A Few Things You Need to Know About rods.
There are different types fishing rods available for coarse fishing, each designed to do a specific job. What I have tried to do is list the main types and go through what to look out for when choosing a rod. Don't worry if you can't afford to much. I was sat fishing last summer and two blokes came and sat near me, who had bough telescopic rods from the local pound shop. The reels looked to be about the same quality. Yet they went on to catch quite a few roach and bream and had an enjoyable day. We have all got to start somewhere.
Test Curve of a Fishing Rod.
You need to understand what the term "test curve" means, when applied to fishing rods.
A rod is held out in a horizontal straight line, like the top rod in the drawing. The amount of weight needed, if attached to the end eye, to make the rod tip point directly towards the floor at a 90 degree angle to the butt (handle) of the rod is it's test curve. The bottom rod on the right has a 2 pound weight tied to the end eye. This just makes the rod tip point at the floor at a 90 degree right angle, therefore it's test curve is 2 pound.
As you can imagine the greater the stiffness of the rod, the more weight would be needed to pull the tip right around to the floor. So the stiffer / stronger the rod, the greated the test curve.
Be aware that some manufacturers do not like to use the term test curve as they consider it to be misleading.
Action or the Taper of a Fishing Rod.
Just a quick word on a fishing rods action, although it's not something that you hear much of these days. All it does is describe how a rod bends.
This might be making things a over simple, but in general coarse fishing rods can be described as having two "actions". The first is called "compound taper", which means that it bends evenly all the way through. These rods are the best for playing fish on, as the can feel every movement of the fish due to the sensitivity of the rod. The other action is "tip action" or "fast taper". The means the is stiffer towards the butt and more bendy towards the rod tip. These rods are seen as being better at striking and casting, but you cannot feel a fish as well during the fight.
Unless your after a long distance carp rod I wouldn't worry to much about a rods taper. I will describe more in detail, as we look at different sorts of rods.
Reel Fitting.
When choosing a rod make sure it has a screw reel fitting, to hold the reel securely. Some have sliding clips which you can lock into place, which are also fine. What matters is being able to hold the reel securely to the rod. I think all rods come with secure reel fittings now, but it's worth being aware of when buying a rod.
Float or Waggler Rods.
Float rods tend to be anywhere between 11 to 18 (yes I did say 18 foot) long. Most are either 12 or 18 foot. They need to be fairly long so that they can cast lite tackle and pick line up quickly on the strike. The very long rods then to be specialist rods for trotting on rivers.
You will also notice that they have a lot of rod rings on and the ring should stand some way of the wall of the rod. If it's a rainy day, this keeps the line away from the rod wall and sticking to it. It doesn't happen with a ledger, but believe me it can do with a light float. Also the more rings there are on a rod, the more the line is able to follow the curve of the rod curing casting and playing a fish.
Float rods tend to come in two or three pieces, three being the most common. The term test curve isn't used with float rods, sometimes manufacturers but the recommended line strengths on as a guide. I think its fair to say that most float rods have a "tip action", which means they can pick line up off the water quicker during the strike.
It must be mentioned that the traditional float or waggler rod was intended for smallish silver fish and tench. These days with all the carp and commercial fisheries about, manufacturers have started producing heavier duty waggler rods, specifically made for these fish.
Lastly, bear in mind that you may need to hold the rod all the time you are fishing, rather than have it sat in a rest all the time. So take the weight of the rod into consideration.
Ledger Rods.
In general ledger rods are between 10 and 12 foot long. Sometimes more specialist rods can either be shorter or longer. The shorter rods are normally for detecting shy bites off smaller fish when the going gets tough, in winter for example. I would tend to stay away from these very short rods, as they are not suited to fishing commercials for carp etc. The longer ones tend to be made for carp fishing on commercial fisheries, casting out heavy feeds and leads at distance.
There are many excellent rods on the market, the "John Wilson Avon" shown above, converts to either a quiver tip rod, or a straight "avon rod" with a 1¼ pound test curve. You can also vary the length of the rod as well from 11 to 13 foot.
Ledger needs to be more robust than a waggler rod. You are not casting light float tackle but leads and feeders which can be quite heavy. The weight of the rod shouldn't matter as much with a float rod, as it spends it's time supported by rod rests during fishing.
The rod rings should be more heavy duty that waggler rod, the rings nearer to the rod wall, as the example shows on the right. Lets face it the line isn't going to stick to the rod wall whilst casting a heavy feeder out. Look for rings that are well made and firm, they have to stand up to casting and playing big fish.
Quiver Tip or Feeder Rods.
Quiver tip rods are very popular, they have a very sensitive tip, which you tighten up to your lead and watch for bites. Always make sure when buying a quiver tip rod that it has a number of interchangeable quiver tips, three is normal. The tips provided should have different stiffnesses to cope with different conditions, flows of water on rivers etc.
Ledger Rods.
In other words an ordinary rod, without the quiver tip at the end. These rods are normally between 10 to 12 foot long and have a test curve between 1 to 1½ pounds. Some light carp rods make excellent general purpose ledger rods. I have a 1½ pound test curve carp rod, that I use for smaller carp, tench, bream and barbel fishing.
A very popular type is the "Avon". This term is used to describe a rod of 1¼ pound test curve and of 11 foot in length. Manufacturers are also producing some excellent barbel rods, which are brilliant for other species. They are normally between 11 to 12 foot long, are strong enough for lite carp work and yet I have used mine for float fishing as well.
Carp Rods.
Normally between 11 and 13 foot long, with a test curve between 1½ to over 3 pounds. I think a 12 foot rod with a test curve of 2¼ to 2¾ should suite most peoples needs. All carp rods should now have a screw or sliding clip fitting for the reel, so it can be locked securely in place on the rod. The rod rings should be quite large in diameter, which is to reduce friction during casting. This doesn't matter so much if your not trying to hit the hundred yard mark.
Carp rods normally come in two pieces, with either a spigot or a put over joint. You need to be aware of the differences between the two, as I have seen people trying to push spigot joints flush together, which can damage the rod.
Spigot Joints.
The picture above shows the two rod halves joined together. Note that the top half does not fit all the way up the spigot. This is to allow for wear, I've seen people try to force it and ruin a rod. If through use, the joint becomes loose, rub the spigot with a candle. The wax will help firm it up.
This shows a separated spigot joint on a carp rod. The spigot is attached to the bottom half of the rod, the top half is pushed onto the spigot to hold it in place.
This is the commonest type of joint on carp rods.
Put Over Joints.
Some, but not many carp rods have "put over" joints, where the bottom fits into the top. Such joints are found on poles and the majority of coarse fishing rods. I think most manufacturers fit spigot joints to carp rods, because they think they are stronger than the "put over" type.
In Conclusion.
I've covered waggler (float), ledger and carp rods above. There are other kinds of rods, two of the most obvious being pike and spinning rods. Don't think that just because a rod says "carp" on it, it can only be used for carp. For a good few years I used a salmon spinning rod, as a lite carp rod, it, it was perfect for the job. I've also used a flattie sea rod as a carp rod in the past. I bought both because they were exactly the rods I was looking for at the time.
Remember everyone has to start somewhere. I see people turning up at commercial fisheries with all sorts of rods. I know there's a saying that you only get what you pay for. Just remember it's not what you have or how much you paid for it, it's what you do with it, that catches fish.