Rods, Reels and Alarms! Carp Fishing Essentials for Beginners!

Welcome to this weeks blog on the basics of Carp Fishing; The Rods, Reels and Alarms. Last week I reviewed alot of different types of Bivvies on the market and gave you my opinion on what the best bivvies are on the market at the moment! If you haven’t seen this yet then check it out here!

Now onto this weeks blog. Rods, Reels and Alarms are your most important bits of kit when it comes to carp fishing, your not going to catch without them! Selecting the right equipment for you is important to be fishing effectively and feel comfortable.

I’m going to start with my set up and what I use as I have 2 different set up depending on what water I am fishing.

Day Ticket / Club Water Set Up

Rods: Daiwa Black Widow 9ft 2.75lb Test Curve X3
Reels: Shimano Baitrunner 6000 X3
Alarms: Sonik SKS Bite Alarms X3

Syndicate / France Set Up

Rods: Sonik S3 1ft Carp Rods X3
Reels: Sonik Tournos 8000 Baitrunner
Alarms: Sonik SKS Bite Alarms X3

These reason I have 2 different set ups is because my main Syndicate set up is too overkill for little intimate day ticket and club waters. I like to travel with light gear to day ticket waters to allow me to move but to fish effectively in different situations.

I will go into a little more details about what I would advise to look for when selecting your equipment.

Rods

Your rods as i previously mentioned need to match the sort of fishing you are looking to do. A good start is rods that have a 2.75lb test curve and something between 10ft and 12ft in length. These will suit most venues and types of fishing in the UK!

For young anglers, or for those who are vertically challenged then a shorter rod of 10ft would be alot easier to handle without affecting your carp fishing.

A good place to start with this is the Wychwood Riot Range or Sonik Extractor Range.

Reels

Your reels are the most important as these will control your fight and stoore your line. They need to hold the right amount of line for your venue. 90% of carp fishing venues in the UK you will not be casting over 50-60 yards so a 6000 or 8000 baitrunner or a mini pit reel will be plenty!

In my opinion, baitrunner reels are very good for beginner anglers as you can just flip the back lever and the line can run freely when a fish picks up your rig. To kick in the reel just simply lift your rod, half turn the reel and the baitrunner disengages. How simple is that!?

For these sorts of reels I would recommend the Shimano Baitrunner range. Shimano have been around for years and provide very good baitrunner reels at affordable prices.

Alarms

Alarms are not such a necessity and only need to make a noise when a fish picks up your rig. For me you don’t need anything fancy or with loads of features, just an alarm that is realiable and can withstand the elements.

Some alarms come with a reciever but you don’t really need one. However they are a nice addition when it comes to fishing nights as you can have it in your bivvy with you!

For me the Sonik SKS Range or the Fox Mini Micron TT’s are hard to beat on value and quality!

Overview

As you can see from my set up you do not need to break the bank to start carp fishing. Just select a reliable rod, reel and alarm set up and you’re off!

What I have advised is just a tiny percentage of what is available in the carp fishing world and you must suit your set up to you! But I will briefly recap the key features i believe you should be looking for when purchasing these items:

Rods:
Test Curve: 2.75lb
Length: 10ft – 12ft

Reels
Type: Baitrunner
Spool: 6000-8000
Line: Must hold atleast 100 yards of line

Alarms
Tone: Make sure they are not annoying!
Volume: Changing the volume helps

Hope you enjoyed this blog and if you have any further questions about anything I have spoke about in this blog then please let me know via the contact form below or alternatively email me at info@callyscarpycustoms.co.uk!