When starting carp fishing, we seldom think about the positioning of the rods. We put out our bait, cast, and then put the rods horizontally on our first rod pod.
Everything’s set up. We’re fishing for carp!
But we’ll soon see that the way you position your rods can make a huge difference to your comfort and the number of rods you can deal with.
We first have to consider the type of rod support before getting on to rod positioning. The buzzbar (which is a rod support) is either fixed to a spike or is part of a rod pod.
Buzzbar for 2, 3 or 4 rods.
The spike is the most basic support, and the cheapest.
Its main advantage is that it’s not bulky. With a set of them in various sizes, you’re equipped for a wide variety of situations. Obviously, when the bank is hard, the spike’s weakness is very clear. This is where the rod pod’s versatility really shows. With the latest ones, you can fish in all conditions with your rods at all angles. The price of this, of course, is the greater weight and bulk of the rod pod.
Articulated classic rod pod
This is the natural position for your rods. It will be suitable in most fishing conditions for medium-distance casting in still waters with no obstacles.
The first consideration is whether there are obstacles between you and your chosen casting spot.
If so, your main lines will need to go over them, and you’ll have to raise your rods to do this.
In rivers (large or small), your submerged slack is subject to the flow of the water, which will move your rig. It will often drift and snag or collect debris, which may lead to breakage or an injured fish getting away. To avoid these problems, we suggest that you fish downstream from your position.
Sometimes when there’s a lot of water flowing fast, your main line can accumulate so much debris that fishing becomes impossible.
The solution is to point your rods upwards to minimise the effect of the current on your slack. You also need to lay your main line out to minimize the vibration from your rig, which the fish seem not to like.
For lake fishing, the “high rod” position is used when long-casting (e.g. from a boat). There is better contact between you and the rig, and a better chance of avoiding unseen obstacles.
# Caperlan tip: It’s often tempting to fish the opposite bank, even when there are fish feeding almost at your feet. Consider moving your kit back from the water and slackening your line. You might be surprised…
Sometimes you have to switch quickly from high rods to low rods. The wind can set off your detectors or even blow your rods over if it freshens enough. This is where the rod pod allows you to change the position of your rods quickly without having to put them down on the bank.
The other advantage of the low rod position is that it will help to hide your slack on the bottom, but this is only possible in lakes etc. with clean water and no substrates. You can even submerge your rod tips and slacken your main lines. The increase in reaction time will be compensated by the camouflaged lines which are more likely to deceive those often wily fish…
Now you know how to deal with many different fishing situations, and we hope this will increase your catch…