smufter

All reviews on Genesis are good. Not read a bad one yet. So much so that I am going to go there in 2018 (already have this years trip arranged).

The problem is that whenever I go fishing, the far margins always look to have less snags than the banks I am on!

This is the stupid thing about Carp fishing. You'll turn up at a lake and immediately start fishing the far margins because you're told that's where the fish are. But the bloke on the other side of the lake, who has been told the same thing, is doing his level best to put his bait about a foot out from where YOU are standing!!

As others have said, unless you need to cast to the horizon with coconut sized baits, or heavy rigs, your current rods will be fine. I've used 2.25tc rods for years, caught a 33lb Mirror twice in France last year and the last thing I worried about during the scrap was my rod.

I don't think you'll get a bedchair under there..... This one is the cheapest 60" I've found. You'll get a bedchair under it. You'll struggle with anything smaller. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Q-Dos-60-Oval-Carp-Fishing-Brolly-FREE-Storm-Poles-Ground-Sheet-/272476183055?hash=item3f70d89a0f:g:qCMAAOSwHoFXvuMz

Another "bump" as we have had a few new members join recently......

You might pick up some feedback on here???? http://www.theanglersforum.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-96636.html

Wychwood do a nice range of rods. Also Shimano Tribal Velocity review well and are very good value for money. 3lb tc can be picked up for £59.00 each if you look around. My wife bought me 3 x 11 footers for Christmas and they look, and feel really nice. Haven't used them yet due to the frozen conditions but really looking forward to giving them a bash. I'd also look at Chub Outkast as I have three of those already and they have been fantastic. So many decent rods around at similar prices.

These get very good reviews and are smack bang in your price range..... http://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/daiwa-ss1600-whisker-specialist-reel I'm a Daiwa man myself.

Bolleaux

I've got one of these and rate it highly. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nash-Tackle-NEW-Carp-Fishing-H-GUN-Dwarf-Multi-Mat-Unhooking-Mat-T4640-/291861067346?hash=item43f4467652:g:1gEAAOSwxp9W9PoT Weighs next to nothing

Up until recently I had used their predecessors (Regal Z) and am now on the slightly "better" Daiwa Emcast models (very similar reel, just a few more bearings). I have never had a problem with any Daiwa reel, and in fact passed the Regals on to my daughters boyfriend who is just starting out and he is absolutely delighted with them. They must be at least 4 or 5 years old and still look and feel like new, and perform as smoothly as the day I bought them having received no maintenance whatsoever. I have owned Shimano reels in the past, but I just prefer the way that the baitrunner switch works on Daiwa reels (flick up for off rather than down). When I lift into a run, I prefer to manually flick the switch off rather than start reeling in to switch it off, and the upward flick just seems more "natural" and easier to do than having to flick the switch towards me. I hope that makes sense? A lot of what I say doesn't but I do know what I meant in this particular instance lol! Buy with confidence

Regarding reels, if you are on a budget you could do a lot worse than have a look at the Daiwa Black Widow range. Most people will suggest Shimano, and there is nothing wrong with that, but Daiwa reels are quality, and "generally" better value for money. £39.99 each from this seller http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Daiwa-Black-Widow-4500-BR-Bite-n-Run-Carp-Fishing-Reel-BWBR4500A-/361869482752?hash=item54411a1b00:g:XhYAAOxyzi9Sg5Nf Personally I don't think you'd do better for a good all round reel at a sensible price.

I can't help it Dave, but I've got the Coronation Street theme tune running through my head!! Forget pushing a barrow 4 miles though.

I have the Micron MX+. Have never let me down even in the worst of weathers and can be picked up for around £35.00 each. You can still buy the cheaper standard MX one with less features but the MX+ are perfect for me. And they have a nice on/off toggle switch to avoid annoying your neighbours on the bank.....

That's the thing Phil, you never know where the fish are. They could be cruising around just under the surface a few yards out just where your line enters the water, they could be a foot in front of your bait mooching around the bottom, they could be swimming around 4 feet down halfway across. You could spend all day experimenting and not get anywhere. I just look on it as it's nice to know there are fish out there somewhere. I've never had a liner from one that's swum around the back of my rig though.

It wouldn't have if you were there Dave. Vauxhall Corsa full of chavs, I could hear what they were talking about 200 yards away. Beethoven's 6th played out for an hour or so on bite alarms. Some geezer doing an impression of Stevie Wonder spodding. The list goes on.

I've had my DPF line on my reels now for about 4 or 5 months. and I have no complaints whatsoever regarding it's performance. It has a very low diameter for it's given breaking strain, (I'm actually spooled up with 18lb which looks no "bulkier" than my previous 12lb Technium), it knots very well, casts well, sinks like a stone and hangs nicely from the rings. It shows no tendency to coil. I personally love it. But....... (there's always a "but" isn't there!)..using it has coincided with me experiencing the worst run of blanks I've ever had, Subsequently, I cannot give any constructive feedback on it's fish playing qualities. I'm not blaming the line, as I have been fishing notoriously difficult waters since switching over to it. The only "easier" water I have fished since spooling up with it it saw me bank a small common within an hour of arriving but then the lake was invaded by a horde of idiots which saw me packing up and coming home. Had I stayed and fished I have no doubts that I would have caught more, but I couldn't be bothered. I have noticed I have experienced more "liners" with it than my previous line, whether this is down to the fact that it is reported to be more difficult to see under water and the fish are just bumping into it rather than avoiding it I don't know. That's getting too technical for me, but it has been significant enough to be noticeable. At least if I'm getting liners I know the fish are out there though.....somewhere (other than around my bait lol!). Rob

