raw69, the reason your carp might not have run as far, is that it was in moving or shallow water. Although some folks have had different experiences, my pond/lake fish have always put me into the backing, while the river fish I've caught were very hesitant to get into the current. I've hooked some that could have finished me in a split second if they would have nosed into the current, but as soon as they felt that moving water, they came back into the pool/inlet I had hooked them in, and was still applying pressure from.

This might just be something I've been hitting on a regular basis, but if you're new carp spot is stillwater, I'd be interested in hearing if the fish ran further.

Fly Goddess, you may be upgrading your leader if you keep up the carp fishing. I've had two carp easily bust 8 lb test when they rolled on the fly. I use 15+ now, I don't want to lose any more big boys if it's the only fish I managed to sneak up on and fool after wading for 6 hours. But then again, I've only been doing it for the last couple of years, so I'm not 100% sure on how leader shy they are yet (so far, they dont' see too concerned by 20 lb test, but my rejections may be caused by the leader, but need some more experience with it still).