Carp anglers angle a carp fish with a fishing rod. From a distance, for a person who has no knowledge of fishing, it seems just a shaft and a long thread dangling. The anglers hold the shaft handle and throw the line and catch carp fishes. However, that one shaft has so many components attached to it. And there are other items, which are used to safeguard a hooked carp fish too. Each one of these components has its own role to play in fishing carps. Right below, we will get into the nitty-gritty details of all these best carp fishing gear.
Carp Fishing Gear
All that is used to catch fish are fishing gear, so when the gear is for carp fishing, they are called carp fishing gear. An angler needs very many things to catch carp fishes, but the more components you have, the better your carp fishing experience will be. So we are not going to miss any even if you can do without it.
Rods
If you know about the nature of carp fishes, you know they are everywhere in the freshwater. You can find them at a far distance and can find them along the bank of the river as well as trapped in weeds. Hence to be prepared in every situation, you will need two sets of rods, short rods, and long rods.
Set of Short Rods
Anglers can fulfill their angling desire with a single rod, but to do it the correct and easy way in no time, one needs to have more than one fishing rod. So, when it is about short rods, you will need two fishing rods, approximately 10 feet in length. 10-foot rods are best to cast in at a close distance. If you mostly angle around smaller freshwater bodies, then two 10-feet rods will be enough for you. However, keep in mind, any carp fish past 70 yards, you cannot cast in with these short rods. These are not for big casts and work perfectly during underarm casting. The statement of not for big casts brings us to the longer rods.
Set of Long Rods
By longer rods, we mean 12-foot rods. The difference between 10 feet and 12 feet might not seem to be too glaring. But the places that the 10 feet rods don’t reach and cast, easily could be by 12 feet rods. If you are fishing carps in a large river or lake and want to catch them, letting them swim at a distance, not waiting for them to come near you, you will need these long rods. They cast at a long-distance effortlessly. These also work great in fast-flowing rivers, where holding a fishing rod could be very difficult, and the fishing line will always be under high pressure and at risk of breakage. You cast from so far away that the ever so cautious carp don’t even realize what hit it and take the bait.
Fishing Reel for Rods
For two different lengths of rods, you better use two different types of fishing reels. The short fishing rods work best with a lightweight reel. That pretty much gives away that a long rod will work with a comparatively heavy and big spinning reel. But make sure in both cases, the spinning reels you are using have the capacity of the mainline you will use.
Fishing Line to Use with The Reels
We prefer sturdy monofilament fishing lines as our mainline. A braided fishing line also works great. But monofilament mainline is less costly, requires less line than the braided line, and holds the knots better due to its sturdiness. Also, braided ones don’t work great with shorter rods. We do not prefer experimenting with the fishing line as the 12-pound monofilament fishing lines work the best for both short and long rods. Thus if you want us to recommend just one mainline for both the rods, it will be a 12lbs monofilament mainline. And if you are going to use a braided mainline, a 25lbs braided line will do.
Baits
For carp fishing, there is no better bait than corn. It could be canned sweet corn. Or you can use your own carp fishing bait recipe and save some bucks. A lot, actually. Reason – carp fishing needs chumming. For days you need to throw baits in the water body to make the carp used to the bait. So, using a can full every day will not be as feasible in that case. Therefore, prepare corn bait by boiling it in hot water after a full day of soaking. Add salt to enhance the taste and use as much you want to lure the carp fishes.
Hook
To catch the brute, you will need a sturdy, sharp hook. Circle hooks are the best for carp fishing. It could be any between #6 or #8. The #6 circle hook is enough to catch carps weighing less than 20lbs. And if your target is way more than 25lbs, then #8 will do. Depending on the carp fish’s size and weight, you can also use #4 and #10 circle hooks. Actually, having all types in your collection in the tackle box will be great.
Rig
Use the swivels and rig beads to prepare your best carp fishing rig. A rig is a combination of smaller attaching items like swivels, hook-stop and easy knots that bind the mainline with the hook, bait, and sinker and make sure that the lure doesn’t slide by and fall.
Landing Net
Carp fishes fight a lot to get free from the hook. So don’t try to unhook them, bringing the fishing rod close and its hook closer. Use a landing net, approximately 36 inches, when you have obtained the carp fish towards the shore. No matter what the size of the fish is, it will handle any carp size. Get the carp fish inside the landing net. It will jump furiously, totally go out of control, but all its wrath will be inside the net, and eventually, it will stop its vehement moving. Get the carp on your hands only when it is calm and tried. There will be no way you will lose the carp fish due to its rage.
Large Unhooking Mat
To place the carp fish on a comfortable surface, you will need an unhooking mat. A large one, so that you have enough space for both small and large carps. It must be well-padded. A dedicated angler will always take care of the carp he caught after a lot of wait and struggle, will be gentle with it, and take it back to its habitat after he experiences his moment of triumph.
Other than the above, you can also invest in an alarm to warn you immediately when the fish has taken the bite and a bite indicator to see if the freshwater has carp fish in it with the bites all over on the float. Also, as we are talking about using multiple fish rods and alarms with it, bank sticks will come in handy to hold them, and you do not even need to sit near the rods all the time. Arrange your backrest and comfortably sit on it and when the alarm beeps, do your job of rolling back the mainline. Make your fishing experience convenient with all these gear.
