Starting Carp Fishing: Tackle and tips for beginners

Carp fishing is by far one of the most popular branches of angling within the UK and it's easy to see why. Carp are a widely stocked species in many fisheries, they grow big and fight incredibly hard. With various shows on TV and Youtube now highlighting just how enjoyable carp fishing can be to a bigger and wider audience, we are seeing more newcomers looking to get started in carp fishing. In this article we will run through the basic tackle items you need to head out and catch your very first big carp.

Best beginner carp fishing tackle

Carp are one of the hardest fighting and most powerful coarse fish species you can go fishing for, which means they have their own dedicated tackle developed for them. Due to this, knowing where to start carp fishing for beginners can be a minefield. There is no substitute for the advice you can get from your local tackle shop, but hopefully we can put you in the right direction here, so you know what kit you need to get you started.

Like all fishing in the UK, the first thing you will need is an Environment Agency rod licence, which can be bought as a day, week or year permit online. Next, the best thing to do is to try and determine the best carp fishing venues near you that you would like to target, as this will largely dictate what tackle is most suitable for the job.

Carp are a popular species in all styles of angling and if you are only heading to a commercial venue, with fish going up to say 15lb in weight, many of the best poles, rods and reels will be more capable of handling them. In this article we will focus on what is 'specimen' carp fishing, that is chasing fish of 10lb right up to British record proportions of more than 60lb.

What you need to go carp fishing

For day session angling you will need a suitable rod and reel. Most anglers who carp fish tend to use two, as carp can take a lot longer to bite than other species, so this just increases your chances. For aesthetic looks and consistency in casting and playing actions, the majority of carp anglers use identical products for both set ups too.

As well as a rod and reel, you will need a large landing net and padded unhooking mat, this will help you land the fish and unhook it safely on the bank where photos of your prize can also be taken, and an accurate weight recorded, which is where a good set of scales and a weigh sling are also essential.

Bite alarms and rod supports in the way of sticks or a pod are also crucial items of kit. There's nothing more satisfying in fishing than hearing that alarm scream as a carp runs away with a bait, and you need a sturdy rod support system to ensure the whole lot doesn't go flying into the lake.

If you want to go night fishing for carp, which many do, you will also need a bivvy and bedchair, and it's at this point when picking up a good barrow to transport it all to your swim becomes more than useful. In many ways this is where carp fishing, unlike some other branches of the sport, crosses over with camping. As you may also want to prepare your own food, see in the dark with a torch and have other luxuries whilst waiting for the carp to feed too.

Other than that, the only other items you will need are terminal tackle and bait. Strong lines, hooks and hooklinks are essential, usually with a decent sized bomb or lead required to set the hook too. Carp fishing rigs is a whole different topic, but luckily there are now pre-tied versions of all popular rigs available on the market. For bait, look no further than high quality boilies and pellets, or the budget favourite, sweetcorn.

Lets take a look at carp fishing tackle in a bit more depth and see what products might be best for beginners...

Best carp fishing rods for beginners

Carp can grow to very large sizes and are incredibly powerful creatures, add this to the large, wild and often snaggy environments they live in, and the demands on the angler's rod are great.

For many years now the common length starting carp rod has been 12ft, with more seasoned anglers seeking the benefits shorter rods of 9ft and longer rods of 13ft can offer in specific situations. As a general rule, longer rods can offer a greater casting distance, particularly when matched with a higher test curve, which can go up to 4lb now on some carp fishing rods. This is why a 12ft rod is a good middle ground, and we'd recommend starting with a 12ft 2.75lb - 3lb test curve rod. A tool like like this when matched with the best carp fishing reels will see you cast up to 100-yards comfortably and land fish in most situations you may face.

Whilst 12ft would be our preferred starting length for a carp fishing rod, there certainly are benefits of having smaller rods of 9ft or 10ft. If your venue is small and has a lot of tree cover or tight swims, then these shorter rods can be real life savers. You won't be able to cast that far with them, but for close in work they can be a real gamechanger in comparison to a long 12ft model. They are also a great choice for canals and rivers, anywhere you need to stay mobile and for anglers with small vehicles to transport their kit in.

As well as your fishing rods, the majority of carp anglers have an extra, specially designed rod for feature finding and baiting up. With a lot of carp fishing done at range, getting bait out to a spot accurately over your rig can be challenging with just a catapult, so a spod or Spomb is the next best thing. When loaded, these baiting devices can be too heavy to cast accurately with your normal fishing rods, so a beefed up dedicated spod and marker rod is crucial. You don't have to spend a vast amount on this workhorse tool, but you will find having one in your armoury really ups your carp fishing game.

Best carp fishing reels for beginners

So, you've picked up some strong and sturdy carp fishing rods, you now need to match them with the right reels. This is all about balance. There's no point putting a massive reel on a short 9ft rod, similarly, a tiny reel on a big heavy carp rod just won't perform the tasks you need it to, and will feel truly awful.

As a starting point for carp fishing, we'd suggest looking at reels of at least 8000 to 10,000 in size, the bigger the number, the bigger the spool size, and potentially the further it will be able to cast. The next thing to consider then, is do you go for a 'Big Pit' or 'Freespool' reel?

For beginners to carp fishing, we'd always recommend the use of freespool reels. These reels allow line to be taken from the spool on the bite with just a simple flick of a lever at the back of the reel. This process ensures the carp won't drag everything into the lake on the take, and allows the angler time to get to the rod and lift into the fish.

Big pit reels essentially don't have this mechanism, with the clutch being adjusted by the angler after casting out to let off just enough line so their rod doesn't go in on the bite. For beginners this process can be a little confusing, particularly when a bite occurs, as the clutch then needs to be readjusted on the pick up to play the fish, something that with a freespool reel engages itself once the handle is turned. However, if you can get used to this they are generally superior for casting and winding power.

Other essential items of carp fishing tackle for beginners

There are all sorts of items of tackle you will likely pick up on your carp fishing journey but other than rods and reels, there are a few more essentials to add to your basket.

Due to the time it can take for a bite to develop when carp fishing, most anglers fish with their rods on bite alarms. The alarm signals when a fish has picked up your bait both audibly and visually. There are lots of alarms on the market, with costs varying dramatically, but for beginners it's best to grab a cheap set which will still do the basics well without breaking the bank.

The final considerations for carp fishing beginners outside of personal comforts on the bank like bedchairs, bivvies and chairs, are fish safety, in the shape of a suitable landing net and unhooking mat.

Carp require big landing nets to land safely and keep the fish in perfect condition. Similarly, a large padded unhooking mat should be used at all times, even if you think the ground is soft enough for the fish not to get damaged. Most mats and nets these days fold down to compact sizes, so you don't need to worry about them taking up too much room in the car.

With the items listed above in this article, you have the basic kit (once combined with end tackle and bait) to go out and catch carp from a venue near you. We would recommend starting carp fishing by visiting a 'runs water', these venues offer consistent sport all-year round due to the numbers of fish present. The fish will likely be smaller than some of the whackers you might see printed in the magazine or on the TV, but learning how to catch these consistently will give you a great starting point to progress on to bigger and tougher waters from.

Now you have everything to go carp fishing for the day, why not check out everything else you could possibly need to do your first night on the bank.

Author Aidan Bordiuk is an enthusiastic angler who enjoys all fishing disciplines from match fishing to beach casting. He is currently occupying the position of Digital Editor at Angling Times.