Pod or Sticks????

[Dick Dastardly]

As I said Im not totally against pods/bars but there is a time and a place.Like a lot of carping their use has become automatic without much thought for why.

 

[ 11. February 2005, 02:36 AM: Message edited by: BUDGIE ]

[Common 40]

I will agree with you there.

[Polly]

mixed opinion then!!! sounds like "Horses for Courses" as mentioned. Each to their own I suppose.

Good thread though, long may it continue.

[erik]

just to add another opinion, personally have a preference for single sticks for the reasons above, also less crap to cart about. admittedly it can be trying when trying to get sticks in rock hard ground but a bit of perseverance with a screw in peg usually does the job. there is no substitute for stainless sticks for durability, for hard ground alloy sticks are useless.

[Steve Burke]

Common 40:

If I have lost any fish with my set up Then so be it tough!

I think we must differ in our approach to our fishing. If I lose a fish due to my set-up, it's certainly "not tough". Just one missed fish is one too many, and so my set-up gets changed! However, as you say, everyone's different.

 

Most of the time you may get away with a pod, more especially if using a self-hooking bolt rig. However, I don't always use such a rig - sometimes it's preferable to minimise resistance. One of the ways to do this is to avoid an angle at the rod top.

 

You mention that you position your rod to counteract this angle yourself. Presumably this is to avoid missing fish?

 

With a pod you may not even know whether you've got any small pulls or dropbacks as the rod top may absorb the indication. You've therefore no way of telling whether you've missed any fish. Certainly I've caught fish before when using banksticks that I almost certainly wouldn't have with a pod.

 

As you say match anglers often use quivertips and stare at their tips for hours. The reason they use quivertips of course is to show small pulls or dropbacks. But it's not practical for carp anglers to watch a tip when they're fishing a long session, and of course they can't when asleep. Additionally, match anglers use bolt rigs much less than carp anglers. They still miss bites though!

[Common 40]

maybe a side winder on the rod is an alterative?

[Steve Burke]

I use 2 types of indicators when ledgering for carp. The first is a Swinger, my choice being a modified Fox Pike Swinger. See my field test at

http://anglers-net.co.uk/reviews/fox-pike-swinger.htm I'd be likely to use this when fishing for runs, especially with self-hooking bolt rigs.

 

Incidentally, I use this indicator on the rear rest, not the front. This has 2 advantages. Firstly, I have the option of fishing open bail arm. Secondly, I don't have to approach so near the water and thus there's less chance of spooking the fish.

 

The second indicator, which gets less use for carp than other species, is a home-made bobbin on a cord, which is then weighted with the appropriate number of swan shot. I use this most when the fish isn't likely to bolt, especially if I need to let the fish take a little line before striking.

[RUDD]

For my short session carping the pod rules as I can set the lot up as far away from the water as I want.

Sometimes I only fish for an hour and any bank stick disturbance could spell the end of the session before it starts.

[Jim Gibbinson]

Pods are okay in "groomed" swims and from flat (ish) banks, but there are plenty of steep or marshy or underwater (i.e. beyond a reed margin) swims where a pod would be at best not very practical, or at worst untenable.

 

Notwithstanding their popularity, I'm not a fan of pods and only use one where there is no option (i.e. concrete banks as on a reservoir) or from deepwater platform/pier type swims. From platform/pier swims in water up to about 3ft deep I use extra-long bansticks (I've recently taken this a step further and ordered a set of 6ft models from Chris Brown, to be compatible with his normal bankstick/buzzer-bar setup).

 

Truthfully, I cannot recall when I last felt compelled to use a pod for any sort of freshwater fishing. As I say - I will if I have to, but such occasions are very rare.

[poledark]

Jim, I fish a couple of swims where the front of my pod is about 5feet out in the lake, in order to clear the bankside rushes.

Extending legs allow me to set it up in up to 5ft of water. This is just one example where no other method would work. I set the pod up and then lean out and lower it in the water. I also need chest waders to fish that swim

 

Anyway back to the original question....there is no simple answer, but I agree 100% with Steve that pointing the rod down the line can give the least resistance to the bobbin or swinger, and where shy biting fish are the quarry then this is the best, especially if the indicator can be set to register the slightest movement, probably by counterbalancing it.

 

As far as bolt rigging for carp and tench and bream is concerned it really does not matter how the rods are set up, as long as they can register dropbacks.

 

For what it is worth, my pods (I use two quadpods) have normal bankstick legs which can be removed and used as banksticks if the need arises, or if I fancy a day down the river.

 

I have various lengths which allow me to extend the length up to 5ft 6ins and the shortest go down to about 10ins. Added to them I have some non adjustable ones which are 4ins long, these are useful on hard(concrete) banks and for when I want to tip the rod points down to the water.

 

All of the parts have the standard thread and can be interchanged at will.

 

 

So I would suggest a quad with standard type bankstick legs

 

Den

 

[ 12. February 2005, 11:59 PM: Message edited by: poledark ]