Which carp rod should I buy?

At tackle fanatics we stock several types of carp and specialist rods. These rods vary in length, weight and design; have a look at the breakdown of rods we stock.

Marker Rods

Marker rods are dedicated rods for feature finding. Feature finding is a process where anglers cast a lead and a float out into the water and then proceed to pull the lead back along the bottom. The purpose of this is to feel and identify the features of the lake or river bed they are fishing whether it is silt, weed, gravel or sand. A marker rod is normally slightly stiffer than conventional carp rod, that gives the angler the capability to cast their feature finding setup to the chosen spot and then pick up the vibrations down the line. These vibrations give the angler the tell tale signs of what the lead is running over. Once the angler feels the indication that their lead is on the required bottom they pay off line and a float pops up giving the spots position and depth of water over it. These rods can cost as little as £20 and as much as £300 or even greater, the choice is completely down to the angler. Examples of these specialised rods are the Sonik’s SK3 Marker Rod and Shimano’s Alivio CX Marker Rod.

Search all Marker Rods.

Spod Rods

Spod rods are significantly more powerful than normal carp rods and are usually 4lb test curve or greater, with a fast action. These attributes mean that these rods can cast bait missiles called spods and Spombs that are in turn loaded with bait and casts into the water that then deposit the bait. These rods range massively in price but the rods strength and quality should be the main consideration. Examples of spod rods include Sonik’s SK3 Spod Rod and Shimano’s Alivio CX Specimen Spod Rod.

Search all Spod rods.

Stalking Rods

Stalking is one of the most exciting forms of carp fishing. Stalking carp is a form of fishing where the angler searches for his quarry and then attempts to catch them. This is normally at close quarters and often where he/she can see the fish. Due to carps love for the sanctuary of snags (submerged trees, overhanging bushes, lily pads, weed etc) this type if fishing is normally in confined and overgrown swims where a conventional length rod would be too cumbersome. Due to these conditions a shorter stalking rod or margin rod, with a lower test curve and a softer action is often preferred, as hooking carp at close range means extra stress is placed on the hook hold. These rods normally come in lengths under 10ft and test curves of between 2lb-2.75lb. Stalking/margin rods range in price and can cost anything from £15 up to £150 or more. Examples of such rods are the Sonik SK Margin Rod and Wychwood Extricator Stalking Rod.

Barbel Rods

As the name suggests barbell rods are primarily designed for fishing for barbell but these rods are used for fishing for a range of specimen fish, from tench and bream to chub and smaller carp. Most barbel rods come with a number of tips including either a selection of quiver tips for ledgering and/or float tips for touch ledgering, float fishing or free lining. Barbel rods normally range from 1lb to 1.75lb test curve and 10-11ft in length, these rods are less powerful than conventional carp rods but feature enough power to tame large specimen fish. Barbel rods can cost as little as £20 and as much as £200 or more. Examples of these rods are Shimano’s Vengeance Barbel Classic and Shimano’s Purist Barbel Classic 11-12”.