Affordable Angling: What is the Best Set Up for Catching Carp?

This entry was posted on 31st October, 2023 by Guest Writer

In this article, Jimmy Penrose combines his money-saving skills and carp fishing knowledge to create the ultimate carp fishing set up for under £100, all available at Angling Direct.

Carp fishing is a sport enjoyed by the masses nationwide. Recent industry news shows that fishing is a proven attribute of good mental health and well-being. It is an industry creating thousands of jobs and most importantly a skill set learnt and loved by people of all ages.

Carp angling is truly a wonderful thing, but with the neverending cost of living crisis currently plaguing the UK, angling for many is becoming alarmingly difficult. In the current climate, sports like carp fishing are needed more than ever.

In this guide, I will show you some of the items you could add to that carp wishlist that delivers you carping results.

Is Carp Fishing Expensive?

Without a shadow of a doubt, it's every angler's dream to own the most desirable high-end tackle that has all the bells and whistles. High-end carp tackle that will help you locate and reach carp in the trickiest of conditions often carries a hefty price tag.

I think we don’t often see more accessible tackle that is marketed for beginners or people returning to the sport. However, it does offer fishing tackle for those who don’t have masses of disposable income to throw at it.

The Best Set Up for Carp Fishing

For a great, affordable carp fishing setup, I suggest getting into feeder fishing. Feeder fishing setups are an all-year-round tactic. It is also ideal for a budget of £100 or under. Feeder fishing is perfect for anyone looking at getting into the sport or looking for a more realistic way to get back to the bank.

Are feeders good for carp fishing?

Feeder fishing is just as successful in the colder months as it can be in the warmer months. Whether it is fishing at long range or in close, feeder fishing is one of the most accessible and enjoyable ways to put carp on the bank.

Feeder fishing is like the bread and butter of my carp angling career. Although I've specifically moved over to specimen angling, I often make sure to get a few trips in on the old seat box with the feeder rod.

There is nothing more exciting than seeing a feeder rod tip fold in half on itself as you get a take on a commercial lake. The rush of adrenaline surges through your body as you dive to grab your rod. The instant contact between yourself and the carp as you lift the tip in the air and the sound of the clutch starting to peel line off as the carp makes its run is truly an exceptional experience.

Beginner Carp Fishing Venues

Anybody wanting to begin their journey into carp angling needs to start on a commercial lake. It becomes the perfect way to learn the foundation of skills required to land the species we all chase.

How To Start Carp Fishing

Be sure to get on the internet and research beginner carp fishing venues near you. You can search for commercial carp fisheries, match carp fishing lakes or day ticket carp lakes to bring up a few areas where you can carp fish.

Ultimately you need to find a venue that holds carp of smaller sizes and more of them, you wouldn’t want to be sat behind a feeder rod whilst everybody else on the lake is cosied up in a warm bivvy sat behind three rods.

Top Tip: If the lakes offer to fish with two-plus rods, it won’t be a venue to be feeder fishing on.

Usually, these lakes will advertise as a day ticket from dusk until dawn, with carp averaging 3 lbs-20 lbs. Whilst I’m not saying monumental-sized carp haven’t landed on a feeder rod before now, walking before you can run is always good to keep in mind!

UK Fishing Laws

Always worth a reminder, the lakes, fisheries, reservoirs, rivers and canals we have in the UK are phenomenal, this is down to the great work the environmental agency and like-minded anglers and bailiffs do of protecting our spectacular waters. You will need to obtain a fishing licence!

What license do you need for carp?

Purchasing a day license for beginner carp anglers is ideal as it covers you for the day you set out to go fishing.

Many anglers purchase an annual fishing license from the GOV website, but just as you’re starting to save some money purchase a day license and take it from there. Day tickets are great before committing to an annual license.

Tackling the Tackle

For all your carp fishing set-up, head down to your local AD and grab your basket or sign in to Angling Direct online.

In-store, you can speak to one of the fantastic sales advisors about your needs and what you want to achieve and they’ll be there to help you find the perfect set-up to suit your needs.

Basic carp fishing set up for under £100

Feeder Rod - Feeder fishing rods come in all shapes and sizes. They all perform in different ways.

A 10ft rod is the perfect place to start. It offers good distance on casting without impeding on anything that can cause issues such as trees or overhanging branches in your swim. A 10ft rod also gives smooth action whilst playing a fish.

Korum Phase 1 10ft feeder rod - £24.99

Carp Fishing Reel - A smaller reel will suffice for commercial waters. Opt for a free runner with a spool that holds a good amount of line.

A free-runner reel means it has a free-running clutch. This is perfect for feeding on the bottom with lead weights as it offers ease of use

Advanta Freerunner 4000 - £20

Feeder Fishing Line - Pick a sinking monofilament line with a breaking strain of around 8 lbs.

