Carp Catchers Blog

The Chub Outkast is a very good value rod for the performance, I have spoken to many people who believe that even if the price was increased it wouldn’t slow the sales of such a quality piece of kit and it might be considered as more of a high quality rod than a budget rod that many believe it to be. The Chub OutKast is a very close rival to the Greys Prodigy in my eyes and in some cases I would even go as far as saying it’s a better rod especially as they are cheaper by quite a considerable margin, still come with a lifetime guarantee and perform along the same lines as the Prodigy. I myself own a set of Chub Outkasts in 2.75 and 3lb test curves and would say that the 3lb test curve has a bit more backbone on cast but is just as forgiving as the 2.75lb test curves under the tip. The slim look matt black finish gives the blanks a stylish look on the bank as well as having the performance to back it up. All in all the Chub Outkast is a top quality rod that will enable you to handle most fishing situations you encounter with ease. 

Cheers,

David Moore

See what The Century NCS Carp Rods can do in the right hands.Â

See and hear a full description of The Nash Venom Carp Rods.

I have always been an enthuasiastic angler from a young age, starting off fishing the Basingstoke canal for small silvers and slowly making my way up to specimen carp angling where I am now. Once my fishing had developed and I grew older I started to really get into it and realised I could make a living from a sport that I thoroughly enjoy.  I started to think about my options once I’d taken my GCSEs and taking a course on fishery management was definately on the cards. After looking around at a couple of courses I settled on taking the foundation degree in sport fishery management and aquaculture at Sparsholt college in Winchester, I visited the college for an open day and was really impressed with the facilities there especially the National aquatics centre which had not long been rebuilt.

So it was set I was to head down to Sparsholt at the end of summer ’06. I didn’t know what to expect upon arrival but was looking forward to getting involved with the course and meeting new people. As lectures started and the course got into full swing I started to settle into college life. 

During my time at college I have managed to get a fair amount of fishing in, especially during a couple of my work placements which I took at Richworth Linear fisheries, Oxford. During my work placements at Linear I fished during the nights and weekends with my other college mates who were on placements with me but during the day we had work to carry out around the fishery. My first placement at Linear involved alot of preparation on the tackle side of things as I had’nt had the kit out for over a year, so my tackle box had to filled with new leads, hooks and a variety of other terminal tackle. I also had to invest in a few larger items including a new Chub Outkast spod rod and some Solar stainless banksticks as well as a reasonable quantity of bait from Mainline and Dynamite baits. The fishing during the placement was very successful with all of us landing new PB’s, the biggest of the fish being a 34lb mirror from Manor known as the big stocky and an enormous catfish from St Johns weighing in at 58lb. Unfortunatly neither of these fish came to my rods but I did manage a new PB of 29lb 4oz  and a few other fish including a very pretty 25lb 4oz mirror from St Johns which has to be my favourite catch by far, it was my 1st fish in over a year as I hadn’t managed any fishing previous to this for about 14 months. I have since then managed to get alot more fishing in managing a few more fish along the way, but nothing worth screaming about.

Anyway back to Sparsholt, I am now in my second year and still enjoying the course, probably more so than in the 1st year as what is talked about in lectures makes a lot more sense after a year studying the subjects involved. I currently have exams coming up and yet more assignments to be completed before the end of this academic year. This is my last year of the foundation degree but I hope to continue onto the 3rd year and complete the bachelor of science degree to increase my qualifications further and hopefully give myself more to go by when i have to try and find myself a job in an industry which is very difficult to find employment in.

My decision to study at Sparsholt was a decision well worth taking as I have learnt alot and made some very good mates along the way. It was just the other day we were all sitting down and discussing how we would never have seen ourselves being mates with such a mixed group of people. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Sparsholt and wouldnt hesitate to do it all again if i was given the choice.  

This is part two of Carp Rods and Test Curves in which we’ll talk about Carp Rod Actions(see March 13 blog for part one). A Carp Rods Action as well as it’s Test Curve should be taken into account when deciding which Carp Rod to buy. The three most commonly referred to actions are through action, progressive action and fast action. As with test curves there are others but these three are the most common.

Through Action Carp Rods will bend easily right through to the butt and they are a joy to use when playing a fish. Hook pulls are less likely as the through action will cushion any lunges during the fight, lighter lines may be used for the same reasons. Through action carp rods are not a good option when distance casting, method fishing or PVA bagging.

Progressive Action Carp Rods are also referred to as compound taper, semi fast action, parabolic or medium action. They will bend progressively through to the butt and are good general all round rod. Progressive action carp rods like the Century NG will cast a good distance and at the same time be quite good for playing fish. They are very good for PVA bagging and method fishing but are not really suitable for continual long range work or extreme range fishing.

