Great tips for carp fishing at night

If you are new to carp fishing then you may not have ventured out and fished at night for carp. For most experienced anglers fishing for carp fishing at night is an essential part of the carp experience. Often on many waters night fishing also brings with it the best chance of a run and a fish. As the carp tend to let there guard down under the still cover of darkness. Below are a few tips and techniques to help with the some what daunting task of night fishing for carp.

Make sure you are comfortable

Ensure that you are going to say comfortable during your stay on the bank. It can be a very long night if you are cold, wet or hungry. Essentials to nearly every night session are:

• a good quality bivvy that will stand up to the weather and stay dry and in one piece. During the warm summer months why not ditch the bivvy and night fish under your umbrella.
• a comfortable bedchair. A floor mat or air bed is a poor substitute
• A warm sleeping bag. The sleeping bag can be replaced by a bed chair cover in the warmer summer months
• make sure you have a good quality stove, even if you are not cooking you will always want hot drinks

Get organised

Part of staying comfortable and effective while night fishing is to stay organised. Before dark make sure you tidy up and place urgently needed items where they can be access quickly.

• Place your landing net, weighing scales and weigh sling next to your unhooking mat adjacent to your rods
• Get your camera out and ready for any trophy shots you are hoping to take during the night.
• Pre-pare a set of rigs for all of your rods. Rig tying is not something you want to be doing at 3am so pre-tied rigs are essential.
• Prepare any hook baits or PVA bags you will need for each rod. After a take you want to get your rods back out there as fast as you can, having everything pre-pared will speed this up dramatically.
• When going to sleep ensure you are able to hear your alarms adequately. A remote sounds box is a must in my opinion.
• Be prepared to jump out of bed and to your rods quickly. A positioned pair of Wellies or slip on shoes are key to been fast to your rods.

Turning the lights on

Of course you are gong to need a light or two when carp fishing at night. Be careful to use your bivvy light as little as possible. This will keep your swims margin as undisturbed as possible. The most essential piece of night fishing equipment for me is a good head torch. These allow you to work in the bivvy and walk around without having to think about holding or lighting your way. After a while you will almost forget you have one on.

Carp spotting

Just because it is dark do not rule out carp spotting. Listening and watching the water on the lighter nights can bring rewards, and could mean you move onto the fish before anyone else.

Have spares ready

The expendable items you use during night fishing mainly batteries for lights and alarms plus gas for cooking should be backed up with spares. No one wants to have an alarm battery go in the night to wake up to a missed fish.

Playing a fish in the dark

Probably the most difficult part of night fishing is playing a fish in the dark. There is no real substitute for experience here, if you are well used to catching carp during daylight then you will soon get used to it. For me you need to forget about the position of the fish until it is ready to net and concentrate on feeling the fish and it’s fight until you are fully in control.

Gaining the night fishing experience

I certainly recommend you do not go night fishing on your own until you get used to the experience. It is also of great benefit to go with a fellow angler who has experience of night fishing to give you some help.

Re-casting your rods at night

Re-positioning your rods at night will require you to have measured and marked your rod positions during the day light hours.

• After you have placed all your rods add some marking braid or tape just above the tip to give you a visual reference for the length of the cast.
• You should also note a strong physical object that will silhouette against the night sky near or in-line with your rods position. This will give you the casting reference at night to aim at.

Baiting up at night

Baiting up at night is similar in method to re-casting your rods. Make sure you have a measured reference point and a distance gauge for baiting up at night. On your spod rod mark each of your baited areas with line markers and a silhouette reference point. Spodding out bait for instance over a productive spot at night can vastly increase the chances of additional runs in the morning.

In conclusion

Carp fishing at night is great, especially when you are getting no sleep and the rods are rattling off. If nothing else you will enjoy even more of the outdoor experience and atmosphere, learning and gaining a little more experience to make you stronger next time.