Carp Catchers Blog

Okay so this is part 3 of which bivvy? In parts one and two we looked at advantages and disadvantages of brollys and shelters in this section we are going to look at carp fishing domes.

Domes

Domes are full blown bivvies providing maximum protection from the elements. The major difference between a bivvy and a dome is that the dome has a sewn in groundsheet, a good example is the new Trakker Armo Dome. The primary benefit of the sewn in groundsheet is that it denies access to all those creepy crawlies to a certain extent. The sewn in groundsheet does however make them a bit bulky and they therefore take up quite a bit of room in the car and on the trolley. Bivvy domes also make it a bit difficult to get your gear in especially if you have a bad back as you have to duck down through the door and over the groundsheet. However if it’s maximum protection you’re after and space and dodgy backs are not a concern then a bivvy dome may be the ideal choice for you.

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Best fishes,

John

The JRC STI  is an awesome piece of kit for the money, I have owned mine now for nearly 4 years and it has been used on a regular basis and received a lot of abuse from the most horrendous of weather conditions. Like most quick erect pram hood bivvies it is very quick to put up and is very versatile, I usually have the whole front of my bivvy open to give me a wider view of the lake but at times it is required to have the bivvy closed up in strong winds and/or heavy rain to give you more shelter and make the bivvy more solid. The STI is supplied with heavy duty pegs, tension strap, support pole and a heavy duty groundsheet. The model I own is the twin skin model which has mozzi mesh panels on the roof of the inner skin which although means you can’t use the bivvy as a single skin you get excellent ventilation during the warmer months and very little condensation during the colder months. The thing I like most about the mozzi panels is it allows me to roll the outer skin back during the summer months and give the bivvy a nice bit of cool air flowing through, which is what you really need when you can’t escape the heat. The inner door on the STI has a clear window which can be fixed over the mozzi panel with velcro enabling you to still have a view of your swim even with rain coming straight at the front of the bivvy. The space inside the 2 man is more than sufficient for two bedchairs and all your kit with a little room to spare.  There are a lot of similar bivvies on the market, but if you want a fairly priced reliable bivvy I would strongly recommend the STI as a good choice.David Moore

There are so many Bivvies on the market when it comes to buying one where do you start? It’s not just Bivvies though there are Shelters, Brollys and Domes so lets have a look at the differences and advantages and disadvantages.

Shelters

 Shelters are primarily for short sessions such as a day session or a quick overnighter. Carp Fishing Shelters are basically stripped back Bivvies and are normally open fronted, two good examples are The Razorback Shelter  and The Trakker A-Lite . The advantages of shelters because they are cut back to the bare essentials is they are normally lightweight and fairly easy to erect. The disadvantages for the same reasons is that they are unsuitable for really harsh weather conditions.

Best fishes,

John

There are so many Bivvies on the market when it comes to buying one where do you start? It’s not just Bivvies though there are Shelters, Brollys and Domes so lets have a look at the differences and advantages and disadvantages.

BROLLYS

Brollys are an extention of the umbrella principle which normally have storm side extensions that create a wrap around effect. The storm sides provide more shelter than a normal umbrella and some Brollys also have zip in front panels to provide almost total protection from the elements, though a set of storm poles is needed to support the front of the Brolly. A good example of a well designed Brolly System is the Angling Intelligence IWS 10+ Brolly . So what are the advantages/disadvantges of choosing a Brolly as your Carp Fishing Shelter? Most People consider Brollys to be easy to assemble and lightweight, however I am not convinced of this as most of the Brollys I’ve picked up seem very heavy. This may be down to the amount of ribs and steel used in their construction. As for the ease of assembley I am not convinced of this either as I find them quite unweildly, if you then add in the equation a groundsheet, 4 storm poles and a front panel I think they are heavier and more awkward to assemble than a cutting edge Bivvy. However despite my personal missgivings they remain very popular particularly as an open fronted overnight shelter in the warmer months.

Best fishes,

John

The first consignment of Nash Tackle gear has arrived including the biggest bedchair I have seen the Nash Indulgence Wide Boy. We have the MK1 Nash Double Top Professional Bivvy on special offer while stocks last plus lots other carpy goodies.

Best fishes,

John

Exciting news (for us anyway) we now hopefully have a Nash Tackle account. With a bit of luck our first order should be in on Friday if not it will be early next week. We will be stocking right across the range from bivvies to rods to bait eventually so if you need anything in the Nash Tackle Range we will more than likely have it. It will take a little while to get it all on the website though so either come in and have a look or telephone for your requirements.

