New to Carping

As I'm very new to carp fishing I've decided that two rods is the maximum that I can handle until I gain some experience. To this end I'm looking for advice on which test curves I should be considering. My rod preference has always been for a progressive action and having handled one of the 'Giant' rods at the weekend I believe I've already settled on the brand.
And so to my dilema - should I be looking at one rod with a tc of 2.25lb for fishing the margins to short distance and one rod with a tc of 2.75lb for middle distances? (given waters of, say, 10 acres.) Your advice and thoughts would be most appreciated.

depents how you like your rods 2.75 seems to be the most popular to start with

Thanks Roto, as I say I prefer my rods with a progressive action, what I don't want is to end up with two 'pokers', hence my thoughts on two different test curves. As an example, If I thought I could get by using rods with a tc of 1.75lb, whereby I could also use them to fish for river barbel, then I'd take that route. At the same time I don't want to use a rod which is too soft and thereby spend excessive time in playing the fish out.

Willie rods need to be matched to circumstances. ie distance , snags , line strength etc.In most cases 1.75's will be fine.However if you are after large fish at distance in weed or snags the extra control of a heavier rod may be needed.Match the rod to your fishing. This is why most are using 2.5 to 3.00 test curves as one of these will cast to the horizon yet still be used when fishing in the edge. A 1.75 is not a distance tool therefore you may be limiting your options on big waters if you fish such places.

I would go for the 2-3/4 rods if I was you. You will be able to fish the margins with these rods if you just give a little thought to your clutch setting. When you inevitably set your sights for new challenges, these rods will prove to be a lot more versatile. Another aspect of the modern carp scene, is that you will want your rod to be able to cast pva bags and method feeders. So it does not equate that you only use higher t/c rods for long range. Even the 2-3/4 rods wont cast a pva bag that far. Weed is also a major factor these days, and the use of heavy line to combat it, obviously your rods will have to be matched to the line and the extra weight needed to get it all out there.

Hi Dave. I understand what you're saying. I initially thought that rods with test curves at the higher end may be too powerful for waters of about 10 acres in size but, after reading a article in a carp mag this morning, I may be wrong. The article stated that with todays carbon technology, carp rods with a tc of 3lb are quite capable of not only casting to distant features but also of playing the fish under the rod tip without the hook 'pulling', so that's something else for me to mull over. As I'm sure you can appreciate, I'm trying to get as much info as possible, from more experienced carp anglers, before making a purchase.
Thanks for your thoughts.

Willie

Thanks for that Andrew.