Carp is one of the only freshwater fish that can be caught at night. Night fishing offers very particular thrills that all carp anglers should experience. The darkness and change of bearings really contribute to the creation of this specific atmosphere which overwhelms all of the angler’s senses. Here are our tips and tricks to help you successfully go night fishing.
All carp fishing sessions, both long and short, require a certain degree of preparation. Night fishing has its own specific rules and practices that are worth knowing:
Your shelter will be your home during your night session and must try to have it as functional and organised as possible. Regarding installation, a bivvy with a bedchair act as a basis for shelter in case of rain and as a place to rest during the first bouts of fatigue. The bivvy is also the ideal place to do your assembly if needed. It is in fact possible to have sufficient lighting on the inside without alerting any fish lurking nearby...
Do not cut corners on your bedchair. The wait can be long indeed so you should take something with maximum comfort to make this period easier.
To keep rodents away, keep your bait as high as possible so they aren’t nibbled on.
You should prepare several baited fishing leaders in advance to make the most of your time. Put them in a fishing leader bag specially designed for this purpose.
As regards electronics, the detector batteries should be checked to avoid more difficult night manipulations.
Finally, remember to keep clear access to your rod stands so you don’t trip when leaving.
Don’t wait until the night to bait your post. You can begin to bait your intended posts several days before your session, to get the carp accustomed to feeding in your chosen area.
Feel free to lightly bait one or two hours before beginning your night session. This will allow you to maintain accuracy in your casts to better place your baits.
To choose your fish, you must increase the size of your baits to limit attacks from undesirable fish and thus trigger several “false” starts. 20 mm boilies or even tiger nuts are also perfectly suitable.
At nightfall, a soluble bag with several strongly flavoured boilies (such as strawberry or pineapple) and your fishing leader will do. Nevertheless, you must be precise to make your casts effective. To do this, be sure to take your bearings before night fall. Trees, a tower or even a ridge could be bearing points that are easy to remember.
The darkness can complicate handling and landing the fish. It is important to properly prepare your landing zone in advance. To do this, gather your landing mat, weigh-in bag, counter weight and even your fishing storage bag in one spot. The area should be near the edge to make transporting the fish to the landing mat easier.
Finally, keep a bucket of water near the landing area to easily wet your landing mat, fishing storage bag and fish.
#Caperlan Tip
Keeping weights on your landing mat will stop any unexpected wind from blowing it into the darkness. You can also attach it with tent pegs on the handles. Think about it!
The Moon Concept landing mat is easily detectable during the night.
To illuminate your landing zone, avoid using too strong lights which could dazzle and frighten the carp. We recommend using a softer UV light, such as the Moon Concept lamp.