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Brodrash

5wt too small for carp?

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The carp in the Wabash River can get quite large. A former president of our fly fishing club tied into one. He took his new Redington 8wt which was paired with an Orvis Large Arbor Battenkill Reel. This was shortly after the Vers-A-Tip hit the market and thought he would give it a try.

 

He claims this was the first fish on the rod, he knows it was a carp because he was in a school of them. He hooked up and couldn't get it to turn. It just took off and spooled him.

 

That would have been fun on a kayak.

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I'd go with a 9' -7/8 wt., plus lots of backing.

 

If there are a lot of snags/weeds/logs/rocks where you're going to catch carp, then your

5 wt. is a goat going to a dog fight.

 

Of the few carp I've caught this summer, they've all taken me into my backing at least 2 times

and the only way I managed to land them was the fact they were in deep snag-free water &

I was in my canoe.

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I would go bigger. You know what size fish you are after.

I fish a 5wt all the time on the local pond and I am afraid that one day I am going to catch a grass carp by accident.

There is a weedline reaching about 10ft off the bank and I would not be able to bring in a fish that has some size to it if it digs deep.

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Well....all good points made here & there. As a rod builder though, I'll give my take on it...

Almost any fish CAN be landed on almost any wt rod.....given enough area and time. But keep in mind the health of the fish, the size of the water/stream/lake/river....so with that said. I'm of the thought of , right tool for the right job. For me, carp...7wt-9wt and nothing less IMO.

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Thanks for all your opinions. I'll try to stay away from the carp for now, and my next rod will be an 8 wt. Then I will have a 3, 5, and an 8wt. That ought to cover anything that swims in freshwater right?

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Thanks for all your opinions. I'll try to stay away from the carp for now, and my next rod will be an 8 wt. Then I will have a 3, 5, and an 8wt. That ought to cover anything that swims in freshwater right?

Until you discover Musky !

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DavidR, have seen quite a few northern Pike pulled out of a few of the waters I fish they are not usually huge but I have seen a couple around 30 inches. The biggest Pike I've seen was pulled out of an Hay field lol I think it was over 40. What's the best rod wt for them in your opinion?

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Then I will have a 3, 5, and an 8wt. That ought to cover anything that swims in freshwater right?

Famous last words...

 

The way it works is that you have an all purpose 5wt, and a 3wt for panfish. Then you need a 7wt for big bass and a 9wt for carp. Then a friend takes you either big pike or saltwater fishing and you need a 10wt. Now you look at the rack and you realize you need an 8wt for lighter saltwater/carp, a 6wt for lighter bass and then you want to build your own, so you go with a 4wt.

Now you are ALMOST covered... :)

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I really don't think I'll need that many rods my wife will probably kill me after the next rod. So I probably don't need to worry about that. biggrin.png

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Then I will have a 3, 5, and an 8wt. That ought to cover anything that swims in freshwater right?

Famous last words...

The way it works is that you have an all purpose 5wt, and a 3wt for panfish. Then you need a 7wt for big bass and a 9wt for carp. Then a friend takes you either big pike or saltwater fishing and you need a 10wt. Now you look at the rack and you realize you need an 8wt for lighter saltwater/carp, a 6wt for lighter bass and then you want to build your own, so you go with a 4wt.

Now you are ALMOST covered... :)

Guilty!

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I really don't think I'll need that many rods my wife will probably kill me after the next rod. So I probably don't need to worry about that. biggrin.png

Nope, I keep telling you guys that the wife trip is all about them getting something of equal value that they will cherish or wear precisely one time or what ever . As long as they get to spend money too, they are happy. There is not a woman born who is not a shopper at heart, they live to shop !

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