CHOOSE THE RIGHT ROD

A MATCH-style rod designed for catching roach and bream isn’t going to be powerful enough to deal with long casts and big carp, so it has to be a dedicated carp waggler version.

Pick a rod length of around 11ft or 12ft. Don’t be concerned that the rod will be too powerful because most modern carp float rods are surprisingly soft in their action, with hidden power well down the blank for when it’s needed.