I agree with that to an extent, but where a long rod becomes a bit of a bind is at netting time. Fine if there is somebody there with you to assist, but if you are on your own it can be a bit of a faff trying to get the fish close enough to the bank to be able to slip the net under it. A shorter rod gives you much more control. I personally prefer shorter rods (11') for this reason. Plus a shorter rod is more accurate to cast with, although as you say you are fishing a "big" water this is most probably not so important. I grew up (did I ever????) using 9, 10 and 11 foot leger rods, in those days a 12 footer was a bit of a rarity, and I just feel more comfortable with them. I would personally prefer to lose maybe 20/30 yards off of my casting distance for the extra control. But it's horses for courses as in most things

If I had to recommend one line, and one line only, it would be Shimano Technium Black. Absolutely fantastic line, casts well, loads well, sinks well, knots well, it does everything well. Good abrasion resistance and is as tough as old boots. A little more expensive than other lines, but worth every penny. i have caught loads and loads of decent sized carp on it, and not once have I had my line give up on me. 12lb is my favoured, everyday choice, but 15lb is used when I go to France "just in case". Having said that, I bought some new reels last Summer, and after reading very favourable reviews decided to load them with the "new" Wychwood DPF line. The purple stuff. Like the Technium, it is does everything well. I have no complaints whatsoever about it's performance, if anything it sinks better than the Shimano and it's diameter is thinner for the given breaking strain. I am, in fact, using 18lb on my reels and it doesn't look any thicker than the 12lb Technium, which gives me a little more confidence I suppose. The only problem I am having is that my use of it has coincided with me hitting a rather lean spell in my catch rate. Admittedly, since loading it I have been fishing notoriously difficult waters. The idea behind the purple colour is that it is supposed to be "almost" invisible when in the water. The one thing I have noticed since using it is that I am getting a lot more "liners" than I used to get with Technium, so whether this bares out what they are saying I don't know. I shall continue using it for the time being, hopefully when the weather improves a little so will my catch rate, and help dispel any little niggles I might have with it. I am off to France again in July, and have bought a tin of Technium to hold in reserve. If necessary, I will load my spare spools up with this and swap over should the DPF continue to under perform on the catch front. Like most things "carping" it is all about confidence in your tackle. With Technium I am 100% confident. DPF? Jury is out at the moment but it's nothing that a few fish on the bank won't rectify. Sorry to ramble on. Rob

They're all the same Ian. We went to a wedding last Summer, I commented "new shoes?" "No, I've had these for ages" came the reply. "I wore them to Sue & Johns party earlier in the year, but you just don't remember". "Let me look at the sole" says I...................... unmarked!! She now rubs the sole of any new shoes she buys down the side wall or on the step outside the kitchen to scuff them up a bit.

This is where I am cleverer than a clever thing having a particularly clever day.... Whatever I order gets delivered to work. Pop it in the jam jar and drive home, leaving said items in the boot. Get up early while she is still lying in bed farting and snoring and sneak them down into the shed. Works every time.

I've just got some new Shimano Tribal Velocity rods for Christmas. I got 11 footers (just prefer them) and despite the fact that I haven't used them yet they feel very nice in the hand. There are lots and lots of different makes of rod out there in the mid price sector, it really is a buyers market! Fox, Chub, Wychwood, Sonik, Daiwa to name just a few. Any of these manufacturers products would hold you in good stead. But as others have said, you must decide on what sort of carping you are likely to be doing for the vast majority of the time. It is all too easy to get confused, and to get caught up in the latest "must haves" etc. For the vast majority of us, a 2.75 or 3.00 test curve rod will suffice, unless you envisage your fishing being at longer range (70 yards plus) which would necessitate a rod with more backbone to lob a heavy lead or PVA bag to the horizon. A 2.75tc rod will allow you to bank any carp that you are likely to encounter in our waters, whilst still having the required "action" to play it properly. A lighter test curve rod would also allow you to fish with a little more "finesse" if required, say floater fishing or when fishing small, intimate venues. Try doing that with 3.5lb test curve rods and you are going to be massively "over gunned". With regards reels, again you don't need "big pits" unless you are going to fish longer ranges. It's all about balance. A good baitrunner from the likes of Shimano, (the market leader), Daiwa, Wychwood or Fox etc. will last you years. I have personally used reels from Shimano, Daiwa and Wychwood. For some reason I always find myself favouring Diawa, but that is just personal choice. I had 3 Wychwood Solace 10 ACS reels for some time and loved them. But I have now gone back to Daiwa and passed the Wychwoods on to my daughter. She too loves them. You just want to get something that will hold a "decent" amount of say 12-15lb line.

I think you've got it slightly wrong (although the quoted diameter is still very low compared to other lines). Checking the Berkley website, they are quoting a breaking strain of 5.4kg (12lb) for the 0.20mm As I say, that is still very (very) low compared to others. My favoured Shimano Technium Black is 0.35mm for the same breaking strain, although looking at the Shimano website their breaking strain chart doesn't make a lot of sense. Despite saying 12lb for the 0.35mm they are listing it in kgs at 11.5?????? http://fish.shimano-eu.com/content/eu/en/Home/products0/lines/monofilament/technium-mono-uk-2016.html