Carp Tackle For Beginners
Starting carp fishing can be a daunting prospect, but if you intend to try your luck at banking some real whoppers then you’ll need the right equipment for the job.
With such an overwhelming amount of dedicated carping gear on the market, it can be a bit of a head scratcher to know where to begin when choosing items of gear suitable for the job.
Most leading tackle giants offer economical, mid-priced and flagship equipment to suit everyone’s pocket. Kitting yourself out with the cheapest stuff available can be a false economy, as sub-standard tackle certainly isn’t built to last and can soon let you down – often at the critical moment.
Some carp anglers use £20 free-spool reels which disintegrate as soon as a lively carp ploughs off, and the same can be said for ridiculously cheap rods. Luggage and shelters also need to do the job too, without falling apart or letting in the rain.
Start off with your typical middle range tackle from a reputable maker, and upgrade gradually when the carp fishing bug gets a very firm hold of you.
Here is a carp tackle guide to get a kit together…
With such an overwhelming amount of dedicated carping gear on the market, it can be a bit of a head scratcher to know where to begin when choosing items of gear suitable for the job.
Most leading tackle giants offer economical, mid-priced and flagship equipment to suit everyone’s pocket. Kitting yourself out with the cheapest stuff available can be a false economy, as sub-standard tackle certainly isn’t built to last and can soon let you down – often at the critical moment.
Some carp anglers use £20 free-spool reels which disintegrate as soon as a lively carp ploughs off, and the same can be said for ridiculously cheap rods. Luggage and shelters also need to do the job too, without falling apart or letting in the rain.
Start off with your typical middle range tackle from a reputable maker, and upgrade gradually when the carp fishing bug gets a very firm hold of you.
Here is a carp tackle guide to get a kit together…
1). Starting a career in carp fishing does involve a fair old pile of gear, but it’s all essential stuff. You can’t beat the advice of your local tackle shop owner and offer invaluable information as well as good waters for you to begin your carp fishing.
|
2). Rod pods are essential for stony swims or banks baked hard by the sun. Bank sticks are usually the norm, but you’ll find them useless in hard ground. Quality high grade aluminium pod and coupled with a pair of decent alarms and bobbins offers a sound set- up. Don’t be tempted by mega cheap alarms from obscure makers. These alarms often give up the ghost as soon as it rains.
|
3). You don’t need to spend a fortune for a pair of carp rods. You can get good pair for half the prices as expensive ones and still great quality with slick and stylish finish. A test curve of 2.5 lb is a good all-round rod. Reels with a free-spool facility are the favoured option. Bite n Run free-spool reels are smooth operators with history of reliability.
|
4). Here’s the business end of your carping outfit, terminal tackle. There’s absolutely no point in having all the gear but very little in the way of end gear. Don’t scrimp on critical items such as hooks, swivels and hook link material – buy the very best, and have a decent supply with you. Store all your terminal tackle in a decent tackle box and you won’t misplace essential items.
|
5). Tying standard carp rigs is easy to master, but to start you off and give some peace of mind, you could invest in a few packets of ready-tied rigs. Good quality ready-tied rigs with different designs to suit all situations. It’s also worth picking free instructional DVDs which are widely available at most tackle shops. They are quality productions,offering all manner of invaluable information for both experienced and novice carp anglers alike.
|
6). Baitwise, you can’t go wrong with boilies and pellets – carp simply love ‘em and there’s an almost infinite array of weird and bizarre flavours to choose from and they all catch fish. Boilies usually come in 1 kilo bags, in either shelf-life or frozen options. Both score well, but remember that preservative free frozen boilies need to be popped back into the deep freeze to stop them spoiling. Don’t forget a decent catapult for loose feeding – you’ll struggle to throw baits more than a few yards!
|