Carp Fishing Rods

I started fishing for carp using a King Cat medium action rod from Cabela's. It's designed for catfish, but at $29.99 it's acceptable for entry level carp fishing on a budget. The Ugly Stik would also be a worthy low budget rod, although it's more than twice the price.

After a few weeks a friend I met on the banks from Ford Lake in Ypsilanti loaned me 2 Wychwood Signature carp rods and 2 Black Phantom carp rods.

I am currently shopping for some new rods. I am considering the Daiwa Mad Dragon 12' / 3.00lb test curve. They are not really "cheap" rods, but they are what I consider to be a step up from the Black Phantoms.

At $59.99 they are affordable and provide the opportunity to have 3 matching rods to go along with the matching Okuma Coronado reels that I have on my shopping list. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my Okuma Avengers, but they don't really have enough torque and stopping power to feel in control of some of the larger carp I've been catching lately in the "screaming teens and twenties".

Update: I took advantage of the special buy-one-get-one-free promotion on ResistanceTackle.com last night and ordered 4 Hurricane Carp Rods.

The Hurricanes are perfect for the majority of situations. They are slim, light, responsive and have Fuji fittings throughout. They are an absolute pleasure to play fish on and that’s a fact! Their unique power progressive curve loads seamlessly along the rod length when casting and delivers a crisp tip recovery. This adds yards onto the casting abilities of the average angler. The action provides the right level of forgiveness under the rod tip that is a must today especially with braided mainlines. They have a very modern understated finish which adds beauty to a classic finish of the rod. A classic Fuji 20mm hooded reel seat allows for all reel sizes. They have top quality Fuji rod guides from 40mm, 30mm, 25mm, 16mm and 16mm tip ring. The tip ring diameter allows for effortless casting whilst using shock or snag leaders. No stone has been left unturned in this rod design and the hook retaining clip is another useful addition.

I chose the 3# test curve rods. They also offer a 3.5# rod, but since I've been fishing with 2.50# and 2.75# rods for the past year I was afraid the 3.5#'s might be a little too stiff for what I'm used to.

I can't wait until they arrive and try them out.

Fishing Rods

When I started fishing for carp earlier this year I didn't have an appropriate rod for the task. I had an inexpensive light action rod similar to one used for blue gill and crappie fishing. Then I loaded it up with a 2 1/2 ounce weight and topped it off with another 1/2 or 3/4 ounces of method mix. Next I headed out to Belleville Lake and fished with it for a few hours. I casted it out as far as I could - 40 to 50 yards each time. I didn't know any better.

It's really a wonder I didn't hurt myself, my wife who was with me, or any of the other anglers in the nearby vicinity. Hopefully by posting this I can save you the potential risk involved in making these same mistakes based on a lack of knowledge and information.

Here's an article about test curve for fishing rods that I wish I'd seen before I started fishing for carp. The article explains a lot of the considerations and even touches on the affordability factor.

I have a medium heavy action rod that I purchased for $29.99 from Cabela's that actually works quite well if that's all you have available. I have a couple of real carp rods too that were donated to me to use while learning. I didn't know it when I purchased the King Kat rod at Cabela's, but I could have spent roughly the same at BankFishingSystems.com on a rod purpose built for heavier fish like this Black Phantom.

You can spend hundreds of dollars on fishing rods for carp fishing, but you can catch carp with affordable rods too. I decided to get my feet wet at an affordable price and then purchase better equipment later once my familiarity increases. Some would argue that I should have spent a little more up front to prevent a later expense, but I wanted make sure it was something I'd actually enjoy before sinking big bucks into the carp fishing hobby.

But if you can't already tell...now I'm hooked on fishing for carp!

Here's a picture of the first carp I caught on the King Kat:



First Carp caught in July 2013 at Ford Lake in Ypsilanti, MI

Here's a video from Shimano that addresses test curves to provide some more information for consideration when you are shopping for your first real carp rod.