How to keep warm when carp fishing
We understand that your main priority when fishing is catching the biggest and best-looking carp, its ours too, but staying comfortable on the bank can really affect your fishing, especially when fishing in all weather conditions. In this article we are going to discuss how to stay warm when carp fishing along with what products we found that really helped, we’ll be going through the advantages and disadvantages of every product we mention, hopefully ironing out any concerns or enquires you may have had.
First off here are a few different things we recommend you have when carp fishing; a comfortable bed chair, a good quality bivvy(if your doing overnight sessions), and the correct clothing. In the colder months, the climate can be harsh so wrapping is crucial if you want to get the most out of your sessions. In the summer time, this stuff is less of a worry however in the summer however could still come in handy.
5 Tips for staying warm:
1. Wrap up tight:
When fishing, the harsh winds can be unforgiving, wearing the right clothes for the job is important if you want to stay warm. We find when fishing in the winter, a coat is absolutely vital if we want to remain comfortable.
2. Bring changes of clothes:
When carp fishing, getting wet is not unlikely. Our clothes are often drenched after a long session so bringing a few changes of warm clothes is a really good idea. You’ll be really happy when you’ve got some fresh, warm clothes to change into.
3. Never stay wet for long:
After releasing or handling a carp your clothes will often be soaked, changing them quickly will ensure your don’t get ill, especially if the weather cold.
4. Ensure your bivvy is well insulated:
When arranging your bivvy, bed chair, tackle boxes, rods bags etc, increasing your insulation can be a really effective technique for staying warm. An example of what we found to work well is putting tackle bags under the bed chair, surprisingly this gives you a lot more insulation from the cold ground. Surrounding yourself with your tackle using this principle will result in a warmer bivvy.
5. Drink plenty of tea:
Last but not least, having a hot cup of tea will do wonders.
So with that out of the way, here are the products we found to help keep us warm on the bank
Coats
Although it seems obvious, a nice warm coat will help so much when fishing long sessions, the last thing you want is to be shivering on the bank praying for a take. Staying warm keeps you motivated and determined enough to stay on the bank a little bit longer, bait up your spots and keep fishing which can make all the difference.
Our general recommendation: Trakker Hexathermic Jacket (check price on Amazon)
Having a nice, warm coat for your fishing makes all the difference, the one we use is the Trakker Hexathermic Jacket, it’s quality design ensures for optimum heat retention even in those cold winter mornings. The coat is a nice green carpy colours which blends into the environment nicely, this can be an advantage especially when staling carp. The last thing you want is a huge carp to get spooked. If you’re interested in getting a quality coat for your carp fishing then look no further. This coat is an all-round excellent bit of kit.
Advantages:
- Really well insulated
- Smooth lining
- generally a high-quality coat
- designed to block out cold winds
Disadvantages:
- Its extremely warm however may be to lightweight for some
Another option worth considering: Trakker Summit XP Jacket (check price on Amazon)
The tracker summit XP is another excellent coat designed to withstand the harshest of weather, the features along with the build quality of the coat are outstanding. The structural integrity of the coat means the zips are sold, it protects you from the elements, and its a stylish jacket. This coat is the ultimate jacket for any serious carp angler, with this level of protection is doesn’t matter what the weather throws at you, the Trakker summit will keep you warm and dry.
Similarly to the tracker hexathermic, this coat comes in a deep green carp colour making it just as good for those stalking sessions. If you’re serious about your carp fishing, this coat is defiantly something worth considering.
Advantages:
- heavy duty coat
- excellent zips
- protects from elements
Disadvantages:
- slightly above average price
All in all, if you’re in the market for a new carp fishing coat, the two we’ve mentioned are defiantly some of the best on the market. Their fantastic features and quality make them a well worth purchase.
Chairs and bed chairs
Having a comfortable chair really makes all the difference when fishing. Carp angling is a passion we all share, however, the circumstances it sometimes presents can be harsh, this is why we believe having a good chair will help keep you warm and comfortable. Whether you’re going for a day session or staying a week it’s advisable to take some sort of seating. It will depend on how/when you’re going for the session so here’s what we’ve found to work in different circumstances.
The chairs we use on our fishing sessions depend on how long we’re going to be fishing for. There is no point in taking a heavy reclining bed chair if we’re only fishing for a couple of hours.
In these circumstances, we super light fishing chair. it makes sitting on the bank extremely comfortable allowing us to put 100% of our efforts into the fishing. Heres the chair we use for short sessions:
TF Gear carp fishing chair (Check current price on Amazon)
The TF carp fishing chair is an absolute life saver, its amazing build quality, reclining back and in build quality makes it perfect for those short sessions. The level of comfort and sturdiness it provides is outstanding, the legs can change position in order to keep you sitting in the best position, even if your swims surrounding ground is not the best. Whether it be gravel, grass, tarmac, or wood, the TF chair handles it with ease. If your keen on short sessions and want a quality fishing chair then look no further
Advantages:
- Great build quality
- comfortable/sturdy
- practical
Disadvantages:
- Cant be used as a bed chair
If we’re match fishing we’ll bring out a seat box, we’ve owned a Koala products KS System folding seat box backrest for six or seven years now and it’s proven to be very useful over that period of time. It has lots of storage boxes that are perfect for holding, rigs, baits, and any other small bits and pieces and one large storage area inside which is perfect for holding, bags of bait, reels, and other large pieces of equipment.
