Carp Rods & Rod Combos

Carp Rods - Lengths, test curves and areas of application?

Test Curves

Carp rods are relatively heavy rods built for power, test curves of 2.5-3.5 lbs are common in this category of rod. The test curve tells you how much weight ir requires, acting on the tip of the rod, to cause the rod to bend 90degrees, giving an indication of the general power and casting wieght of the rod.

Lengths

Carp rods vary in length between 9ft and 13ft. At the shorter end of this spectrum, our 9ft and 10ft rods are easy to manage for precise casting when fishing in tight swims over short distances, so our 9ft and 10ft carp rods are the best choice for stalking carp from the bank from in between trees and brush, or when carp fishing from a boat to reach those otherwise inaccessible spots.
On the other hand, at the longer end of the spectrum, our 12ft and 13ft carp rods provide more leverage when casting, meaning faster acceleration of the rig assembly, and the possibility to cast your bait further from the bank. The length of the rod also shifts the centre of gravity during casting, so the size of the angler should be considered when choosing between a 12ft carp rod or a 13ft carp rod.

What length carp rod is best?

Ofcourse, this depends on your preferred style of carp fishing, and the types of venue you like to visit, but a 12ft rod with a test curve of 3lbs will be powerful enough to cast leads to 100yards, while still being easy enough to manage on the banks of shorter range venues common in the UK, making this our recommendation for exploring the best carp fishing that the UK and Europe has to offer. If you're fishing at extreme long distances, a 13 ft rod with a 3.5lb test curve will give you the power and leverage to cast heavier weights further. Remember, you should also consider the size of your carp reel, and how it will balance with the length of the rod.

A note on Spod Rods

A spod rod is a specialised rod commonly used by carp anglers looking to accurately bait areas at longer distances, a bait rocket or 'spod' is filled with particle bait and cast out to the desired location. A full spod is going to weigh far more than your typical rig assembly, and so a spod rod will typically have a high test curve, of atleast 5lbs, allowing carp anglers to cast spods accurately over long distances.'