CARP TIP

SPODDING

THE ROD
Although spods come in a variety of shapes and sizes, it is probably fair to say any spod fully laden with bait is going to be substantially heavier than the leads you are likely to be casting.
Therefore, it is a good idea to buy a purpose built spod rod that is designed to handle the strain.
You don't have to spend a fortune on a spod rod as they start from around £60 so its not going to break the bank.
In addition it is designed to do just one specific job, cast heavy spods.
Spod rods will be a lot heavier in test curve than your usual carp rods, normally ranging from around 4lb up to 5.5lb test curve.
These rods will take loads of abuse and can withstand the strain of casting spods around 6oz's in weight.

THE REEL
You will find life a lot easier spodding if you use a big pit style reel.
These reels make casting and retrieving so much easier and quicker and for the most part they are built to take the stress and strains imposed by continuous casting with heavy loads.
I would always recommend buying the strongest reel you can afford for spodding as this reel will take more punishment than any other reel you use.

BRAIDED LINE
You will find that using braided mainline on the reel you use for spodding makes the task somewhat easier.
Fox TB spod braid for example is a braided mainline specifically developed for heavy duty spod work.
Incorporating ultra strong bonded dynema filaments with a breaking strain of over 30lbs, TB spod braid is incredibly tough and hard wearing and for most applications can be used without a shock leader.
The tight weave and low diameter allow smooth, extreme range casting with minimal wind knots and tangles.
You will certainly be able to cast a heavy spod a lot further with braid, as it possesses none of the elasticity associated with nylon.
Braid transmits the power of the cast more directly and the build up of power is improved.
In consequence the spod goes further!

WARNING
One word of warning about using braid is to make sure you protect your casting finger.
Braid can cut your finger badly and if you are in for a bout of prolonged spodding you will soon make the finger tip very sore if you do not take the steps to protect it.
It is a good idea to buy a leather fingerstall from the tackle shop or chemist, or alternatively try a neoprene or soft leather golf glove.
In addition, if you are using braided mainline always ensure that the clutch is fully tightened to the max before casting out.
If there is any give, the braid will inevitably slip as power of the cast is piled on.
As it slips across your fingertip, it will cut the flesh to the bone.
Be warned!

MONOFILAMENT LINE
When using monofilament for spodding it is usual to use breaking strains on average between 10lb to 15lb.
The lower the diameter of the line, the further you will be able to cast.
WARNING
One word of warning when using mono for spodding is that I would always recommend using a shock leader.
Even a small spod can weigh quite a large amount and when the power of the cast is piled on it is very easy to crack off which could result in the spod injuring someone.
A few companies have now made leaders especially for carp fishing and are ideal for spodding.
These leaders are tapered and they taper from around 15lb to 40lb.
Make sure that if using a tapered leader that you attach the thinnest end of the leader to your mainline and attach the thicker end of the leader to your rig.
Although it is probably more important to where a finger stool or glove when using braid, I would still recommend using one when using mono, as your finger can still get very sore with prolonged spodding

CHOICE OF SPOD
The smaller and mini spods are perfect for introducing smaller bait quantities when fishing shorter sessions, for winter carping, long range spodding or simply for keeping the swim topped up.
The smaller spods make far less disturbance on impact.
Larger spods are great when you want to put a large area of bait out but do cause quite a lot of disturbance which sometimes can spook the fish for a short time until they feel confident enough to return to the area to feed.
On some waters the fish will return to the spodded area quicker than on others.

CLIPPING UP
You can use a spod for all modern day-to-day fishing situations but it is especially recommended for laying down a carpet of bait on a feture that is marked with a marker float.
Similarly you can use it to cast to visible features such as an island, the far bank treeline or holes in the weed.
It's a good idea to use the line clip on your reel to ensure that you don't continually overcast the spot or to ensure the spod doesn't end up in the trees on the far bank.
To prevent damaging the line clip it is a good idea to put a section of power gum inside the line clip.
I prefer to put the power gum behind the line clip before putting the line or braid on the reel and I do this by leaving the ends of the power gum long and taping them to the spool then wind the line or braid on top to trap it in place.
Bear in mind that if you are using braid as your line, the clip may stop the cast too abruptly and can actually jerk the spod back towards you due to the lack of stretch in the braid.
To prevent this remember to watch the spod while it is in the air, follow the line of flight with the rod tip after the cast is made.
When you feel the line hit the reel clip, push the rod forward and downward to a horizontal position, following through on the cast.
This softens the jerky impact of the braid in the clip and does not pull the cast backwards towards you.
Another good idea is to watch the spod and just before it is about to reach its marker feather the spool lightly with your hand which will slow the spod down causing a lot less of a jerky action.

GENERAL INFO
A couple of things to remember when spodding is-
Sometimes smaller areas of bait will be a lot more effective than larger areas.
Sometimes it may be better to start off with a smaller amount of spodded bait and top it up if you start catching fish over it.
Just remember that once you have put it in you can't take it back out, but you can always top up.



Most of this information came from the Fox book Guide to modern carp fishing.