Ledgering and carp rods

[TiffyToola]

Hi all

I am relatively new to fishing having only been freshwater fishing 3 times and I have really taken a liking to ledgering. One of my colleagues suggested I get a carp rod as I only have a float rod and don't really want to keep borrowing someone elses.

What makes and models should I be looking at?

I don't want to spend a massive amount and there are so many different makes out there I really don't know what to buy.

[Maddison_Twatter]

Why a carp rod ? do you wish to target big carp only, if not I would get a feeder/ ledger rod. wychwood,daiwa,tfg all make good feeder rods

[TiffyToola]

I'm not sure about the carp rod bit it's was just something suggested to me. Thank you for the info :)

[Maddison_Twatter]

the tip on a carp rod isnt really sensitive enough for feeder/ ledger fishing that is why bite alarms are used in most cases , but you wont go wrong with a half decent feeder rod

[BoldBear]

Or if you want to get a good all round rod that you can catch fish like Tench, Bream, Crucians Chub, Barbel and smallish carp why not get one of the 'Avon Quiver' type rods which various makers do nowerdays.
With an 'Avon Quiver' type rod you can either fish with a normal tip section or with a quivertip section (which comes with 3 different strength quivertips) so you get two rods in one and they are as near as you can get to an all round rod.

John Wilson do them in both 1.25lb tc and 1.7lb tc for £50 - £75 and they are well known for being excellent rods (I have two myself), but there are lots of other similar rods out there for much less if you look around.

Or you could get a nice 'Multitip Specialist rod' which comes with two different ordinary rod tips. I use one which comes with a 1.5lb tc tip plus a 2lb tc tip and use it for fishing for decent sized fish of most species including Chub, Tench, Barbel and fishing for large carp on the surface.

[chazyboi]

dont get a carp rod it will limit your fishing ,,,,as bold bear said get an avon rod 2 tips ledger and float in 11 ft the John Wilson siganture is the one to get in my view its a great all rounder my bro has one he says he understand why john laughs so much when he hooks up on one lol

[mac1]

Please listen to the others advice as they know the different rods etc etc......
But i feel ,i must say , i only fish with carp rods and have fished for and caught ,tench,roach/rudd,bream,perch,pike,eels,sturgeon,catfish and carp from half pound babies to 21 pound bigguns..All of these caught on cheap carp rods that are now 10 or more years old and cost 20 pound or less,i have upgraded my cheap reels to shimano 5010gt off ebay for 35 pound , which is cheap for a decent reel that will last years
As you posted , you already have a float rod ,so can fish for smaller/lighter species , and the others have posted good advice , but ask friend who advised carp rod ,where he will be taking you to fish and what rod is best for the situation........unless your 100% sure you want to carry on fishing, start off cheap and practical , then upgrade as you go....................but please dont think carp rods will limit your fishing [ sorry chazyboi ] its what bait you use and how you present it , that catches fish , not what rod you have..........mac

[chazyboi]

@MAC1 no its ok i understand what you are saying totaly ,,but you cant fish a float and 1lb bottom on a carp rod the carp rods action wouldnt allow it you would bump small fish and loose the fun of the fight i am a carp and pike angler first though i do all the aspects i can sea fly ect and have a vast array of carp rods from 2lb to 3lb tc the reason being they all do diffrent jobs distance rods and soft margin bashers to suit variouse lakes and pits ,,float fishing on a river with even the lightest carp rod would be exhausting lol ,,i do fish for tench on carp rods and big bream and they do put a nice bend in the blank ,,i rem hooking a 2.5lb roach once on a 2.5 test rod it was a joke lol ,,i think unless your all out for carp, a carp rod would be a tad limiting to a beginner who hasnt made his mind up yet lol thats why when we start out we get a rod for everything the kid in the sweet shop effect without thinking we might only do that type of fishing once and not like it a 9ft wand 11ft feeder 12 ft 13 ft float rod barbel rod and carp rods av a look in your attic or shed at what you dont use now says it all ,, if i had the chance i would of just brought a 2 good twin tip avon 2 flyrods for rivers i fish all the time a good float rod and 2 decent sea rods lol the mony i would have saved would have gone on bad women and ale lol but as in everything we do here just my opinion lol good luck

[BoldBear]

Originally Posted by mac1

please dont think carp rods will limit your fishing [ sorry chazyboi ] its what bait you use and how you present it , that catches fish , not what rod you have..........mac

I agree that basically 'its what bait you use and how you present it , that catches fish' and not your rod; however the rod you decide to buy can make a lot of difference if you want to use the one rod for many different fish and fishing methods with confidence.

let me explain why I think this:

I also have a vast array of different rods most of which spend their days on the shelf and never get used; including several pairs of Carp rods of differing test curves from 2lb up to 3lb which have caught me many decent sized Carp over the years.

But the rod I use the most on stillwaters and rivers nowerdays is my 'Specialist Multi-tip' rod which comes with two standard rod tips (1.5lb and 2lb tc tips) and which has recommended lines of between 3lb and 16lb (yes I did say 16lb).

Not so long ago while fishing for Tench and casting a light link leger tight up against some distant lillies using 6lb main line and a 5lb hooklength I accidentally caught a 21lb 4oz Common Carp on this rod (see picture at bottom), and because I was after Tench I was using the lighter 1.5lb tip section which has a minimum recommended line rating of 3lb upwards.

Inspite of using a size 14 hook,a 5lb hooklength on 6lb main line I was able to keep plenty of sustained pressure on this Carp without fear of losing it because I was using ‘Balanced Tackle’ which helped me to absorb the fishes powerful runs, twists and turns with relative ease.

If I had been using the same size 14 hook with a hooklength of 5lb on a much less forgiving Carp rod I don’t think I would have managed to stay so calm and I would have been more likely to lose this fish through the hook coming adrift or the line parting; but because I was using ‘Balanced tackle’ I was able to keep continuing pressure on the Carp and bring it in quite quickly while still being able to absorb any final twists, turns and runs under the rod tip.

I have also caught many large Roach, Chub and large Barbel from small clear streams using the same rod fishing lines of anywhere between 3lb and 8lb; but I can also use this rod for Carp using lines up to 16lb (using the 2lb tip section), or chucking a large feeder to the horizon on a large river.

Now that’s what I call an ‘All Round Rod’ and why I would always recommend such a rod to anyone who was after a rod which can be used in all different types of fishing situations but did not want to splash out on several rods.
I also have a couple of ‘Avon/Quiver’ rods which instead of two normal tips has both a Quivertip section plus a normal avon type tip section which I also recommend to anglers who prefer having the choice of a quivertip when needed.

And these rods are sold by most decent tackle manufacturers at all price levels from about £25 up to £200; mine cost £120 and is made by Greys but there are some excellent ones on the market at much lower prices.


The 21lb 4oz Carp caught on light Tench gear using a Multitip rod.

A 1lb 15oz Roach caught from my local crystal clear stream using the same Multi-tip rod.

[chazyboi]

totaly agree on the balanced tackle boldbear and in a way you have echod what i have said i always point beginners to a good multi tip or avon look at my pictures and take a look at the fish my 13 year old girl catches her last catch was a 14lb common on 12" float 3lb main line 2 lb bottom might put the video up i started her on an avon style rod as it was dad i want a carp next it was dad i want a pike then roach now she likes catches carp so i brought her a full carp rig and she uses my float rod to dabble wen bored saved me a fortune ,,,and btw she can do 50 yards with a 13" beachcaster from an otg cast lol its al about experience and listening to other anglers and reading we are all at the mercy of the fish we endevour to catch lol