Carp Rods

What kind of rod you will mostly be determined by what kind of carp fishing you will be doing, and what kind of carp bait you will be using.

Like most kind of fishing rods, carp rods come in different length, strength, stress tolerance and different kind of materials. A wise choice for a casual fish might be to get a rod for distance fishing, at least if this is what kind of fishing you are used to. Choosing good carp rods might be a difficult process depending of what you will be fishing. In most cases you will be best of choosing an all-round carp rod.

Many might be asking if you really have to get a new rod for fishing carp. The honest answer is no; you might get away by using a normal fishing rod. The problem is often related to the carp. They are often big, and carp rods are designed to handle the weight and strength of carps. So if you are thinking about starting carp fishing as a hobby you will do wise in investing in a nice all-roud carp rod.

Length
You typically find carp rods to vary between 10 and 13 feet, and good all-round rod are about 12 feet long.

For stalking and margin fishing you might find it best to use a 10 feet long as you might be forced to do some climbing, moving around woody areas and/or bushes. You might also decide to climb a tree to stalk the carp.

For distance casting you will need both a suitable line, you might evaluate to get a 13 feet long carp rod to get more momentum when you throw out the line.
While you are in the process of choosing a good rod for carp fishing you will notice that most carp rods are separated to two parts, not three parts as most rods you are used too. This means you might consider choosing a rod which you can transport in your car.

Strength
Carp rods are often measured in a test curve; the test is quite simple. You add weight to the tip of the rod and test for how much weight you can add to the rod before it bends 90 degrees.
The test curve determines how easily the carp rod bends while fighting the carp; it does not mean it breaks at 90 degrees; or that it is only capable of bending only 90 degrees. It only gives a measurement of how it will bend when the carp is pulling, and the action you might expect from your carp rod.

A rod having 1-2 pound stress curve are capable of handling carp that are 15 pounds, if you are going for larger carps you will need a test curve of at least 3 pound.

Because of this you might want to learn what carp size you are fishing for before deciding on which rod to select. A good all-round rod for fishing carp have a stress curve of 2 ½ pound (20 pound carp).

Materials
Most of the inexpensive carp rods we find today are made of carbon fibre; making it lightweight and slim.

The more expensive alternatives often include carbon Kevlar, making it stronger, and giving it a higher test curve. You will most likely not need to invest in a carp rod with carbon Kevlar unless you are looking for large game.

The reel
You will need to choose a reel matching the strength and diameter of your line. If you are interested in trying spodding you will need to look for reels with a bait runner; which will help you to feed the hook with exact amounts of bait.

Choosing a good reel is an individual process, as choosing the perfect reel for you will help to give a better experience fishing. I would recommend trying the reel on the carp rod you will use to find the right balance for you.

The line
You might be wise not to choose a thin line, but a thicker one capable of handling the weight of the carp. A good rule is to choose the line based on the test curve. You will need to multiply the test curve with five. Having a 2 ½ pound stress curve would need a (5*2.5=) 11 pound line. This is only a guide; so in most cases you would choose a thicker line (20 pound).

The hook
I would strongly advice to not buy inexpensive hooks as they often have problems as bending, breaking or not being sharp enough to hold the carp. Choosing the cheapest options might easily cost you the carp you “might” have caught if you had a better hook. I would recommend getting different sizes, and to experiment with which size will suit the amount of bait you will be using, and how large carps you are trying to catch.

Floater and Weights
You might choose the floater and weights which suits you. It is only worth mentioning a bit on weights; if the temperatures are high; the carp like to stay close to the water surface; in those cases you might want to have a “free” line without to much weights. If you don't catch anything on the top you might want to try having weights places with some distance to the surface. If the temperature is low you want your bait to sink close to the bottom of the water.