"Hi Andy, seen a lot of carping vids popped up recently. I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of a pond somewhere north of the bridge to take the gf for a fish? Thanks for any inside info!"
Can do cobber and you couldn’t have written at a better time. We’ve had shocking weather here in Sydney for the last month. But rather than sit at home cursing the wind, I’ve been out there chasing carp - using some specialist gear:
Some mighty battles have been had, although still trying to better my 9.5kg PB:
Before we get into where to fish, can I mention something? These days everyone is so busy that, when you do get on the water, you want to do the best you can. And some special gear makes that so much easier:
The rod pod. A three rod holder that incorporates alarm buzzers and lights. It comes in a zippered carry bag, with the legs held in sleeves and the frame in Velcro straps:
So many benefits, with this set up. Firstly, you can forget the old forked stick shoved into the ground. This keeps your rods out of the mud and dirt or in this case, the duck poo:
A client writes last week:
"On the Rod Pod Holder with bite signal does it adjust up or down on the ends so if on a sloped bank you can adjust so rods are level? thanks"
Yes! All four legs adjust independently and it’s very easy to do that. Have attached some pictures we took with reel boxes under the legs to show how that works. Uneven ground on the lake or riverbank no problem at all.
But the really big plus are the buzzer alarms - with flashing lights -on the front rail. You cast out your rod then place it in one of the three rod holders, on the pod. The front one has a battery powered alarm, adjustable for both tone and volume. Your line goes between the two ears on the alarm. You can then either back the drag off or, open the bail arm. Blue LEDs useful:
Clients love them. Here’s Andrew’s setup, at a park lake in Western Sydney:
And here's how it works for him:
Two things to mention, before we get to where to fish? These rod pods aren’t just for carp and trout on the lakes. I’m even using mine for calm water blackfish now, where the floats stream in the tidal run:
But one of the best uses for these rod pods is, chasing squid. Especially when used in conjunction with our $55 underwater squid light:
Set and forget (well maybe not totally!) on the wharf. If its cold, I sit in the car and wait for the blue light to flash:
Here's the link to buy our squid light:
And here’s the full story on the rod pod. Only $130 including delivery and that includes the three batteries:
NOW. To your original question! (:^D) Carp map below:
Recommendations are:
Bella Vista
Lane Cove River
Manly Dam
Let me know how you go and if further intel needed just send me an email? Thanks for reading,
Andrew Hestelow
Managing Director
Tel. 0402075000