When we do go fishing for longer periods of time we’ll bring something a little bigger and comfortable which is especially important in the colder seasons. Bed chairs are perfect for this, you can lounge under your bivvy and stay warm and protected from the cold. Heres one we’ve found to work brilliantly for those longer sessions.
Our general recommendation for long sessions: NGT Specimen bed chair (check price on Amazon)
After having slept in this bed chair for many nights, we can say it’s a fantastic product. Being priced fairly reasonably it was surprising how good the bed chair was. The comfort of a bed chair like this means spending nights on the bank are peaceful and relaxing, with the occasional wake for a bite of course! The built-in pillow, locking relining system, and adjustable legs make it a practical piece of kit, being 2 meters in length and almost a metre in width makes its a large bed chair, adding to the comfort when spending the night. All in all, if you want to do night sessions having a good bed chair is crucial, it doesn’t get much better than the NGT specimen bed chair.
Advantages:
- Adjustable legs and large feed
- made with quality materials
- lightweight design (8kg)
Disadvantages:
- you’ll need an additional sleeping bag
Bivvies
Bivvies are small tents designed for when you’re on the bank, they shelter and protect you from the chilly weather conditions we find in the UK. We’d only recommend that you buy a bivvy if you’re fishing long sessions and what want to sleep on the bank, they keep you warm dry and comfortable when on the bank ensuring your get the most out of your trip.
Our general recommendation: Trakker Tempest V2 Bivvy (check price on Amazon)
When it comes to bivvy’s the trakker tempest is one of the best on the market, its excellent and practical design features make it an anglers dream bivvy. The material is super good quality and designed to last a long time as well as withstand heavy exposure to the elements if your thinking about getting serious with your carp fishing then this bivvy is defiantly something worth considering.
The tempest has a fan like opening mechanism with a few bars to snap into place, this allows the bivvy to be up in a matter of minutes. The ergonomics clearly shows space is used very efficiently ensuring you have easy access to your gear as well as plenty of space to slide your bed chair and tackle to the back.
The mozzi proof lined windows mean you can sleep comfortably knowing you’re not going to wake up to tons of red bites, this is helpful in the summer but also shows how this Bivvy is adaptable to all weather conditions. When its cooler the full zipped up format should keep you warm and protected through out the night through the harsher weather.
This really is a serious bit of kit, if you want the best then look no further the trakker tempest will look after you.
Advantages:
- Excellent build quality
- lots of usefully features
- high level of protection for all seasons
- spacious yet compact
- nice carp green colour
Disadvantages:
- Is priced higher than other bivvys on the market.
Another good option: (Fox EOS 2 Man Bivvy (check price on amazon)
The Fox 2 man is all-round great bivvy, its simple design means it can handle everything your throw at it, the bivvy is made from good quality materials and will keep you protected from the elements. Having used this bivvy for a few sessions we found it does everything a Bivvy should do and was perfectly fine for us. We went with the 2 man option however if you want to be even more compact there is a one-man option also, if your spending the night at the bank for the first time, a bivvy like this is perfect.
Advantages:
- spacious
- good quality
- nice carp colour
- study
Disadvantages:
- Not the warmest bivvy, however, its expected due to its practical lightweight design. We’ve found it was warm enough but would recommend wearing a few layers.
Tea!
For all the tea monsters out there, a portable kettle and stove should be able to keep you at bay! The Trakker armolife kettle and armolife stove are two perfect bits of gear to take on the bank, the armolife stove folds away and is really compact and easy to carry around on the bank, the kettle does have some weight to it but is still relatively light and one hundred percent worth bringing, especially on the longer sessions.
Sleeping bags
A good quality sleeping bag has such a big impact on how warm and cozy you are in your bivvy. As well as being avid carp anglers, we’re also serious campers and have spent a lot of time using and testing sleeping bags. Having a warm sleeping bag will make all the difference when doing night sessions. Heres one of our favourite sleeping bags:
Our general recommendation Vango Cocoon Unisex Outdoor Sleeping Bag
Our all-time favorite so far is the vango cocoon, this is taking into consideration price, quality and the comfiness of the sleeping bag. We’d recommend it to anyone who goes camping or fishing, it’s a really cozy sleeping bag and very affordable. We take this sleeping bag on most if not all of our over night sessions.
So there you have it a quick guide on how to stay warm on the bank, if you found this article useful then feel free to check out some of our others @carpreviews.co.uk
