Avid Carp Fishing Tackle, Gear, & Equipment

Monofilament lines, or mono for short, are often the most popular. More versatile, and can be tailored to different scenarios. They are much more supple, offer an array of breaking strains, and most will sink varying degrees, whilst some such as zig and floater lines will float for such purposes as their name suggests. Mono's make great all round lines, and are great for out and out distance fishing, esp if coupled with a tapered leader. Their inherent downside is the level of stretch in them, where something such as fluro or braid offers considerably less stretch.

Fluorocarbons are much heavier, and as such sink link a brick. They offer low visibility, and are almost invisible in water, offer reduced stretch, and so increase the feel. They are great for short to medium range work, and clear water situations. They are not good for long range however.

Braid is incredibly supple but offers zero stretch, so the slightest knock will be indicated on the opposite end. They are great for feeling the drop, and looking for features such as spod and marker work. However they also make great fishing lines, and enable the user to fish super tight and accurately due to the lack of stretch are superb for predator fishing or tight to snags where bite indication is key. It is important to choose the correct braid, as the lack of stretch leaves no room for error, so be sure to get a braid suited for your situation.

The test curve will depend on what you are predominately looking to use the rod for. For long range work, 3.5lb & 3.75lb test curve rods are best, as they retain the back bone for propelling larger heavier leads for the distances required. However most high end rods will still possess a fast enough tip taper to make them forgiving enough for playing fish under the tip, with no compromise in playing action.

A 3 or 3.25lb test curve is often the most popular and is capable of most to medium range work, up to around the 100 yard mark, however for solid pva bag work, you would want a minimum of 3.25lb or ideally even 3.5lb.

Below 3lb you are looking at much softer test curves, so these whilst will be great for playing action, will not be powerful for large leads or heavy loads, longer range work. A rod between 2.25 and 2.75lb also makes for a great floater rod for surface fishing.

Spod and marker rods will be in excess of 4.5lb.

Generally for longer range set ups, heavier test curve rods with 50mm butt rings, we recommend choosing a big pit style reel. This will balance the rod weight, and will mean the line comes off the spool with the least resistance, whilst the higher retrieval rate means you can recover the line faster.

Smaller reels, such as small 6000-10000 baitrunners are great for smaller set ups, or lighter test curve rods.

Hydrostatic head rating refers to the weight of the water the material can support before it allows water ingress, so the higher the number the more waterproof it is. Aquatexx or 25,000 hydrostatic head will be the highest waterproof rating, and means water will just bead and roll off.

Condensation will form in any shelter, regardless of price. However more breathable materials will naturally reduce this to a degree. Your own natural body heat, boiling the kettle, and changes in temperature will all cause condensation to form in varying levels.

To prevent condensation sleeping with an open front will help, as this will allow more airflow. Putting your groundsheet down will make a difference as this will prevent moisture rising up from the ground. However to really combat condensation adding a skull cap, or a wrap will massively reduce the amount of condensation, as it will trap a layer of warm air between the skin of the bivvy and wrap, and as the out wrap cools it reduces the cooling of the inner layer of the shelter.

RD & FD refers to whether the reel is front or rear drag. RD being rear drag, FD being front drag. Most big bits tend to be front drag, such as Shimano's and Daiwa reels.

Freespool or FS refers to a separate gearing system where the drag can be disengaged via a lever, so the spool is under minimal resistance. On Shimano's this is referred to as a bait runner facility. Once the reel handle is turned, the freespool disengages and the reels main drag kicks in, and the user can play the fish normally.