j.beresford Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 I am fairly new to Carp fishing having taken my son (9yrs) fishing and him loving it we have both got into it together. I was given a free, 'third' hand rod which I believe was a spinning fishing rod which I took to a lake near us. We ended up catching a few tench and a carp on it. Having had such fun and after going a few more times I bought my son a new rod for his birthday. A Nash 6ft 3lb scope rod. Everything about it is perfect - size, build etc. But as we are only catching small carp, I feel the fun has been taken out of the catching/playing of the fish. The carp we are catching are 4-7lbs so small and although still very enjoyable we no longer get the fight or the bend in the rod like we used to. We are trying to catch bigger ones, and in the lakes we fish they go up to mid twenties but we cant seem to catch these. I am thinking I may have made a mistake buying him a 3lb test curve rod? However our lakes are quite snaggy so people say you need a stronger rod for the snags. The lakes are also small so no need to cast any real distance. What I think we need is a smaller than 12ft rod. A rod that will bend with a fight of a very small carp. But a rod strong enough to handle a bigger fish and able to get clear of the snags. Is there a rod out there that would fit the bill? I have seen stalking rods which are smaller but these have similar test curves to the 3lb one we have. Or should I go back to my original rod!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoputney Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 I think that might be a bit broomsticky 6ft and a 3lb tc, I have a 7ft Grey's stalker rod at 2 3/4 that's lovely with a decent sized carp on, but maybe even a bit stiff for smaller carp, I use 12ft 2 3/4lb rods for most of my carp angling and these tend to be fine, I have also got a John Wilson travel barbel rod I think that's 2 1/4lb TC that might be great for smaller carp and I daresay would be fine with slightly larger ones too, having seen what Wilson used to catch on his old Avon rod this beefed up one should be fine If you are planning on carp only I would try and find some thing 9-10ft with a 21/2lb -2 3/4lb TC that should give you enough scope to be able to cast a bit and still enjoy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonny Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 If there's decent 20s in there I'd go with a 12 ft carp rod in 2.5 TC. Copes with every eventuality. elmoputney 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greekskii Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 dont fall in to the myth of higher test curve if it's snaggy. I've been using my 2.75tc rods for years now, probably more like 2.5s now. I've had little problems with landing fish to 40lb in serious weed and snags. The softness of the rod can absorb a lot of the pressure and turn fish quicker. You'll get less hook pulls anyway. pukkacarp, elmoputney and yonny 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusian Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 38 minutes ago, j.beresford said: I am fairly new to Carp fishing having taken my son (9yrs) fishing and him loving it we have both got into it together. I was given a free, 'third' hand rod which I believe was a spinning fishing rod which I took to a lake near us. We ended up catching a few tench and a carp on it. Having had such fun and after going a few more times I bought my son a new rod for his birthday. A Nash 6ft 3lb scope rod. Everything about it is perfect - size, build etc. But as we are only catching small carp, I feel the fun has been taken out of the catching/playing of the fish. The carp we are catching are 4-7lbs so small and although still very enjoyable we no longer get the fight or the bend in the rod like we used to. We are trying to catch bigger ones, and in the lakes we fish they go up to mid twenties but we cant seem to catch these. I am thinking I may have made a mistake buying him a 3lb test curve rod? However our lakes are quite snaggy so people say you need a stronger rod for the snags. The lakes are also small so no need to cast any real distance. What I think we need is a smaller than 12ft rod. A rod that will bend with a fight of a very small carp. But a rod strong enough to handle a bigger fish and able to get clear of the snags. Is there a rod out there that would fit the bill? I have seen stalking rods which are smaller but these have similar test curves to the 3lb one we have. Or should I go back to my original rod!? Can you tell us what your " third hand rod " is please - hopefully it still has a transfer on it which tells you what it is , then hopefully we can work out what test curve it is . 😃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.beresford Posted March 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 Thanks all. My old small rod I have is 10-30g? Its 7ft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoputney Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 (edited) What type of fishing are you mainly doing at present ? And what are you hoping to do ? Float fishing, hair rigged Boilies and a lead , pva bags that type of thing How big is the lake etc ? How far do you need to cast ? Edited March 18, 2019 by elmoputney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.beresford Posted March 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 We are trying a bit of everything. We have used bread on the surface, bottom baits and pop ups. The lakes are small probably 70 yards would be the furthest you can cast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoputney Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 I think maybe some between 9-12ft with a 2.5 - 2 3/4 lb tc would be best for all round use really, I think the best thing to do is go and try some for feel in a shop, I always thought most rods would be suitable but having tried a few now some just feel right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.beresford Posted March 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 Would a 5lb carp feel much fight on a 2.5 test curve? