Advanced Carp Magazine

Advanced Carp Fishing says: To get the best from your new rods and reels get yourself a some braided main line. This will serve you well for  both spodding and marker work. Firstly, braid has no stretch, which means that you will feel every little bump and vibration that is transmitted from the lead. This is perfect for feature finding because you can easily locate gravel bars, smooth areas and weed beds accurately. You will often hear anglers saying that they are looking for a firm drop on the rod tip when feeling the lead down. The use of braid will exaggerate further the ‘feeling’ the lead will give you when it touches the bottom of the lake, helping you determine what’s out there.

The reason why braid is so good for spodding is, once again, because it has no stretch and you will always be in immediate contact with the spod. This is a huge advantage when you are flicking the rod tip to help empty the spod once it’s on your spot.

ACF’s Dan Wildbore uses and reccomends 20lb whiplash braid. It performs extremely well, but the addition of a 30lb shock leader to take the main strain of the cast is advised for spodding. Be sure to keep the spool wet as well to stop friction being caused on the cast, which is a big cause of wind knots.