The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

OldFellah wrote: 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.

Good luck Mushy, I look forward to the tale !

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

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

Olly wrote: ↑Wed Oct 07, 2015 3:51 pm 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.

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!

I'm with you on that one Olly.

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?

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.

Jeremy Croxall wrote: ↑Thu Jan 19, 2017 7:03 pm 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.