Guide to Using a Spod
Spodding has become a familiar tool in most carp angler’s armoury; it provides a great platform from which you can apply bait at distance in a short time. With so many spods now available within the market you’re spoilt for choice. This is all well and good but how do you know what one would suite you and the situation you may face? In this article I’m going to give you an insight into choosing the right spod and how to apply it successfully to your fishing.
Korda Skyliner
My Choice
Personally i prefer the Korda mini Skyliner, you ask why? Well I mainly fish waters where I’m fishing at 100yrds or less so i don’t want to go for the Korda Skyliner because it doesn’t suite my situation, however if i was fishing over 100yrd then I would turn to the skyliner instead of the mini skyliner. Also when using the mini Skyliner you don’t need to use a spod rod you can just use your normal 2.75TC rods and they will cope with doing the job. But if you were to use the Skyliner then i would recommended that you have the appropriate kit for the job.
A Spod isn’t just for 100+ Yards it’s also for 10- Yards!
The spodding angler should not just think about distance with the spod as many people do in fact use a spod to bait up just off the margins. For example imagine a nice set of lily pads 15 feet away from your swim, a catapult would reach the desired spot but it would be a spread of bait and you don’t want this, you want to be fishing on top of your loose feed. This is where the spod comes in because you can get a nice tight patch of bait over your chosen hook bait without you bait scattering! (After all bait isn’t free for everyone!) The point that I’m trying to get over to you is that spods are very versatile means off applying tight beds of bait in small or large quantities at close or distance ranges.
What will I need to Spod?
When I fish a venue that I know well and i know that I’m going to be fishing at long range i would take a spod-rod with me. You can get
Longbow DF - Spod & Marker Rod
purpose built spod-rods that are designed for spodding , There are only a few things that make it different from a normal Carp rod. A spod rod may have been tapered down so that they are shorter and they may have a longer handle, and also they will be able to take a load more appropriately than a normal rod which means you could step up to the Korda Skyliner instead of the Mini for example.
It’s important that you choice the right reel for the job, for example a big pit reel would make easy work of spodding as it would be able to cope with more casts unlike a small reel would leave you exhausted after a few kilos have been applied to your swim. You can however buy again dedicated spod reels that are made for the job; most producers of reels also have a selection of Spod reels too.
How do i apply my bait accurately?
For me this is the most important aspect of Spodding; getting your bait in the right spot each time! Because like i said before your bait isn’t free and when you spodding you might keep missing where you are trying to hit and when you finally hit your desired spot the carp will most likely be in other areas where you had baited by accident which will the lead to no fish.
Korda Marker Float
To get maximum accuracy clip your rods up and use a marker float, this will determine what you are fishing on, how deep the water is and any features that may lurk beneath. If you don’t have a marker float don’t worry because you can just take the hook link off and just have your lead. Simply cast out tighten the line out before it hits the surface and you will feel what you are fishing on from the vibrations and movement of the rod and line. Slowly reel in, this will determine what is in your path where your fishing and then when you have found the perfect spot just clip it up and do the exact same with the spod.
Once you have done this your able to hit the exact same distance each time; assuming you are able to apply the same amount of pressure each time, i would put a little bit more effort into spodding so that i know that I’m defiantly going to hit the spot and remember to feather the cast which will ensure that you drop just short. It is also easy to veer left or right from the intended so try to line up something on the other side of the bank for example a tree or feature.
Other tackle to help aid the Spod
When fishing at long distances i would recommend using a spod rod and reel accompanied with a shock leader, this will allow for greater pressure on the cast and will prevent you from cracking off. I would recommend also having a drop down to the spigot or a length that would allow for four or five turns on the reel.
For close range work you don’t need to use a shock leader, however if you want to be safe then there is no harm in still using one. I would say the key is to not just whack the cast, leave a drop and allow for a little backwards swing before the push and to keep it smooth. However if you are still a novice or intermediate angler then i would highly recommend to use a shock leader on either long or short distance.
DONT GO CRAZY!!
Be careful on the amount of bait you put out, it’s easy to get carried away. I’ve seen it so many times and it is likely to ruin your session when over feeding the swim with massive beds of bait. Saying this it can be effective on some waters but not all so unless you know don’t take the risk, the saying is “Little but often” and remember you can put the bait in but you cannot take it back out!
Don’t forget
Remember where your baiting up, I’ve seen this a few times where people have done everything fine and then when they have got 
everything perfect they reel the marker float in and take it off the clip! This then means they won’t be accurate on their next cast and might think they are hitting the spot but there in fact yards off!
Leave the marker and spod clipped up!
So that’s my basic guide to spodding, i just want to reiterate again don’t god mad on bait and the fish will be sure to follow you!
Get yourself kitted out for spodding
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2 Comments
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A great post and just what I have been looking for. I want to use this method with a twist – Sea Fishing. I have decided to make this my 2012 project, the use of ground bait for sea fishing. I take my hat off to you Carp people, far more accurate approach to fishing that Sea anglers…
Thanks for the feedback and i’m glad it was some use to you. I personally have never tried sea fishing so that would be new to me too!
Give it a try and let me know how you get on!