Back into carp fishing.

[RedDieselFisher]

Hi all!

After being away from carp fishing for a long time I'm starting to get back into it. Currently got no rods for it bar my Drennan 1 1/2lb avon rod currently and a Shimano DL4000 reel. The mainstay of lakes I'll be fishing will be quite walled in with trees and between 3 acres to possibly 15 acres for mainly up to 20lb carp with the possibility of a 30lb'er once in a blue moon. They're relatively clear lakes and mainly will be short chucks with small PVA bags or light rigs so my question is if I loaded my Shimano 4000 reel with 12lb line and paired it with a short 2.75tc rod such as an ESP Stalker would this suffice for covering most of these situations?

Many thanks everyone for any feedback good or bad on this!
All the best,
Lloyd

 

[The Sogster]

Personally unless you want to sit behind three rods I would go with what you already have.

If the water is snag free 8lb line should cope with 90% of everything you are likely to hook. I use 6lb maxima and catch fish to mid/ upper doubles on a medium feeder rod in snag free waters and land them usually within less than five minutes or so. Your Avon rod should be fine with that, although won't do 150 yards.

No need for pva bags just use a feeder be it cage, maggot or pellet feeder, cheaper and regular casting will build up a bed of bait.

Look at the HDYGO thread especially @nottskev his fine stillwater carp catches are not taken far out or on hefty gear.

ETA: As an aside, a regular full on carp fishing friend of mine (fish to 65lb) has recently bought a cheap margin pole and is having the time of his life.

 

[chrisjpainter]

First thing to check are the rules of the lakes. Some have pretty specific requirements and may rule out (or in) some things. As distance isn't a major factor, then the reel's a good choice. I'm not a big fan of the DL4000, but it will tick all your boxes happily enough!

The issue of PVA bags is worth taking a bit more time over, if you're set on going that way (it is a good tactic). Short rods decrease casting distance, meaning you have to put more welly into the punch. But putting welly into the punch with a full PVA bag puts undue stresses on the bag, the line and, most importantly, the rod. 15 acres is a pretty sizeable body of water to punch out a 5oz+ casting mass (lead plus bag) for a 9ft rod. The test curve isn't an issue for the fish (I fish 2.25lb), I would look at either lengthening the rod to a 10/11ft rod of the same TC, or going for a 3lb 9ft rod.

There will come a day when the fish are drifting in the middle and you want to target them. Getting the bait out there with a bit of ease - and without shattering the rod or snapping off in cast - will make life a lot more stress free! The Korum Opportunist XTEND is about the same money as the Stalker, with a 10ft 2.75lb TC in the range. I have the 2.25 and love it. I do use PVA tactics with it, but only on very small lakes where you don't need to be putting any stress to cast.

 

[john step]

I have 3 11 ft 2.75 rods that do for just about everything carpy. Its just that most rods come at 2.75 or 3 usually but I would be happy with 2.5.
Like most anglers my rods have to serve for everything carp wise and I find this a happy medium.
I do use PVA bags but find them a fuss. I much prefer a stringer of PVA string and about half a dozen boilies. I tie it to the lead eye which casts better. I dont do long distance stuff. The lead is on a snap swivel which means I can interchange the lead for a dry one should I re cast.
If in catapult distance I can amuse myself firing a few boilies at the spot I am fishing.
So its not as accurate as a PVA bag but I often think its better to bait an area for the carp to browse rather than spook on a neat pile?

 

[Philip]

I often think its better to bait an area for the carp to browse rather than spook on a neat pile?

Absolutly ! ...on places with everyone using bait boats and bags I suspect someone coming in and spreading the bait about a bit could do very well. A Carp browsing along picking up a bait here & a bait there can become easier to catch than one that probably treats every neat pile with suspison.

I also think a browsing Carp moving between spread individual baits is more likly to self hook than one feeding over a tight spot.

 

[RedDieselFisher]

Cheers guys for all your replies! No PVA bags isn't totally settled on as a method at all, it just seemed the most simple for short sessions. Currently im torn between a ESP stalker 9ft 2.75tc rod or a ESP floater 12ft 2.5tc rod, both secondhand but in good condition for the prices. And both to go on my Shimano.

 

[Philip]

I dont know about the "floater" bit but 12 foot 2.5 tc is a very versatile spec. I have a set like that and they have served me well for literally everything from small ponds to big ressies and rivers.

Of course you can always get specific tools for specific jobs later on but if you getting back into fishing and its a straight choice, one or the other I would go for those rather than a 9 foot rod every time.