Fast Action Carp Rods are really only suitable for long to extreme range casting, they are also more suited to big PVA bags or method feeders. Because the rod blank is much stiffer to allow it to recover faster during the cast they tend to bend more in the tip only when playing fish, so hook pulls are more likely. Fast Action Carp Rods like the Greys Prodigy require a good casting technique as well as a good fish playing style therefore they are more suited to experienced carp anglers.

I hope this blog has been of some help to those of you looking for a new Carp Rod.

Best fishes,

John

Exciting news (for us anyway) we now hopefully have a Nash Tackle account. With a bit of luck our first order should be in on Friday if not it will be early next week. We will be stocking right across the range from bivvies to rods to bait eventually so if you need anything in the Nash Tackle Range we will more than likely have it. It will take a little while to get it all on the website though so either come in and have a look or telephone for your requirements.

For those thinking of buying new Carp Rods in the near future an understanding of test curves may be of help. Carp Rods normally have test curves of 2.5lb, 2.75lb, 3lb, 3.5lb there are others but these are the most common. So if a Carp Rod has a test curve of 3lb what does this mean? The test curve, in this instance 3lb, is the amount of weight needed to bend the Rod tip round to a 90 degree angle whilst the Rod is being held horizontally. The test curve of the Rod is usually used as a measure of stiffness of the Rod Blank and consequently its’ casting capabilities. As a basic starting point the stiffer the Rod the further it should cast. There are other things to take into account though before splashing out on those lovely new Carp Rods. The first thing to consider is your casting ability and also your ability to compress a Rod to its’ fullest extent. When a Carp Rod is fully compressed on a cast it is at its’ maximum backward arc and allows the furthest distance to be obtained. So if you can’t fully compress rods of 2.5lb test curve then it’s pointless buying rods with a 3lb rating. The other important point to consider is the Action of your new Carp Rod and I will explain its’ importance in a future blog. I hope this has been of some help to those of you new to Carp Fishing.

Best Fishes,

John

We’ve had lots of new stuff come in so I’ll give you a rundown of some of the new items. Bivvies:- The new Chub Tri-Lite Bivvy �and Trakker Aero-Lite Bivvy �are both now in stock. As their names suggest these bivvies are among the lightest on the market and they both look extremely stylish and well made. If you want a look pop in and I will put them up for you. PROLOGIC have released some really nice tungsten leaders and stiff tungsten rig booms we have them in stock now so check them out.

Carp Rods:- we are now stocking the new Century FG Carp Rod �and�they look the absolute�dogs danglers. At the other end of the price spectrum we have the New Ron Thompson Dominator Carp Rods these also look very impressive for the�price, if you’re in the market for a budget carp rod then have a look at these babies.

As usual at this time of year the Bait Companys are starting to release their new ranges and we will have the best of them. First up is Dynamite Baits,�their new range of�Fresh Squid & Octopus Boilies �and Fresh Prawn Spicy Shellfish �boilies are now in stock both shelflife and frozen as well as matching pop-ups and liquids. We also have Dynamites new range of liquid soaks/flavourings with added liquid Betaine. Betaine is one of the best Fish feeding stimulants of all time so get on it. Richworth Baits have released their new KG1 pellets to compliment their very successfull KG1 Boilie Range. The KG1 Range is in stock now but going very fast. We’ve also had a few new bits and bobs in from Cotswold Bait Creations including their PVA friendly Maize which looks brilliant for something that bit different in your bag mix. That’s all I’ve got time for this time, but there are�new products coming in all the time so I’ll keep you updated.

Happy Fishes,

John

With the recent spring like�sunshine and mild weather many of you who prefer not to fish during the cold weather will be dusting off your�Carp Rods� and thinking of your first carp fishing session of the year. Now is the time to thoroughly check all of your tackle. Check that your reels are still whisper smooth if not give them a thorough clean and a little oil. Check that you have all the terminal tackle that you need and tie up a few fresh rigs ready for the off. Give your rucksack and carryalls a good sorting out so that you are not carrying a lot of unwanted tackle and rubbish around with you. One of the most Crucial things you should do is change your Mainline, if its been on the reel for 3 months or more definitely�change it�(unless its braided mainline). You do not want lose the fish of a lifetime or any fish for that matter for the sake of a few Pounds.�The majority of Carp�Fishing�Mainlines cost less than the price of most day tickets so don’t fall at the first hurdle.