Hey Rich...I agree, up until a couple of years ago I used a 7 ft. Ugli Stik with a saltwater Zebco spinning reel for carp...
Hell, when I was a kid I used a hand line with a bell sinker on the end and a couple of snelled hooks with cornmeal doughballs and caught carp...a few twirlls around my head then LET 'ER GO !!!
But...I sure enjoy fishing for carp much more with the 11 ft. carp rod and baitrunner reel I was kindly given...
I thought Photoz was nuts when he told me he spent $1350 for a rod and reel and pod just to catch CARP ! but I can understand why today...
If you think about it... you don't need the cost of a boat, motor, and trailer etc. to catch carp from shore so a few bucks spent on carp tackle isn't even comparable...