Nathan shows how winter fishing can be great fun despite the winter conditions. These photos are from a February session when the nights were well below freezing. Nathan used his new Chub Cyfish+ Bivvy with overwrap to keep the cold at bay. As you can see a nice big steak with all the trimmings also helped to keep him warm and fishing. Nathan succeeded in catching too, banking three carp. The Carp in the picture (self took) was caught using a 2oz Korda lead in conjunction with a 4ft leadcore leader. His rig consisted of 5inches of GLT No Can See Fluorocarbon a size 10 Korda Wide Gape Hook and a single Richworth KG1 bottom bait fished over matching pellets and 15 freebies. Well done Nathan!

We’ve had lots of new stuff come in so I’ll give you a rundown of some of the new items. Bivvies:- The new Chub Tri-Lite Bivvy �and Trakker Aero-Lite Bivvy �are both now in stock. As their names suggest these bivvies are among the lightest on the market and they both look extremely stylish and well made. If you want a look pop in and I will put them up for you. PROLOGIC have released some really nice tungsten leaders and stiff tungsten rig booms we have them in stock now so check them out.

Carp Rods:- we are now stocking the new Century FG Carp Rod �and�they look the absolute�dogs danglers. At the other end of the price spectrum we have the New Ron Thompson Dominator Carp Rods these also look very impressive for the�price, if you’re in the market for a budget carp rod then have a look at these babies.

As usual at this time of year the Bait Companys are starting to release their new ranges and we will have the best of them. First up is Dynamite Baits,�their new range of�Fresh Squid & Octopus Boilies �and Fresh Prawn Spicy Shellfish �boilies are now in stock both shelflife and frozen as well as matching pop-ups and liquids. We also have Dynamites new range of liquid soaks/flavourings with added liquid Betaine. Betaine is one of the best Fish feeding stimulants of all time so get on it. Richworth Baits have released their new KG1 pellets to compliment their very successfull KG1 Boilie Range. The KG1 Range is in stock now but going very fast. We’ve also had a few new bits and bobs in from Cotswold Bait Creations including their PVA friendly Maize which looks brilliant for something that bit different in your bag mix. That’s all I’ve got time for this time, but there are�new products coming in all the time so I’ll keep you updated.

Happy Fishes,

John

I managed another Session the other week. I didn’t spot any fish this time as it was extremely foggy, however I had a fair idea of where the fish would be this time of year so I set up in a swim known as the christmas tree. The fog hung around till about 9.30 at which time I proceeded to position my traps. As I put my second rod out a fish rolled over my spot which did wonders for my confidence. After about twenty minutes the indicator on the first rod I’d put out began to slowly tighten up to the butt, I struck but there was nothing on, it must have been a line bite. Still at least it meant that there must be fish in the area so I repositioned the rod and set about getting my camp organised.  This was an ideal time to play with my latest acquisition Ventures Razorback Bivvy . A few blogs ago I mentioned that I’d demonstrated them to customers and was so impressed I bought one for myself. On the bank I was just as impressed with the ease with which they are put up and taken down. Anyway back to the fishing itself, as night approached the temperatures started to drop and the fog rolled back in. The night was one of the coldest this year at about -4c, the fog was dense and freezing so the likelyhood of a Carp was extremely unlikely.

Next morning conditions were no better, with visibilty due to the fog very poor and the forecast was for it to stay that way for the rest of the day. I made a cup of the tea and debated whether to pack up now or to wait and see if the sun could burn its way through the fog. At that moment the indicator on the rod which the Carp had rolled over the day previously, pulled up slowly to the butt and again I struck. There was definately a Carp on the end this time and playing it in dense fog was really primaeval and exciting. The fish fought really well and rolled in the net first time. Quickly parting the net I looked at my prize, it had a massive head and shoulders “this is a biggie” I thought. I thought it was a possible upper Thirty but the scales said different 28lb 4oz. I wasn’t dissappointed though as any Carp in those conditions and at this time of year is more than welcome.

The fish was well hooked in the center of the bottom lip on my new maggot rig. I used a PVA mesh parcel of red maggots with 3 maggots on a size 10 Solar Longshank Wide Gape Hook. The Hooklink was Rig Maroles Hydrolink with a 3 inch supple section. The photos were self takes and I think they came out quite well (see below)

Till next time happy fishes

John