Dedicated to US Carp Fishing, Fishing-Carp.com is your ultimate guide for tackle and bait reviews, rig advice and carp fishing videos and images. Thanks for visiting!
I didn’t get much fishing done this year, partly due to a new job, but mostly due to another very additive hobby!
I picked up a metal detector from bigboyshobbies, So far all my free time has gone into metal detecting. I bought a Garrett AT Pro and I’m thinking about starting a metal detecting blog.
I have some new tackle reviews to get posted before the end of the season, I’ll do my best to get them live. Until then… it’s back to the treasure hunt!!
There are many producers who have many unique fishing rods to offer in their sales outlets or through internet deals. So one may feel a little flabbergasted with so many rods and would be a little confused on which is their pick. The kind of fishing you are intending to you usually is the yardstick with which you decide a particular rod measures up or not. Now there are a lot of rods which you can buy to make your fishing easy and enjoyable.
Have you decided which fly fishing rod you should buy? Are you having trouble finalizing which is the one you want to go with? Sometimes, this could be a might task. You can have many thoughts in your mind like is it right to by my gut feeling, am I going to be sitting by the lake and fishing or going to be on my boat while I wait for my catch? You must consider how long your rod should be but equally important is the action that the rod can perform.
Fly fishing rods are known for the way they bend. The more they are able to bend; it means that these fly fishing rods are excellent. You can do a simple check if your rod has the necessary bend. The measure for this is the more direct force applied on the rod, the rod bends more.
If you have rods which bend very less, then these fly fishing are called fast rods. These are famous for their minimal bend. They give more momentum to your fishing. The distance covered is much too. You may love this fact when you start. But with time, this can become a problem and you may not enjoy fishing much. This is because the speed and the accuracy of the throw. These are some qualities only veteran anglers possess. So if you are one, then you know how to manage this situation. If not, then it could be a problem.
Wondering what this is? Well the rod which only goes halfway to bending. These are also quite supple but only at the upper end of the rod. So you do not have to worry if you have the aptness of throw and timing but a little would only help you. You will have added up all this if you have been fishing for some time now and you know how to handle this rod.
Beginners are advised to start fishing with a rod which has a mild bending to it so that they can practice their cast to perfection. On the other hand, a few feel that rods with maximum bend should be the choice.
Choose with your head rather than your heart to make your fly fishing trip an enjoyable and a memorable one. If not, you can get irritated and upset.There are many producers who have many unique fishing rods to offer in their sales outlets or through internet deals. So one may feel a little flabbergasted with so many rods and would be a little confused on which is their pick. The kind of fishing you are intending to you usually is the yardstick with which you decide a particular rod measures up or not. Now there are a lot of rods which you can buy to make your fishing easy and enjoyable.
I’ve been holding off on writing this review as it’s been far and away my most expensive piece of carp tackle to date and I wanted to make sure I gave it a good few sessions before even beginning to comment on it.
I think in total I have around $700 invested in this rod pod setup. Most say that is an absolutely barmy amount of money to spend on a rod pod, but I can assure you, after my 5th use, this pod is going to last me a lifetime.
You can configure the matrix patriot rod pod pretty much exactly how you like, almost al’a carte. I went for the “super slinky” setup as I already had 2 slinky bank sticks and loved them. The pod comes in slinky (thinner, lighter) rock solid (thicker, heavier) and regular, which fits most size bank sticks (like solar)
You can also customize how many rods you want the pod for – this was a huge deal for me as I fish in Oregon and we are only allowed 2 rods, you can buy 2,3 and 4 rod versions of the snag bars for this pod.
Everything about this rod pod screams quality, and you would hope so to for the price. I can set it up in about 90 seconds, another huge factor as I don’t want to be fiddling with gear when I first get to my swim. As far as stability goes, even with the slinky version, it’s as solid as a rock. You need a coin to tighten the thumb screws, I’d recommend a British pound coin for this.
So far I’ve caught my 2 biggest fish (a 25 and a 20) whilst using this pod, with plenty of smaller ones too. Even on the hardest of takes, the pod itself didn’t move an inch, even with my rod bent at an almost 45 degree angle.
Another great feature for this pod is the “pod roll” basically, the whole thing collapses into almost nothing then slots securley into a heavy duty roll which velcros together and fits right into a standard size rucksack.