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoputney Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 Depends really might be a bit overgunned but if they go bigger in the lake you will start to catch them at some point, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salokcinnodrog Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 2 hours ago, j.beresford said: I am fairly new to Carp fishing having taken my son (9yrs) fishing and him loving it we have both got into it together. I was given a free, 'third' hand rod which I believe was a spinning fishing rod which I took to a lake near us. We ended up catching a few tench and a carp on it. Having had such fun and after going a few more times I bought my son a new rod for his birthday. A Nash 6ft 3lb scope rod. Everything about it is perfect - size, build etc. But as we are only catching small carp, I feel the fun has been taken out of the catching/playing of the fish. The carp we are catching are 4-7lbs so small and although still very enjoyable we no longer get the fight or the bend in the rod like we used to. We are trying to catch bigger ones, and in the lakes we fish they go up to mid twenties but we cant seem to catch these. I am thinking I may have made a mistake buying him a 3lb test curve rod? However our lakes are quite snaggy so people say you need a stronger rod for the snags. The lakes are also small so no need to cast any real distance. What I think we need is a smaller than 12ft rod. A rod that will bend with a fight of a very small carp. But a rod strong enough to handle a bigger fish and able to get clear of the snags. Is there a rod out there that would fit the bill? I have seen stalking rods which are smaller but these have similar test curves to the 3lb one we have. Or should I go back to my original rod!? Welcome to Carp.com. Personally, I think a 3lb test curve rod is too heavy for most carp fishing in the UK, and the maximum you need is a 2.75lb tc. A 6ft 3lb rod is going to feel like a broomstick, and is likely awful for most fishing, but heavy test curves are the fashion. In most cases test curves of 3lb plus are designed for casting long distance, not playing fish. A heavy test curve rod is NOT always the best for playing fish around snags, better to get a lighter more through action rod around 2lb. For ages my stalking rod was a 9ft Browning Spinning rod, perfect for floater fishing, fishing the lift method while carp stalking, but when it was stolen I went to a Daiwa 1.5lb test curve 11ft 6in Pro Specialist, then an Avon rod. In fact I would say a barbel rod is perfect for a lot of carp fishing. I use mine for floater fishing now, or lift float, and always on one water where the carp go from single figures through to 20lb. I have caught a number of carp on those lighter rods to over 20lb from near lilies and snags. Have a look at twin tip ledger rods, one tip section should be your quiver tips, the other is a barbel or Avon tip. For carp fishing the barbel or Avon tip is fine. pukkacarp and crusian 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusian Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 3 hours ago, j.beresford said: Thanks all. My old small rod I have is 10-30g? Its 7ft. As I understand it , a rough rule of thumb is a 1 lb Test curve rod is used to cast a total of 1oz in weight ( which is roughly 30g ) - the 10-30g would be the recommended casting range of your little spinning rod I believe . Personally I would go for a 1 1/2 lb test curve as Nick advises , and then maybe later move on to the stronger rods the others have recommended , the 1 1/2 lb would then be used for floater fishing . 😃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smufter Posted March 19, 2019 Report Share Posted March 19, 2019 Get yourself a Chub Outkast 11' "Small water" rod. 2.25tc and great fun to fish with. You can flick a piece of crust out with one, and they are so light you could hold one all day and not get fed up. Highly, (and I do mean HIGHLY) recommended. Just make sure you get the 11 footer. https://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/chub-outkast-plus-smallwater-rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.beresford Posted May 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2019 Hi all, I just wanted to give an update in case anyone was wondering. As you all took time to help me out and give some pointers I thought it was only fair. I bought 2x Free Spirit E-class bank creeper rods. They are 10ft and approx 2.5lb Test curve. They are great rods. So far we have caught carp from 5lb up to 17lb on them. They are so light but feel great quality. They bend lots but feel there is plenty of power to deal with much bigger fish. Thanks again for everyone's advice. crusian, elmoputney, Leonard and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salokcinnodrog Posted May 9, 2019 Report Share Posted May 9, 2019 8 hours ago, j.beresford said: Hi all, I just wanted to give an update in case anyone was wondering. As you all took time to help me out and give some pointers I thought it was only fair. I bought 2x Free Spirit E-class bank creeper rods. They are 10ft and approx 2.5lb Test curve. They are great rods. So far we have caught carp from 5lb up to 17lb on them. They are so light but feel great quality. They bend lots but feel there is plenty of power to deal with much bigger fish. Thanks again for everyone's advice. Posts like this really make my day😀😉 You are welcome, glad we were able to help, now we would just like to see a few smiley photos😉😆 crusian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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