Hi everyone, this is my first post so you'll habe to bare with me. I recently started fishing on my local canal again with my friends for the first time since i was 16 (3 years) and have decided that i would like to take the sport my seriously as some of my mates do. My dilema is this; I am considering buying a £100 complete starter combo kitbut I'm not sure wether to get the carp starter kit or the course fishing starter set. These are the specs: Complete Coarse Fishing Outfit Offer
12ft Carbon Composite Match Rod 3pc
Matching quality Okuma Reel
Zebco Deluxe seat box with padded seat and carrying strap
Leeda 2XL Luggage Set
Pack of 10 Crystal Floats
3 Packs of Hooks to Nylon
Plus Instructional Video
CARP STARTER SET
Two 12ft Racer 3lbs Carbon Composite Carp Rods.
Two Browning/Zebco Baitfeeder Reels
Two Leeda 2XL Bite Alarms
Deluxe 3 Rod Pod set up with hangers and rear rests
Grandslam Padded Adjustable Comfort Chair
50" Storm Umbrella with detachable storm sides.
Which one would you guys recomend as the best deal for a starter? Thanks, GaZ

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GaZ
Welcome to Anglersnet, before we can proffer any advice on the above could you tell us what sort of fishing you would like to be doing as you have put forward two very differing options.
Will you be targetting silver fish on the canal you metion or do you fancy a specimen approach for carp etc?
Tony

That'll be the Chapmans Float & Feeder outfit:
http://www.chapmansangling.co.uk/acatalog/
Sounds like a great deal.

Before you order something online I would recommend you make a visit to your local tackle shop and explain to the nice shop manager what you want.

They'll probably be able to sort you out with a basic set of tackle suited to where you want to fish, and given that if they can sort you out for a reasonable price they'll be likely to get much of your future bait and consumables trade, you might be able to negotiate a good discount.

The invaluable advice on local waters/methods will probably be free.

If you post on here the area where you live no doubt someone on AN will be able to recommend a good local shop (or warn you off the dodgy ones).

Good advice Wag. Those that know their way around angling are probably safe to be let out with credit card in hand. Beginners advice is always best sought from a local reputable tackle dealer.

Having said that, the Chapmans deal looks good. Two rods all carbon, no heavyweight composite rods there. The price however is about £125 inc VAT and postage, so its not cheap.

It's £79.99 plus postage - you haven't been looking at the Euro price, have you, Argyll?

I stand corrected Davy. All this new fangled foreign currency....

[ 22. September 2005, 12:59 PM: Message edited by: argyll ]

I like the idea of catching carp but I'd have to say that most of the fishing I would be doing would be on the canal. If i went for the course fishing set up would it limit me if for example I went fishing on a mere? Thanks people!
GaZ

What meres are you looking at and what species would you be after? Does the canal hold enough big carp to make it a worthwhile proposition?

In the long run, even if you end up purely after carp, what you learn from float fishing for other species will be very useful and make you a better carp angler.

You may of course not go into carp fishing, but decide to fish rivers perhaps. Whatever you do though a coarse outfit will be useful in the years to come - unless of course you just fish for carp.

Hello GaZ, and welcome to AnglersNet You've probably done the best thing you could do already, and that is to come on here for advice

I fish a local canal quite often, and I would advise going the coarse-fishing route. Wag's given some good advice when he suggested going to a local shop (though as has been hinted, there are some dodgy ones out there - ask your friends which shops they frequent).

As for rods and reels, don't be afraid to go second-hand if money is short. Most tackle shops will have a decent number of both, and you could save yourself over half the cost of buying new.

When it comes to buying, choose 3 or 4 reels that you like the feel of before you even start to look at the rods. When you've got a selection then look at the rods. Again, choose a selection that suit your requirements, then try each of them with the reels you have picked until you find a combination that feels best (ie, the reel doesn't unbalance the rod). It might take a bit of time until you find the right combination for you, but if the shopkeeper is doing his/her job properly that shouldn't really matter. Make sure however that you can put your index finger on the front lip of the spool whilst holding the rod, important for casting and feathering the line before it hits the water.

As has also been pointed out, the best thing about buying the r&r from a shop is that they will know you from the start and will be more likely to advise you than if you just went in for a few floats and bait every now and then. Build up a rapport with the owner, ask him about fishing the canal. If anyone knows about it, he will, simply because he will hear it from his regular visitors and he should should then pass that information on to you.

If you need any advice on anything, don't be afraid to ask

Tight lines

[ 27. September 2005, 09:12 PM: Message edited by: John S ]