You can also purchase the stage stands. This allows the pod to be setup on just about any surface imaginable.
Some people say this is the best pod ever made and you need to spend money if you want quality. I’ve only owned 3 pods so far and this one is about a thousand times better than my previous, though it is on the heavy side. A must buy if your looking to buy 1 set of quality gear to last you a life time.
Every now and then in carp fishing a new player comes to the market. The majority of the time they crash and burn selling cheap, recycled garbage that only lasts a few sessions and cost you more fish than you would ever like to admit. I’ve always advised people to buy the best gear they can afford, regardless of who makes it. There are several, very well established brands in the carp fishing market that you just know scream quality, Matrix, Solar, Greys, Shimano, Diawa etc.
Korda exploded onto the scene boasting incredible innovation, intelligent thinking and some excellent fishing personalities behind them. They have been responsible for almost redefining how a lot of carp anglers fish. I fell in love with korda thanks to Danny fairbrass’s sheer enthusiasm for the sport and the drive and determination to make it better.
Korda now have a tackle range any of the big boys would be proud of, boasting some of the finest quality end tackle on the market. Everything from hooks to spods, markers to PVA, these guys have gone 2 steps ahead of everyone else in this industry and made absolutely everything better.
Rather than reviewing each piece I own induvidually, I’m just going to list some of the best investments i’ve ever made with carp fishing:
Hooklength material: Korda softcoated, stiff, hybrid and IQ are without any shadow of a doubt my favourite hooklink materials on the planet. They are the only hook lengths that are in my tacklebox and go with me to every session.
Hooks: Well, what can you say – from the Korda Kurv to the longshank and widegape’s, Korda make the best range of hooks on the market, period. All coated with teflon and dulled down to not glint (like all korda end zone tackle) these are simply the best hooks available for carp fishing.
Toolz : Did I mention these guys are genius’s? I never leave home without my razorblades, Krusha, strippa and pulla.
PVA: Quality stuff in a variety of sizes, my favorite is the regular for making very small bags.
Bits: The Kwik change, Stick Kwick change, leaders, action packs, backleads, I own about 2 of just about everything they sell. The marker float kit including the stem, bead, lead and float is untouchable in the market place.
DVD’s: Big fan of the Korda team and everything they produce, obviously the favorites is the underwater series. If you haven’t watched it yet, go and buy it.
Personality: Ali Hamidi, I love this guy in front of the camera, would love to go fishing with him one day, really, really knows his stuff.
If your just getting into carp fishing and are looking for the best stuff out there – go with korda, along with Chub it is my number 1 recommendation for gear. You will not be disappointed.
It’s time again to review my latest and greatest purchase. I’ve just upgraded my holdall from the chub rigger bag to the chub vantage carryall. Let me just say firstly – this is the greatest innovation in carp tackle ever!
The chub vantage comes in 3 sizes and like all chub luggage, it’s all in the excellent carpy green canvas. I got the medium version, it also comes in large and extra large.
The medium version when empty is incredibly light considering it has steel bars and aluminum supports. It’s actually shockingly light at 18lbs. fully loaded with the usual bait, tackle boxes, lunch and thermos, it can easily top 50lbs so that that into consideration before purchasing.
Carrying it to the swim from my car is no fun, the steel support bars can really dig into you, though the extra padded shoulder strap is lovely, I think the next version of this bag should have much more padding around the back of the bag to protect from the steel frame.
Once you get it to your swim, the bag comes into its own, in under 30 seconds you can have it fully adjusted, flat on any type of surface and a brilliant table setup and ready to go. Once setup this bag is pure carp fishing luxury. The front gusseted panel zips fully open to allow access to all the gear inside the bag once the table is in place, those people at chub deserve a medal for this one.
My overall verdict: easily my favorite piece of kit so far. Well worth the pain of lugging it around, the table, adjustable legs and gusseted front panel are simply ingenious, its a very well made, well thought our product, yet again from chub and well worth the $169 price tag.
Final thought – unless you have a carp barrow, do not go for the larger versions. I can only imagine the pain the larger ones would inflict on your back and sides in transit to your swim! Buying a smaller bag will also force you to take less gear, how many times have you got to your swim after a half mile backbreaking walk only to realise you would never use 80% of what you had brought!
