Beresford wrote: ↑Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:43 am
Test curves are obtuse things and hard to measure. One of my new built MkIVs has a test curve of both 1.5lbs and 2lbs. How come? Well it's very hard to tell when the rod has really entered the 90 angle. I tried, with assistance, to do so. It hit the 1.5lbs mark easily but when I put a real fighting curve into the rod it pretty much remained at the same 90 degrees but with a digitally measured 2lb pull.
I know you folks are more skilled anglers than I am but I'm very nervous about using over stiff rods for carp fishing as I have genuine concerns about hook pulls and mouth damage. The notion of using a rod with a 3 or even 4lb test curve does make me wince somewhat. Is such a brutally stiff rod really necessary? (Runs and hides!)
I have an 11' foot cane carp rod which is a 2lb rated modern Chapman blank. Due to the extra length, over a MkIV, I can get a lot more control over the fish and it's powerful enough to turn hard fighting quick fish in the 14 – 18lb bracket from snags. Due to the length it doesn't feel over stiff just, I suppose powerful but compliant.
Up until a couple of years ago the only way I could stop surface hooked large carp at very close range in weedy old pools getting in to snags was to use a carbon rod ( with test curves of 2.25/ 2.5 /2.75). At that time the most powerful cane rod I had was a MKIV Carp ( Sharpes Scottie 1.5TC) and it was not powerful enough to land fish in these circumstances. Surface fishing at very close range you only have literally a few seconds to gain control. When the fish are only inches from snags you have to stop them, hold them and turn them in a couple of seconds.
Fishing in those specific circumstances I also use 16lb line. I tried for a long time with 12.5lb line but kept losing the larger carp - it was not strong enough to hold them when there is a such a force generated at close range. Therefore with 16lb line a rod with 3lb TC is a good match ( most info on test curves suggests that the range of line strength to use should be between 4x and 8x the TC - ie 3lb TC means lines of 12lb to 24lb are best).
However since then I have used the S/U MKIV - probably close to 3lb TC, and a an old Hardy rod that also probably has a test curve of about 3lbs.
Using those I have succeeded in losing far fewer fish and therefore landing a lot more carp that are upper doubles to low 20's.
I fish a number of waters where the same carp obviously get caught repeatedly and yet the only carp I see with mouth damage are known old carp in one pool where they already suffered damaged mouths a long time ago.
I look carefully at each carp I catch and their mouths are not damaged after being caught in those circumstances. I believe tethered carp, using barbless hooks, and novice anglers are the three main causes of mouth damage to large ( over 10lbs) carp.