Carp Rods And Test Curves – Part 2 – Carp Rod Actions

Carp Rods And Test Curves – Part 2 – Carp Rod Actions
March 28th, 2008

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