Five Points to Consider When Buying a Carp Bivvy

In Europe the carp fishing industry is a massive business. There are hundreds of anglers that spend weeks of their year at the waters edge in a quest to catch that one special fish. Having this dedicated band of anglers is great for fishing manufacturers as they know that they will have a loyal band of purchasers that are ready to buy whatever it takes to give them an advantage over their wise old carp. Obviously there are specialist carp reels, rods and end tackle but with carp fishing there is also all of the support equipment that goes along with the sport.

The support equipment for carp fishing is extensive – and by support equipment I am broadly refereeing to any pieced of equipment that do not come in to contact with the fish, so it could be fishing chairs or fishing bags for example. One of the most important pieces of specialist angling equipment you can get however is the fishing bivvy. A specialist fishing bivvy that adheres to the following specification is ideal:

• In harsh weather conditions the fishing bivvy will protect the angler from bad weather conditions. In Europe this could be rain, sleet, snow or wind, they really do need to be incredibly durable. The bivvy also needs to be able to keep it’s occupants cool. The best type of material for this is the breathable sort similar to that found in outdoor waterproof coats.
• A fishing bivvy needs to provide a certain level of security so that the angler can zip it up, lock it and know that all of their kit will still be there when they return. Carp fishing kit can cost thousands of pounds so it is essential that it is kept safe and sound.
• A fishing bivvy should to a certain extent hide your presence from the very fish that you are trying to catch, having a olive drab colour or camouflage bivvy is ideal and it will blend in to its surroundings perfectly.
• Being able to get in and out of your bivvy is essential, more often that not you will have to get out of it in a rush. Having a large open door and free running chunky zips is absolutely necessary for this. The larger the teeth on the zip then the less likely it is to jam.
• In a similar vein, if you can’t have the door open, you need to be able to see out to keep an eye on your tackle. Therefore a large transparent door panel is necessary for winter or bad weather fishing conditions.

If as a strarting point you look for a bivvy that satisfies these five points, you are off to a good start, if it fails on any of these points they I would carry on looking as there are hundreds of fishing bivvys on the market,