Chapman's 550

[Champ]

regarding stopping the carp my view is ' why bother' ! The safest place for a hooked carp in my opinion is at the end of a long stretchy line where the hook hold is nicely cushioned. I see so many carp lost by anglers that rush things and try and bully the fish in. A nice soft rod, a stretchy line and patience mean you can enjoy the fight and not worry about the hook hold.

My view too!.The 550 is a super rod for carp fishing,especially if the above is kept in mind.I have a Hardy RW Carp which again is a lighter rod than the usual MKIV s the same applies to this one.A bonus with the 550 is that its easier to "hide" in the car when parked than a two piece 10 footer.

[OldFellah]

Good luck Mushy, I look forward to the tale !

[Paul D]

And not lets forget what Mr Yates used to catch the Bishop with.

[Mushy]

Yes and how many carp did old Herbie lose !!!!!

[Jeremy Croxall]

When the 550 first came out they were 1.5lb tc - a carp rod! And still are suitable for many waters!

But a t/c for modern carp rods is now 3lb+. And for barbel, 1.75 to 2.25lb t/c. Both carp & barbel have grown somewhat and anglers are now fishing ranges and and areas not available previously.

I have a pair of both the 500 & 550. Lovely rods - but not suitable for chucking 4oz feeders!

Olly, is there a big difference between the 500 and the 550? I have a 550 and have been thinking about getting a 500 and wondered how the rods compare.

[Olly]

I personally think it depends upon - 1) what you want to use it for and 2) what you want to catch.

I again personally - others here will have differing opinions - believe that the 500 with its 1 lb t/c is ideal for most fish under about 6lb: not suitable for casting leads or feeders over an ounce: not suitable for carping or heavy barbel fishing: brilliant for chub, roach and normal tenching and most other general fishing: lines up to 6 lb max: all though action when playing fish: usually a cheaper version of the James type Avon.

I have 2 refurbished by Paul Cook to de-luxe standard with agate butt and tip rings.

Should I need to step up a bit due to the fish size/heavier leads/stronger line/floodwater/etc the 1.5 lb t/c of the 550s come into play.

I can now sit back and watch what others think of these rods!

[Mick]

I'm with you on that one Olly.

[Jeremy Croxall]

Does anyone use their 500 for float fishing or is it purely a ledger rod? I guess the rings aren't ideal for float fishing?

[Ljm183]

Taken on a Farlows Badged 500 copy and a Delmatic with 6lb line . The fish weighed 14.5lb

The rod handled it with ease and could handle larger with no worries.

[Beresford]

Does anyone use their 500 for float fishing or is it purely a ledger rod? I guess the rings aren't ideal for float fishing?

I don't see why it couldn't be used for float fishing in certain situations, a friend of mine used his often for this purpose.

PM on it's way as well.