Test Curve of Carp Rods
Rods strength is gauged by its test curve this is done by attaching a weight to the rod using the reel line and pulling on the weight until the weight is in line with the butt of the rod say the weight is 3 lbs then the rod is 3lb test curve.
The idea of a test curve is so that all you carpers out there can work out what rod to use for the right situation, heres how it’s done.
1.5lb Test Curve Rod
This rod is used for mainly margin and up to around 50 yds you can cast this rod much further but when you strike the line pick up wont be as effective as when using a heavier version resulting in some cases a lost fish cos of a poor hook hold. This rod is also good for stalking and barbell and zander fishing
When hooking a big carp close in the 1.5TC comes into its own firstly absorbing the carps first run for freedom mostly these rods are of a compound taper
2 To 2.5 Test Curve Rods
These rods are classed as mid range and feels mostly at home fishing from margins up to a 100 yds as line pickup goes you are ok up to a casting range of around a 100 yds and have a fairly good action playing fish close in.
3 To 3.5 Test Curve Rods
When fishing at ranges of 100yds to 160yds and chucking pva bags at distance these are the rods for you the line pick up is awesome on these rods as they have a fast taper meaning they are a lot stiffer than the compound taper rods
They are a bit beefy for marginal scraps with your quarry, any way when you hook a fish at range it will be worn out by the time its under the rod tip unless you have hooked a long common carp or a grass carp these 2 will give you major grief when they see the landing net so set your clutch right as these rods don’t absorb the power of the fish leaving the line to take the strain so be careful and switched on in these situations or end up with hook pulls and ripped mouths and that’s bad angling.
So take a good look at where you are fishing and have a read of this and you won’t go far wrong
Lee Williams aka Fester.
Carp tackle maintenance
When you have spent your hard earned cash
On your tackle it doesn’t end there, you have to keep your rods reels and alarms maintained as these take most of the weathering compared to your other tackle that is kept in your bivvy.
Reels
I have noticed a lot of carp anglers these days fishing their rods very low to the ground. I can understand this for margin fishing as the fish may see your shiny rods and reels if they are set too high especially when the sun hits them.
The problem with the low down setup is all the dust or mud finds its way into your reds one way or another even worse in torrential rain, the grime can also get into the screw mechanism on your reel seat, back in the 80s me and my fishing partner at the time made up some rod mats out of wave lock green material and using the rod mat ensured reels, indicators, reel seats, and alarms were totally grime free and I never see them used today I will have to make one to take my solar pod and one for single bank stick setups
After a long session remove your reels from your rods get hold of mild hand soap some warm water and a soft cloth don’t use anything abrasive and get to work cleaning when finished rinse off with warm clean water and leave to dry on radiator or in the sun.
When the reels are dry apply some WD40 to a soft cloth and work the wd40 into the outside of the reel.
When you have done this you need to lubricate all the water exposed parts you can find these on the reel just look for moving parts e.g. Line rollers, reel handlers etc but don’t over lubricate you don’t want this shit all over your hands when you are baiting your hook the best way is little and often.
For the inside of your reels, the first step is to take off the handle and then proceed with the side cover get hold of some paraffin a few different size paint brushes and start cleaning the gear teeth and bearing with the paraffin.
When you have cleaned off all the old grease and metal dust let the paraffin dry off and then add a good quality reel grease from Abu, Daiwa etc so no moving mechanisms are showing put the side plate reel handle and spool back on and your reels will feel like new, I do this process every 8 or 9 months depending on how much abuse my reels have taken and how they feel working, do this and your reels should last for years, another tip when you are storing your reels is to fully loosen off your clutch, doing this takes the tension off the clutch springs.
Rods
Rods are quite easy to maintain, when they should be cleaned is down to your own discretion and how much grime is on them.
Your rods can be subjected to the most grime by using the method feeder and spodding especially on prolific runs waters when you haven’t got time to keep all the muck off, this type of grime is made up of food stuffs that will attract all types of bacteria causing stomach bugs and sometimes salmonella, you need to wash this grime off at the end of each day even if you are there for a week do this every 24 hours as you don’t want an illness spoiling your session or even worse your French carp holiday.
To remove this grime while fishing I use lake water and a soft scrubbing brush which will get most of the method mix or spod mix off your rods, after this spray on some antibacterial spray and wipe this off with a dry cloth, this also applies to your reels.
When you get your rods home get hold of some mild hand soap, warm water a soft cloth and a soft scrubbing brush don’t use anything abrasive this will scratch your rods, so get to work cleaning your rods when your rods are clean start cleaning the rod buts and reel seats do this with warm running water and a scrubbing brush running the reel seat up and down until they are running totally grit free.
If there is conk on the handle and it needs restarting use a dish scourers but don’t use the scourers on the blank as it will get scratched this method can be used on black duplon handles but go a bit less vigorous on the duplon.
Wash the rods off with warm clean water and let them dry after this you need to check your rod guides for any damage especially if you have been using braid this is mainly the tip ring that braid effects but check them all this is alone by pulling a pair of ladies tights through the rings and if they snag you have a problem if they don’t snag your rods.
The last step is to spray some WD40 on the reel seat and its mechanism make sure it is all lubed and than wipe off the exec’s WD 40 with a soft cloth.
Now your rods are ready to use.
STORING YOUR BITE ALARMS
The best way to look after your bite alarms is to follow the users handbook apart from the obvious say your not going fishing for a while the first thing to do is remove all batteries as these can corrode alarm connections corrode too which could make them beyond repair.
When your alarms get wet in the rain after these sessions put them near a radiator at home until dry and then you can put them away never store them in sealed plastic bags as these can gain moisture and cause damp which is no good for any electronics.
I hope when you have read this your tackle will stay like new for years. Believe me you will fish better with regular servicing to your fishing tackle.
All the best aka fester.