Mk IV SU

[St.John]

Lovelly. Really want a proper mk iv, but just can't afford it.one day, one day.

[Ron Clay]

Test Curves!

I could write a full technical paper on why the concept of the test curve is flawed. In practice a test curve cannot exist. An analogy to test curves is to imagine a rope being stretched horizontally between two points to the stage where the rope is a straight line.

It will never assume a straight line due to the reason that the rope has weight.

However until someone comes up with something better, the test curve is the least worst concept of determining the power of a rod.

[GloucesterOldSpot]

There are several reasons why the test curve concept is flawed, but as the point of dispute is as difficult to pin down as the point of tangetial arc when deflecting a rod under test it is best to leave it to abstract theoreticians to discuss. Most ordinary anglers recognise that a 2lb test rod is stiffer than a 1lb test rod, so as a ready reckoner it is as good as any.

The main thing to bear in mind is that a tip-actioned rod will reach its test curve well before it reaches full deflection. A 14 foot match rod might have a tc of about 8 to 10oz, if bent so the tip is near enough 90 degrees to the butt - yet it can be bent a lot further if needs be. I'd go so far as to say a good match type rod that doesn't lock up can land any fish you're likely to hook in UK fresh water. The only reason we don't use them universally is because they won't cast heavy weights, nor do they possess enough rigidity in the tip to set a big hook or resist the pull of fast water when legering.

[Ron Clay]

There are several reasons why the test curve concept is flawed, but as the point of dispute is as difficult to pin down as the point of tangetial arc when deflecting a rod under test it is best to leave it to abstract theoreticians to discuss. Most ordinary anglers recognise that a 2lb test rod is stiffer than a 1lb test rod, so as a ready reckoner it is as good as any.

The main thing to bear in mind is that a tip-actioned rod will reach its test curve well before it reaches full deflection. A 14 foot match rod might have a tc of about 8 to 10oz, if bent so the tip is near enough 90 degrees to the butt - yet it can be bent a lot further if needs be. I'd go so far as to say a good match type rod that doesn't lock up can land any fish you're likely to hook in UK fresh water. The only reason we don't use them universally is because they won't cast heavy weights, nor do they possess enough rigidity in the tip to set a big hook or resist the pull of fast water when legering.

There is a whole lot of difference in the properties of a fast taper rod and one with a much slower taper, both of them having the same test curve. Years ago I used to have a pair of rods designed by Jim Gibbinson called "Clooper" carp rods. They were of a very fast taper indeed, in fact someone once said that they looked like "straight trumpets". They assumed the test curve when only about 1 1/2 lbs was applied at right angles to the butt, yet they could chuck a 3 oz lead a remarkable distance. This was because when bent, there was a significant amount of unbent power left further down the rod that was left "in waiting" as it were. The rod with the slow taper yet having the same perceived test curve as the Clooper, used to struggle with a 2 ounce lead!

This is one of the reasons why the test curve system is flawed.

[Greentura]

I recently saw a pair of clooper carp rods being built, original blanks that had been in my rod builders stock of blanks. He built them to the original patern for a customer and considering how old the design was they were perfectly useable today and in their day must have been a revolution, as much as the mk4 was it's self maybe.

My onion mk4 carp is a little over 1 1/2lb, mk4 doughnut Avon is just under 1lb 4oz and I used the patio slabs as a guide to get the 90 degree and my Shimano technium 1.25 test 12' specialist Avon as a baseline for the test. In the same test my recently squired Chapmans Quinette came out at around 1 3/4lb but had a much softer tip for the first 45-60 degrees of the bend and I'm looking forward to getting it back from Mike, I didn't feel confident in the restoration due to the rarety of it and being 5 strips the set in the tip needed his attention. I'm wondering how much the test may change after being sorted as it had a bend down and to the right of about 4" from straight. Has anyone else found a difference to the action after having a tip straightened?

[Beresford]

The key feature of the original MKIV carp rods which is preserved in the better replicas is the whole cane section extending into the handle allowing the entire rod to bend right down to the rubber button while the tip is fine enough to flick out light baits.

One of my modern built MkIV's bends right down through the handle. It's a great feeling when playing a hard fighting fish to feel the rod bending down through the corks – lovely stuff.