This will give you good action whilst playing a carp. A sinking mono will sink to the bottom of the lake bed, when in contact with water. It is perfect for feeder fishing.

Preston Innovations reflo sinking mono 8lb - £5.99

Method Feeder - A great feeder proven to provide a perfect bait presentation is the X safe from Guru. It is made for ease of use and plenty of weight to aid with casting.

Guru offers a well-thought-out design to ensure the feeder lands perfectly on the bottom every time. The X-safe system makes use of elastic that runs through the feeder that cushions the initial bite and headshakes to help land more carp. A must-buy for anybody who is feeder fishing.

Feeder Method Mould - A bright orange bit of rubber! These are designed to mould your pellets perfectly to your method feeder to ensure the bait lands where you cast them. Ensuring the most efficient presentation whilst allowing the pellets to break in a short period, leaving a pile of freebies with your hookbait placed neatly in the middle. Make sure you ask your AD sales advisor, or customer services if you have the correct size mould for your method feeder

Guru X Safe Method Feeder 28g- £3.25 Guru X-Press Method Fishing Moulds - £4

Feeder Fishing Rig - I use pre-tied banded rigs in the majority of my feeder fishing.

The Guru ready-made rigs consist of 8 pretied rigs made from Guru’s best terminal tackle and hooks. They are neatly packaged and ready to attach to your feeder via loop-to-loop. The band is designed to hold your chosen hookbait.

Guru 4” banded ready rigs size 12 - £3.50

Carp Rod Rest - An essential bit of tackle needed to hold and rest your feeder rod at an angle to the water to help with bite indication, your rod will need to be placed on at least one rest to ensure you don’t move the feeder once cast out

Advanta Aluminium plastic V rod rest - £2

Best Baits for Feeder Carp Fishing

Baits are an essential part of carp fishing. The market for carp baits is crazy with different types, sizes, flavours, colours and shapes.

Bait can be as easy or as complex as you want to make it. For feeder fishing, it couldn’t be more simple.

Fishing pellets - 2mm pellets have the properties of being able to take on water and become moulded around your feeder and that’s exactly what we are looking for.

Look for the clear bags or ask a member of staff to show you them. A bag will last you a session and it roughly costs £1.50 in your local fishing tackle shop.

Wafters - Again hookbaits are just as mental with the sheer variety you can choose from. Feeder fishing works particularly well with wafters that just sit above your pellets once broken down in the water, bright-coloured and wafting to help the carp home in on your bait.

Mainline match wafters 8mm are my weapon of choice, in particular the pineapple ones, bright yellow. A firm favourite with carp anglers alike, yellow-coloured and pineapple-flavoured just works. I use it within a big chink of all my carp angling, I like to think that it imitates a bright piece of corn and carp love corn! Your choice but these are the ones I’d suggest - under £5.

Fish Care for Carp

Without a shadow of a doubt, fish care is one of the most important parts of angling, The proper aftercare and release of the beautiful carp we chase is the main reason we keep getting to go back to enjoy another session on the bank. There are a few essentials that you will require for this:

Disgorger - A pencil-like-looking tool that helps unhook the carp once it has been banked. You slide the tool down the hooklength, push and turn the hook to release the hook hold safely from the carp mouth.

Preston Disgorger - £1

Unhooking Mat - Having an unhooking mat is paramount when first starting. It gives you more space to unhook the carp safely whilst protecting the carp's slimy outer layer, gills, fins and scales. A must-have for any beginner carp angler and a detrimental piece of equipment for all carp fisheries within the UK.

NGT Eco Unhooking Mat - £7

Spoon Net and Handle - Spoon nets are safely designed to scoop up the carp when paired with a 2m handle. A net and handle allow you to do this from a static position whilst ensuring the carp are lifted from the water and not causing any damage to themselves from the material of the net whilst thrashing around.

Dinsmore Powerlite Tele Handle - £9.99 Advanta X5 oval match net - £19.98

Grand Total - £97.21

*Please note that the prices mentioned in this buyer's guide may vary and are subject to change.

Carp fishing can become a minefield to begin as a hobby with the variety of tackle, bait and equipment available. With the addition of high costs and expensive equipment, it can appear quite daunting.

As this buyer's guide shows, it is possible to get involved in the sport and purchase good quality equipment at a lower cost. You can get fish on the bank with this setup. Big or small. This setup covers everything you need to begin your angling journey.

Feeder fishing covers the perfect foundations to build on working your way up to catching big carp whilst adding more tackle to your armoury whilst continuously enjoying the sport. The more experience you gain the more in-depth you will be able to research and revise tackle that works to your skillset, venue and target fish.

Us anglers know this old saying of “all the gear and no idea”. Angling is down to the angler and it is thoroughly your skills and experience that will catch you more fish. You don’t need all singing all dancing tackle to enjoy angling. It’s mostly about hard work and effort.