Fishing For Carp at Night- How to Do It

If you are a seasoned carp angler, fishing for carp at night is a joy that you would not like to miss as it is an essential part of the carp experience. But without the necessary preparations, you could just end up having a miserable time! If you know what exactly to do and how to go about it, you are sure to catch some good number of decent carps. It is actually way better than fishing in broad daylight – the fish have their guards down and are more vulnerable making it easier and fun for you to get to the daunting task of fishing in the dark. 

There are basically two methods of carp fishing at night. 

a) You could stay awake and visible and audible bite indication like a glow stick attached to the rod tip and

b) You could rely on bite detecting alarms while you sleep only to wake up during a hook up.

Firstly, you have to make sure that you are comfortable and warm. Your entire night fishing spree is going to get ruined if you are cold and uncomfortable all by yourself in the dark.  A good shelter like a tent, a heavy duty sleeping bag and perhaps a camping bed so you are higher up the ground and therefore warmer, a stove to have an access to hot drinks all night (you’re going to need it!) are a must. 

Secondly, before night sets in, organize your stuff so that you would not have to go groping some weird feeling thing in the dark while looking for say a weigh sling! Landing net, weigh sling, weighing net must be next to your mat along with your rod. Keep your rods prepared with set of rigs. Hook baits or PVA bags must be placed where you can find them.  You have to jump out of bed and to the rod quickly so a positioned pair of slippers would be of great help. And don’t forget to keep the camera out for the trophy shots. 

Thirdly, the tackles you use during the day are pretty much the same that you are going to use at night with an addition of a glow stick attached to the tip of the rod- a cheap bait detection system. 

Fourthly, a torch and lantern are must carry items to see what you are doing.  This does not disturb the swim margins and you stand a better chance at it. 

Fifthly, carp feel safer at night and would not hesitate to come to the margins to feed. Throwing the bait 3 feet from the bank is what experts recommend. Carp fishing to be honest is similar to what you do during daytime. All you have to do is forget the position of the fish and feel the fight of the fish and be in complete control until it is ready to be put it in the net. 

Sixthly, make the baits as smelly as you can make them – oily fish are the best suited in this regard. When it comes to re casting your rod at night, add some marking braid just above the tip- it would give you a visual reference for the length of the cast. But do this before sun down. Also a strong physical object to work as a silhouette against the night sky in line with the position of your rod- this helps you give a casting reference at night to aim at. 

 And finally, never go alone to be fishing at night without a prior experience. It is also a lot more fun if you have fishing partner with you. For some great fishing reports and trips, Carp fishing is fun and if it is at night, the fun multiplies manifold. Even if you don’t catch a fish, you will enjoy just being in the outdoors. It is a very different kind of an experience and will also make this a learning experience to make you stronger next time.