Tag Archives: Specimen

Carp fishing rods the three types you need to be aware of

The choice of rod is very important when you are going after that elusive specimen carp. There are so many different makes of carp fishing rods and carp reels on the market every one for a specific type of fishing.  There are three main types of rod to consider every one of them dependant on where you are going to fish.  

You will often see when looking to select a rod a mention of a rod’s test curve. A test curve is determine by how much weight it takes to bend the rod through 90 degrees. The most common test curve is 2.5 lb which is normal for close to medium range fishing. If you are looking to fish long distances then a 3lb test curve would probably be more suitable.

The three main styles are as follows.

All through action

These bend through the whole length of the rod. You will often feel the rod bending under the handle. This type of rod is for playing fish with the best safety margin rather than a casting tool. These rods usually feel nicer and are a pleasure to use.

Medium action

The bend on these rods starts about two thirds the way down the rod. This offers a pleasant bend on the rod whilst there’s still power left in the butt to control a good fish. These rods certainly give a greater safety margin when playing a fish but at the expense of some casting distance. This kind of action is the one that I recommend and frequently use myself

Fast tip action

These will usually feel extremely stiff as they bend only in the tip section with other joints remaining rigid. These rods are intended for fast pick-up and long casting. The disadvantage is that every movement of a fish tends to get transmitted right down to the hand. There is also no cushion if the fish makes a sudden run as it is being netted. This can result in the line breaking or the hook being pulled out.

Most rods are made from hollow tapering tubes from a mixture of carbon and glass fibres bonded by a resin. The more carbon present in the mixture, the more expensive the rod. It will also make the rod stiffer and allow manufacturers to reduce the diameter of the tube. Most cheaper rods are manufactured from a mix containing a larger proportion of glass fibres. These rods are often referred to as composites. These are cheaper, less stiff, more robust and of larger diameter and by being less stiff and more robustthey make good carp fishing rods for the beginner.

 

 

With all the carp fishing equipment out there it is a good idea to get some knowledge before parting with your money. If you would like to know more then visit  www.carpfishingequipment.org

Carp Fishing Rigs The Hair Rig

Carp fishing Rigs The Hair Rig

Carp fishing has evolved over the years into what has become a highly specialised pass time.   I have read some where that more people go fishing at the weekends than go to football matches which is pritty astounding really, this just shows us how popular our sport is. You should also know that carp fishing rigs have also changed over the years and you must keep up with this technology if you want to catch more carp.

I remember being on holiday many years ago at warmwell, this was a holiday park with several fishing lakes of which one was a specimen carp pool. Warmwell became famous in later years as it was home to a 38lb carp and in those days that was out of the ordinary, there simply was not carp of this size that average joe could fish for. There were still many lakes that held fish of this size but there were top secret and very private, you never got to know about these venues and the carp fishing rigs that were being used,

I remember walking round the lake In the evening and feeling like I shouldn’t be there, non of the anglers seemed to want to talk to me.  I started talking to two lads who were quite friendly, the had caught a carp and had it sacked up, fior anybody who is new to carp fishing I will explain what sacked up is.

Carp fishermen usually sack a carp when they have caught a specimen fish during the night and want to take pictures in the morning in the light. They simply put the fish in a ‘carp sack’ which is a sack that the carp is placed in and tied to the bank, the fish is perfectly happy in the sack for a few hours.

The fish they had sacked was a 22lb mirror carp which they had caught on tutti fruti boile carp fishing rigs. At this time hair rigs were relatively new on the Market and were being used by all the top carp anglers.

There are many differnt types of carp fishing rigs,So just what is a hair rig?. Well in simple terms it’s a loop that hangs below the hook, this has a massive advantage of leaving the bait hanging just below the hook completely free. When a carp has sucked in the bait  
they cannot see or feel the hook, as the bait is sucked in so is the hook the carp is yours !.There are many variations of these carp fishing rigs and I will be explaining these in more detail in futher articles.

You may be asking how the bait (boilie) is attached to the hair rig?. Well a boilie is about the same size and shape as a marbel. The boilie is drilled with a boilie punch and the hair is threaded through the hole , now we need to ensure the boile stays on the hair which is done by fixing a boilie stop through the loop that has been threaded through the the hole in the boile, the bait is then pushed down on to the bait stop and will never come off,  this is just one example for carp fishing rigs.

The boilie stop is simply a very small piece of plastic or you can use a strand of grass, this will stop the bait coming of the hair rig. You can now cast your bait 150 yards plus knowing that it won’t come off. As I have already mentioned there are many variations of carp fishing rigs including many different types of hair rigs, these will be explained in future articles.

Steve Kempson is a fishing fanatic who has specialised in Carp fishing for over 21 years. His personal best Carp is 29lb 2oz from Horse Shoe Lake in the UK. For more information go to Carp Fishing Tips

Episode 5 Credit Crunch Carp Fishing with Harry on a FREE un-named Cheshire water.


In this video Harry takes us to a FREE local water in Cheshire and gets a screaming run from a 9lb Mirror Carp up tight to a snaggy fallen tree. Harry talks us through his rigs and the baits that hes using, he also covers the importance of having a rod licence and how to obtain one. The lake holds a head of approximately 30-40 Carp from 5lb to 20lb. The lake also holds some specimen Roach and some nice sized Tench. The venue address can be found at the end of this short video. Thanks for watching!