Starting Carping

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Introduction

Let's have a look at tackle first.

Tackle

Rods

Test curve - This is the amount of pressure needed to bend the tip of the rod 90 to the butt, although some of the more specialist rods are quoted in casting weight rather than test curve (as are sea rods). Don't confuse this with how much pressure you can exert on a fish.

Taper - This is the way we describe how the rod bends, roughly speaking a through action/slow taper rod will (should!) bend in a nice progressive bend, right through to the handle. They are the nicest rods to play fish on, but they wont be able to cast as far or as accurately as a Fast action/fast taper rod. This will primarily just bend to around the top third.

Rods are the most important item Dave says

This will give the best casting performance (in the right hands), and the best accuracy, but you will have to be more careful when playing fish. As always, there are exceptions to the rule. For example, if you are going to do a lot of 'Method' or PVA fishing at range, where you are casting heavy, fragile baits, you'll find a through action rod will give you more distance than a fast taper rod - this is why pike anglers deadbait rods are through action.

You also have to take into account the quality of the rod. To achieve the best distances, you need to have a good tip recovery. This means the rod will go from being bent to straight quickly, without the tip wobbling about. This used to be achieved by having very stiff rods, whereas these days its achieved by using higher quality materials - the very best of which are only obtainable by British or American firms as they are classed as weapons grade! But by and large, this is only really an issue when fishing at the extreme end of distance. Also, some of the better rods manage to give the best of both worlds - the ability to cast a long way, but still be responsive under the tip - but these wont come cheap! The other thing to bear in mind if you are fishing bigger waters it that a higher test curve doesn't necessarily mean more distance. Most people will be able to cast a 2¾lb test curve rod further than a 3½lb rod of the same design - unless you have the right technique. Just look at how many nearly new Century FMJ's you see on the second hand market!

If you are just starting, or are going to be just 'dabbling' at carp on small/medium sized waters, then a through action rod of 2½ or 2¾ lb test curve will be far more pleasurable, and far easier to use than a top end casting machine. You should have no trouble casting a bait 100yds, and be able to fish bags or feeders at medium range. It will be much nicer to play the fish on as well, which after all is what it's all about!

Reels

Baitrunner (free spool) reel

Free Spool reels have the advantage of putting you instantly in control of the reel, the lever that you click over to engage the system will disengage as you turn the reel. You normally have a rear mounted drag, which makes adjustment easy, and they are usually lighter than big pits.

The Big pit reel's main advantage is that due to the deeper, wider spools they allow you to fish at range with thicker lines than the smaller spools - which is only really an issue at 80yds or more - due to the level of the line dropping less on the cast. Also they tend to have a front mounted drag system, which tends to be more accurate than the rear drags. Most lack a free spool facility though, and adjusting the clutch to allow the fish to take line on the take - especially if you get a drop back - can take a vital extra second or two. The Shimano 'Big Baitrunner' and the Daiwa XBR5500's do have a free spool system, but both reels are fairly hefty. Mind you, whether this matters when the rods are in the rests most of the time is debatable.

Big Pit reels

As with rods, you do get what you pay for with reels. That's not to say that you have to spend loads as there are some cracking reels, like the Okuma's, out there, but the better Daiwa and Shimano reels will last you years, or until the next shiny one catches your eye!

Line

Mono(filament) lines are made from drawn nylon, mainly by the same three or so manufacturers. They have wildly different performance in thickness, stretchiness, and abrasion resistance but each has their own use. Whilst a pre-stretched line might be good for casting due to its thinness, and control of the fish due to its lack of stretch, they don't tend to be particularly 'strong' or abrasion resistant - so would be a waste of time if fishing near snags. Likewise a strong, resilient line will be good for fishing over sharp gravel bars, but no good if that bar is 130yds out as it's probably too thick to cast! So you have to go for the best compromise. Also bear in mind that it's almost better to buy line by the diameter, rather than strength. Most manufacturers understate their breaking strain, so the 15lb line from manufacturer 'A' might break at 20lb, and from manufacturer 'B' at 16lb - but you can bet your bottom dollar the one from manufacturer 'A' is a lot thicker! Personally I like Suffix Synergy and now they seem to have sorted the quality control out, Shimano Technium - both are good 'strong' lines, and Technium has especially low stretch for its strength - though a little thick. Trilene Big Game is worth a look as it is cracking value for money, tough as old rope, but a bit thick and stretchy. Daiwa Sensor is also highly recommended.

Flourocarbon lines are in theory the 'holy grail' for most anglers - supposedly a line fish can't see! The true fluorocarbons tend to be relatively heavy so they sink well, and have low stretch for good fish control, but the problem is that it is quite a fragile material - it can literally splinter whilst rubbing against an obstruction causing it to snap quite easily. The main one on the market, X-Line, relies on its breaking strain/thickness for its abrasion resistance but this also makes it difficult to cast any sort of range due to its stiffness. It's also quite expensive! To get around this, lines like Kryston's Krystonite have been developed. These are normal lines coated with fluorocarbon to give the low visibility, but the nylon core gives them normal line type performance.

Braided lines are normally a mixture of braided fibres, although they are sometimes fused together. This gives them incredible thinness and almost no stretch, so they are ideal for fishing at huge ranges. Again, the downside can be its abrasion resistance when compared to a decent mono, but then you just use a higher breaking strain as 30lb braid can be the same thickness as 8lb mono! The disadvantage to the lack of stretch can be the possibility of hook pulls when the fish are close in, especially if used with powerful rods. You also need to be very careful to use the right type of knots with braid, or you will dramatically reduce the breaking strain.

If you can get hold of a copy of the 'Tackle Box' catalogue, they have quite an extensive test of lines in the back, comprising of thickness, knot strength, breaking strain, etc, and Dave Chilton, the boss of Kryston did an excellent article on here about knots.

A 12 or 15lb mono will be perfect for most situations. If you're not going to be fishing at huge range, leave the line a couple of millimetres below the lip of the spool when winding it on, as this will stop it spilling off if fishing very close in.

Bite Indication

Bite alarms and hanger (bobbin) indicators

There are two main types of visible indicator these days; swingers and bobbins. Bobbins are really just a weighted clip attached to a piece of string, the string is there to stop it disappearing into the lake on the strike. When the line is pulled they go up, and if the line goes slack, they go down. Simple as that! I find them more sensitive than swingers that are attached to a swing arm that pivots by the alarm. The advantage is that they are less affected by strong wind (bobbins can swing about giving false indications) but I find them much less sensitive than the bobbins. The other types that you occasionally see are springers - bobbins attached to a flexible arm with an adjustment to allow you to alter the tension which make them probably the best indicators for extreme range fishing - and monkey climbers. I have a soft spot for these, a bobbin held captive on a needle that climb up and down the needle (we fished with open bale arms in the early days) which was great to see on those rare takes. The reason for the soft spot is probably that I've forgotten about the aggro getting the needles in the ground, the polishing of the needles after every rain shower to keep friction down, and the amount of times the bobbin had jammed on the needle meaning I missed a drop back. Great days!

Swinger type indicators

The buzzers need something to attach to and the choice is between some type of rod-pod or single banksticks. Personally, I'd choose single sticks every time, providing I can get them in the ground, as I feel it gives me more flexibility - I can space the rods out and point them in totally different directions if need be. They tend to be more stable if snag fishing, and they are lighter and less bulky that pods. Obviously they are no good on solid concrete or staging though, which is why I have a cheap pod for when I fish the odd water where it's needed. Look for sticks that have an auger (screw) point on them as you can get them into almost anything, and they tend to be a bit more secure on loose/sandy soil.