lead weight to test curve ratio

Can anyone tell me whats a good weight for casting on 2.75 rods and 1.75 rods , I have been told on 2.75 up to 3.5 ozs but im still not convinced .

not sure about ratio mick, but gave 3.5oz and 4oz a fair chuck in brigueuil this year on my 2.75lb rage rods.
use a 2 3/4oz normally and they really fly

There are lots of factors - test curve, rod action, casting technique. A general rule-of-thumb is 1oz of lead to each lb of test curve, so a 2.75lb TC rod should be just about perfect with a 2.75oz lead. Having said that modern rods are incredibly strong and can typically use heavier lads than their TC suggests, expecially if they are fast tapered, so you might get away with 3.25 or even 3.5oz on a 2.75lb rod. The reverse is also true, if you're using softer through-action rods you may need to come down a bit to get the best from them. another factor to take into account is that different shaped leads load the rod in different ways, e.g. you might get away with a heavier Zipp or MCF Casting lead than a dumpy lead like the Korda Square.

For example on my chub outcasts 3lb I can cast longer distance when the lead is 3.25oz.....With 3.5oz,,the distance is ~10m shorter!!! Think you can play around (rod lbs+ max 0.5oz) for casting without any emotions if you go for distance!!

I couldnt agree more !

Care should be taken esp if using fast actioned rods as overloading the blank with leads that are too heavy canbe counterproductive and lead to the blank giving way mid cast . Also you will get more distance if the blank is correctly loaded its not always the biggest lead that will fly the farthest . Sometimes less is more .
Achieving distance isall about balance and technique . Stepping down yur line diametre and loading the reels correctly will achieve way more distance than just using a bigger lead .
Every rod ,reel and line combination will give different results as well as taking into account the anglers technique . The trick is finding what suits your own particular requirements .
I personally have a pref for lightweight rods and tend to use quite small leads but but this year have stepped up to heavier rods and have found that i am getting more distance but i have sacrificed a little accuracy in the process so i need to rethink and adjust my casting technique to suit .

Thanks lads for the advice , I normally only use a 2.75 lead for most of the time but i have used up to 3 it just didnt feel comfortable , but after reading the replies Ill certainly try out a few of the suggestions . If you can use a chub rod with 3.5 leads no problem they have prodidgy blanks in them so mine do too cos they are prodidgy rods so should be well up for the job . In this current climate cant afford to replace rods so I have to look after what i have , Im sure there is loads in the same boat . thanks again lads !

Plenty of info for you there, my own rods were casting rods in their day but are ten eleven years old now- 3lb test curve, i get the same distance on them with 3 or 4oz leads but 3.5 go quite a bit further so you have to play around with it, dont use too heavy a reel for your own rods as that can upset the balance. Lower test curves can handle a suprising amount of weight but for optimum distance you need to fine tune. Having said that i sometimes use a half ounce lead on the same rods for stalking close in, i just quickly change if i see fish close, it was interesting to see maynooths 'bighole' last year at 32 (effing horrible name)- try to shake out the tiny lead, instead of fighting it just turned towards me shaking its head to throw the lead but as it was so light it couldnt! I reckon it would have thrown a heavy lead, clever fish trying to save energy.

Need to fine tune is right peter t , and i have to agree its a horrible name ,I think putting names on fish is a bit silly but hey each to their own , I have often scaled down the lead myself for the same reason "hookthrowing" not just for margin fishing but cast it out aswel not miles but a cast none the less , a run rig can doo the job too I find but some lads disagree but hey it sometimes works for me cheers for the reply

peter that fish comes out every 3 weeks , how can you call that clever.
personally i don`t use anything under 3.5oz and thats my lowest. normally 4 or 4.5oz and thats with both 2.75tc and 3.5tc rods. i`ve measured out my casts with a few leads sizes and never found much of a difference in it. althought i will say as mentioned above that distance leads will make a big difference in your casting. i mush say i always find these treads/conversations funny as the same people that talk about leads been to heavy for their rods will that winter hook up a 10oz roach with 2 oz leads and lump it as hard as they can towards the horizon. i think people should trust their rods a bit more

http://hubpages.com/hub/carptutorials
and read all over here:
http://www.total-fishing.com/Features.aspx?Category=carp&ID=Fishing_At_Range
hope this help!!!

Well Dan , re-read my post, i didnt claim it to be clever per se- but if it gets caught that much then that may back up its knowing when its hooked and therefore it may well have sussed ' throwing the lead' , and of course i was merely mentioning my actual observation of this. This particular greedy fish may get hooked more than we could ever know..... As for very light leads ther are plenty of times when they allow a bait to be sneaked in without alarming them.- and i never get hookpulls with the very light leads.

Oh and the same applies to what leads work best on MY rods based on my findings and i dont think chuckin a deadbait is particularly relevant when it comes to casting a carp bait optimum distance, even though my rods can cast a 5oz or even 6oz lead a reasonable distance- those leads are not going to achieve the same distance as the correct lead.

And Dan- do those 10oz deadbbaits ever actually REACH the horizon......

JUST A QUESTION BUT IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE ANYMORE TO START A THREAD AND NOT HAVE IT HI-JACKED AND BROKEN DOWN TO CHILDISH BICKERING. FCUKING HELL!

No its not possible , it wouldnt be any fun then And why the hell have pike baits come into it when i started this thread it was based on casting a carp bait , maybe i should ask some pike questions to get carp answers

Relax popped up - Dan is a friend of mine BUT that doesn't mean we can't have a go and ther is nothing wrong with asking someone to qualify their opinion and i suppose Dan is just replying as he sees it.

Quote :

i think people should trust their rods a bit more

What he said.

I started this thread , and I do trust my rods , I just wanted a few opinions on how far i could push it before I done damage cos as I said - cant afford to replace them if someting goes wrong . Modern rods can cope with distance and weight a hell of a lot better than they could 10-15 yrs ago so this was the "fine tuning " I was looking for not only to save my rods but to improve my distance ,accuracy and in the long run fishing in general . Is that fair enough ? Igot some great advice from the lads ( thanks again who answered ) , but no need for getting wound up , so enjoy the cold snap and just chill

it was a general comment not aimed at anybody in particular. hope no offence was caused.