trip. Sometimes a feature is so 'tight' that I need to be hitting it, a metre either side could see my bait in missing the gravel bar totally, or in a thick weedbed. Right now I'm using the leading around to find fishable spots, and then get my rods clipped up to that length, with far bank markers as my aiming point. Just casting out 'blind' could, again, see my bait in thick weed. I don't mind my freebies landing in weed, but it is soul destroying reeling in a ball of weed with your hook point masked in weed, and the contents of the PVA bag stuck in the middle of it. I may know the features of the lake, even mapped it out, but a marker float, and/or leading around are invaluable every trip. Some trips, I may actually cast and bait up to the marker every day.

Top to Bottom.... Drunken Night, Loves a dunk in a brew, Wife's shades, Top golfer, Bit burnt.

That's some serious ear ring. Ian.

Thought it was a cheerio at 1st hahahaj