"Derek.Moody" wrote in message
...

Somewhat OT here - being a UK group. However:

The carp are similar, even if our fishing methods differ wildly.



exposed roots twisted high into the bank. There is a mere hint of a
path
along the bank, what we might call a "game trail" in the northern woods.
It
was hard to wind my way down the trail with my 6 foot rod; branches
have
grown across the track. It will be hard travel once the leaves grow
out. I

With overgrown banks you'll find a longer rod to be of great assistance,
especially when working around or through overhanging vegetation. Even in
this sort of terrain it should be easy enough to manhandle a ten or twelve
footer. Bring the hook back to the reel and secure it, then carry the rod
butt first, the tip will mostly look after itself.


Actually, I made my 6 footer from the tip section of a 12 foot ultralight
graphite "noodle" rod. I use 20# spiderwire on an old Mitchell ultralight
reel. It's a seeming mismatched rig, but I need the heavy line to turn the
big ones. It will bend at the handle to point straight at the fish with the
drag singing. Usually if I can turn them to run upstream, I can let the
fish relax and he will hang almost motionless in the current, and I can draw
him closer slowly. The banks aren't really heavily overgrown, but there
isn't really room for a back-cast. Overhead is limited, too. I do well with
an underhanded flip; I can toss the width of the river when the water is
low. My biggest problem is the huge trees growing half in the water. They
are too large to reach around, and I can't travel up or down stream
following the fish. This may change in summer with reduced flow; I may be
able to walk around the trees on the exposed stream bed. I'm not familiar
with this part of the river, and it isn't ideal for my method. I'm looking
for a sandy bar to lay my bait across. This part is better suited to a
spinnerbait, or a minnow or leech floated under a quill.