Carp Catchers Blog

Finally in this series on which Bivvies? we look at Bivvies themselves.

Bivvies

Bivvy is an abbreviation of bivouac a military term for an encampement. In the early days of Carp Fishing (70′s) army camouflage clothing was all the rage so I guess that was why the term was used. Anyway what is a Bivvy�and�which one should we choose?�Basically a Bivvy is a tent designed primarily for Carp Fishing, they are normally green in colour to blend in with their surroundings but new camouflage patterns are now becoming available. Early models used a standard elasticated thread through pole system much the same as normal tents and though these are still available they have been superceeded by more sophisticated designs.

Pram Hood Bivvies

The pram hood style of bivvy was first designed by Aqua Products and had it been patented it would have made the owner millions. Because the demand was so high and Aqua Products was a small company they liscensed the design to Trakker products a much bigger company. The Poles for pram hood bivvys are elasticated and are situated on the outside of the bivvy itself which is pegged at the back and then pulled forward, as the name suggests�like a pram hood and then pegged at the front to complete the erection. A good example of a pram hood bivvy is the Trakker Armo II . One of the disadvantages of these bivvys is that they can be a bit heavy and bulky, for those for which this is�a concern a solution is at hand. Some of the manufacturers have now incorperated areo-grade aluminium poles which are extremely light, thin and very strong, they have also decreased the numbers of breaks in the poles to speed up the erection process. Lighter weight breathable covering materials have also been used to further cut down on weight. Two good examples of these lighter weight Bivvies are the Venture Razorback Bivvy �and the Angling Intelligence Airframe Bivvy . The Pram Hood style of bivvy is the most widely�used at this moment in time.

Unique Bivvy Systems

There are�one or two fairly new erection systems which are proving quite popular with carp anglers. The first the�Trakker Pioneer Ultralite Bivvy� was again developed by Aqua Products, who this time put some design protection precautions into practice, they again also licensed the design to Trakker Products. The Pioneer is based on an umbrella type system but with the ribs on the outside.�It has a unique assembley system which features a block which pulls the ribs outwards via a lever. Another unique system is featured on the TFG Force 8 Bivvy�this has a power lock handle which also acts as a lever to pull the bivvy up, I am told that once mastered The TFG Force 8 goes up in a flash. There are a few other erection systems out there, but the ones I have disscussed are the most popular.

Bivvy Overwraps

Most manufacturers also supply Bivvy Overwraps which go over the top of the existing bivvy, a good example is the�Chub Cyfish+ Extreme Overwrap��. This provides a twin skin shelter which increases insulation and prevents condensation. The extreme versions of these Overwraps also provide more Living room.

I hope this mini series has been informative�and helpful.

Best 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

We’ve had loads of new stuff in so I’ll give you a quick rundown and some quick reviews.

Venture Carp’s Razorback Shelter and Razorback Bivvy are now in and what an awesome bit of kit they are, I’ve been putting them up for customers and everyone has been impressed. They are  just so light and quick to put up and take down (and I mean quick). The Shelter only weighs 3.6k if you do quick overnighters or fish a mobile approach the Razorback is a must have item. The Razor Bivvy is only slightly heavier but will provide maximum protection and comfort for those longer sessions but is still as quick and easy to put up/take down. The new Venture Carp Luggage is also in.

Angling Intelligence have launched a new range of carpy luggage and it’s very impressive and now in stock.

The New ESP Readymade Rigs have come in check them out they are the nuts. tied using ESP’s Striptease with shrink tube line aligners’ if you use Readymade Rigs these are for you.

Korda’s new Spods, Marker floats And Hooklink Materials are also in. A lot of thought has gone into these items and they are spot on.

Thats it for now

May all your bites be carpy ones

John