Carp poles for ?200 - any recommendations???

Dear all

To help the river close season pass a little more quickly, i'm interested in buying a carp pole to go and have some fun pulling the carp out of my local commercial. My current pole was only really built for canals and light elastics, so even 2 & 3lbers give me a right run around at present!

I'm only looking to spend around ?200, the fish range from 3lb to low doubles, probably averaging around 6-7lb. I'd like something that's strong enough to cope with such fish and comfortable to use up to about 11m, don't really need anything more than that, plus i know for this price there will be sacrifices to weight and rigidity beyond that anyway.

Any recommendations greatly received.

Thanks in anticipation

This is something I wouldn't mind getting some advice on too, although the fishery I have in mind does have carp up to 30lb in one pond and up to 16lb in another. Maybe I would need to up my budget to more around the ?300?

Alastair,
Check out Lord Paul of Sheffield's thread "Second Hand Poles" from the 13/3/07.
I'll think you'll find many of your questions answered there. Good luck.

Thanks Lark, the Middy Carp Baggin Machine looks a good deal.

I'm after a new pole pole rather than 2nd hand which may have taken a beating over its' life. Looked on a few tackle dealer websites, there's a number of new poles around the ?200-250 mark from Maver, MAP, Preston, Shimano etc.

Anyone got experience of any of these or got any other recommendations? Cheers

As most of the fish you seek are in the margins or at the bottom of the marginal shelf, a good margin pole for ?100 would do the trick. Can recommend the Shimano Beastmster at 8.5m, and you can get an extension to 10m if you need it.

Put Black Hydro through it, softly set, and that will cope with most things in a Commercial.

Some 11m poles at the cheap end weigh a ton (badly balanced)the exception being the 585 gm Browning Black Magic. If you shop around you'd get one for ?250 or less.

Macca EFC if there are fish of that size in the water you are targeting( Burton Mere?) I'd stick with rod and reel. Hook one of that size on the pole and it will end in tears!

Opt for a Carp or Avon rod with 1.75 lbs TC and a centre pin reel and you'll have way more fun and stand a chance of getting a big one in.
Cheers.

Thanks Peter, I've been looking at some carp rods recently, but as with most things the choice is somewhat overwhelming, creating a bit of a mine field for the novice carp angler. I would be specifically targeting the big fish, but it's always nice to know if you do hook into one your gear can handle them. The water I'm looking at isn't far from J27 off the m6, never been before but once the weather picks up I'm heading off with every piece of tackle to see what I can do there...

Macca, in most carp waters I know there will be at least one period of the day or night when the fish-often the biggest-come right along the margins.

All carp have patrol routes, and look to hoover up all the bait that drops out of spods and catty's when anglers cast for the sun and that isalnd in the distance.

But in evening the dinner gong goes and they come in close when everyones gone or settled down for the night.

That's when you sit right back form the edge and plunder the edge swim you have liberally laced with pellets, hemp, corn or whatever, because they'll find them.

If there are no snags you can get away with 8-10lbs line on fixed spool or for even better presentation, a centre pin, a 11-12 ft rod with some beef but a through action ( 2.5lbs TC not needed only for long distance casting), and a small float.
A buzzer/bolt rig will work , but the float is far more visually exciting.

Paste, hair rigged baits, naturals like prawns, bunches of maggots and worms will always score.

Good luck Blue.

See now that's the kind of info I need, I'd have been fishing further out near a feature and thinking the bigger fish were in the deeper water. I totally agree I prefer to use a float, not the same waiting for a buzzer to go off. I'll see what they suggest at the tackle shop, simple rigs are always good for me :0P