All round rods

I've recently got the bug to fish following my 9 year old son's request to go and do some fishing.

He's still keen but at 9 his attention span can falter before the day's out.

However moving on, my supervision of him has got me in to wanting to fish more and as a beginner I'm puzzled by the number of rod type's, match, feeder, avon, carp etc.

Can someone advise on a rod that's a bit of an all rounder to get me started, somthing that I could use a float or a feeder etc until I can learn these techniques and then improve on my tackle.

I'll be fishing at places such as Woodlands Lakes in Yorkshire so I'd be after a rod that could handle the size of fish that this venue stocks. I visited a lake today and was asking around about setup's and most angler's were using 8lb main lines.

Thanks

Dave

As the golfer has several clubs so the angler may have several rods.They all do different jobs.Match rod = light line float fishing.Avon rod good allrounder for lines from 4 to 10lb , legering , feeder fishing or float fishing at a push.Carp rods for heavier leads, fishing at distance.
If I were you I would go for a twin tip rod like the John Wilson rod.It has a normal tip and a quiver tip.God value for money and will cover most the fishing you will be doing.Get a medium sized fixed spool reel with a few spools , say 3lb 5lb 8lb and 10lb line on and you are set to catch all species.

Is that the John Wilson Avon rod, I've seen it with three tips and an extension but. I had thought about this as it did get very good reviews.

BTW rods are always advertised with a test curve value what exactly does this mean.

As for the reel what would you advise.

Yes thats the rod.
Test curve is the weight required to pull the tip of the rod to a 90 degree angle from the butt.
In essence it is a guide to the weight the rod can cast comfortably, ie 1lb test curve 1oz lead.It is only a rough guide.
The Wilson rod will handle leads up to two ounce.
Reels , there are so many again as a guide Shimano and Daiwa do loads in the mid size and it depends on what you wish to pay but a shimano Catana 3000mr at about ?25 plus a couple of spare spools on top of the one you get is a good reel for the money.
Daiwa - SA2550-3 for a similar price is also a nice reel.

The test curve is also an indication of what line to use with the rod.

Five times the test curve is considered to be ideal, but 30% either side of that is still perfectly feasible.

So to sum that up, a rod with a 1lb. test curve is ideal with 5lb b/s line but with due care, can also be used with 3lb or 8lb line.