one and probably the most important thing to get right is the line ie rig you use in comparison with the elastic you desire this could well save you smashing your pole for a number 16 i would not go over 7ib main line and believe me this can handle very big fish .as you will discover very soon .
As you probably know carp are not as active in the winter months so dont tend to give so much of a scrap this allows you to fish a lighter elastic and smaller line though it will take some time to master good luck and tight elastics.
