Top Carp fishing gadgets

One of the many appeals of carp fishing for me is the fishing gadgets. I am a sucker for a good gadget any way but when combining with carp fishing it’s irresistible to me. It seems as though I am not alone in my love of carp fishing gadgetry. As the number of anglers using them and the range of products that have come out, shows me that there is a clear market for them.

Below is a list of carp fishing related gadgetry:-

1. Remote bite alarms and sounder box

I have no doubt that nearly every carp angler these days already uses electronic bite alarms. However if you regularly night fishing or fish crowd waters a set of alarms with a remote sounder box they are a great investment. A few years ago I got a set of three alarms and sounder box, and now wonder how I managed with out them.

Why do I need a sound box? I hear you say. Well if you are fishing at night it is a guarantee that you will hear your alarms straight away as the box can sit next to you ear. The major selling point for me is that you always know when it is your bite or someone else’s. Often when fishing close to other anglers I like to keep quiet and turning my alarms down and only have the sounder box on. This allows just me to know when I get a bite. It also avoids you jumping out of bed in a semi conscious state only to realise that it is the guy next door with the run and not you.

2. Digital Camera with remote

Digital cameras are now common place and are the perfect gadget for getting the best trophy shots possible. However I do a lot of fishing on my own and don’t want to miss out on capturing a great trophy shot just because there is no body there to take one for me.

After a quick trip to see the knowledgeable guys at Jessops camera shop. I found the Olympus Mui series, a semi water proof camera with a remote infra red trigger, possibly the perfect camera for my self take shots. I have now been using the camera and remote for several years in conjunction with a mini tripod. This set-up is easy to use, resting the camera somewhere at the correct angle and height and levelling it out with the tripod. I find my bedchair is a good height zoomed in a little pointing at the mat. Pick up your fish with the trigger in hand and fire away. This allows multiple shots and position changes without having to get up and reset the camera.

3. Remote bivvy light

These relieve that panic in finding a torch when you get a run in the middle of the night. In sensor mode they will light up with any movement within the bivvy. I believe you can even get torches linked to your alarms which are a great idea. Either of these options is a great investment for the longer sessions.

4. Hand Held GPS

The small GPS devices are getting more affordable and I feel they can now be considered for carp fishing purposes. The hand held GPS allows you to mark a spot any where on land or water, within a few feet. Therefore these devices lend themselves very nicely to marking baiting spots or clear patches you have found from the bank or out in a boat.

5. Bait boats

Many anglers (mainly none carp anglers) object to the use of bait boats and some waters feel the need to ban them altogether. I am not sure why? But if you are allowed to use them they can be a great tool to deliver bait accurately at range. Or just avoid disturbance from a cast by dropping your rig and bait quietly.

6. Digital scales

Digital scales avoiding any difficulty over reading the scales as sometimes happens when the needle is bouncing around. Also a lot of the digital scales have a handy memory storage so if you lose track of fish weights during a stellar session you can flick back through and pick them up.

7. Portable video or DVD player

This one is not to every ones taste as the dedicated anglers will never overt their eyes and ears from the water, will they? Personally I like to take some form of entertainment with me, especially if runs are difficult to come by and require the waiting game. This is the occasion where I like to have my ipod video with me. From there I can watch a show or film and listen to a bit of quiet music. I have seen a few anglers with the small portable DVD players or Laptops as well.