NGT Carpstalker Rods and Okuma Carbonite Reels

I fished 8 hours on Ann Arbor's section of the Huron River on Saturday using the NGT Carp Stalker rods and Okuma Carbonite baitrunner reels helping kids ranging from 4 to 15 years old catch carp. 

Some kids caught their first fish ever and for others it was the biggest fish of their lives so far. Some caught small carp in the single digits range and a 7-year old young lady landed the biggest of the day - a mid-teens carp.

I haven't priced them specifically for purchase but after a couple of Google searches it appears you can get the NGT Carpstalker and Okuma Carbonite combo brand new for $60-$65 not including shipping costs. 

The 8' rod's 2.0 test curve is fine casting 3 oz. leads and small amounts of packbait up to 40 yds. The reels were spooled with 30# braid and were able to do the job okay-ish. The reels are rated at 12#s of drag pressure I believe, which might be enough in clear, weedless, and snagless lakes and small rivers/creeks. The reels show their weaknesses quickly with heavy weed and/snags such as submerged tree branches. I had to apply manual drag with my hand to help compensate while fighting several fish today. 

I am accustomed to fishing with a light drag, but the Carbonite reels need to be tightened down much more. I noticed they tended to back-off a little after a couple minutes when fighting some of the most aggressive carp.

The Carpstalker and Carbonite combo is a perfect option for small children to use for occasional carp fishing activities in my opinion, but more experienced carp anglers may be looking for better equipment in short order. They are still a nice, budget conscience option for carp anglers, at any experience level, for lake and small river fishing.

Here's another photo showing the Carpstalker/ Carbonite combo in action.