Welcome to Fishing Chair Info




Why a site on the fishing chair? Well… it seems to me that there are now a lot of fishing chairs out there on the market, particularly with the relatively recent mainstream explosion of carp fishing in Europe. Let’s face it, out of all the fishing tackle it’s your fishing chair that actually has the most used time and probably gets the most physical abuse – even more than your fishing reel!
 

Fishing Chair Design

There are a wide range of chairs available on the market. The sort of chair you will be largely dictated by the type of fishing you do.  (see choosing the right fishing chair post) This site aims to cover from the simple fold out ‘camping style’ chairs to the more sophisticated carp and specialist fishing chairs. Chairs designed for fishing purposes have many criteria to satisfy other than being comfy. When you are looking to get a new or replacement fishing chair you should be keep a look out for certain features.
 

Fishing Chair Features

  • Lightweight
    Your going to have to carry or wheel your fishing chair to where you want to fish, you’re ideally looking for a chair with an aluminium frame that will keep the weight down.
  • Exposure resistant.
    You don’t want your fishing chair corroding, going mouldy or seizing up. Similarly to the above ‘lightweight’ criteria you’ll be looking for an aluminium frame that’s either anodised or powder coated, both of these processes will stop the frame from oxidising. The actually seating fabric will need to be made from a water resistant fabric. If you have a chair with padding, the water resistant outer fabric will prevent it from getting wet.
  • Have adjustable legs
    We all know there’s nothing more frustrating that a wobbly chair (and I doubt you’ll have a supply of beer mats). Make sure that the chair you buy has four adjustable legs that also have a good range of adjustment.
  • Broad feet or ‘mud feet’
    This leads on from the ‘adjustable legs’ point. Unless you have large broad swivelling feet it’s going to make a lot of difference if your legs are adjustable or not. You’re going to sink! Bad news – get the broadest feet you can find.
  • Have an adjustable seating position
    If you’re going for a carp or specialist type fishing chair make sure that it has an adjustable back. This coupled with adjustable legs will give you an almost infinite range of seating postions.
  • Good padding
    A lot of the specialist fishing chairs will have padding, make sure that it’s durable and thick – you’ll be spending a lot of time sat in it.
  • Compact
    Regardless of the type of fishing you do, your chair will need to be small enough to transport to where you want to fish and to pack in your car.

If you bare all of the above in mind you shouldn’t go too far wrong with your next chair purchase. See a list of the most current fishing chair manufacturers.


The Fishing Bivvy Guide




So, you’re thinking of getting your self a fishing bivvy or perhaps you’re thinking of upgrading your existing bivvy to a new one. Whatever your reason for purchasing a new fishing bivvy this guide will provide you with all the info you need to make an informed decision before you part with you cash.

Fishing Bivvy History

Early fishing bivvies were really just glorified fishing umbrellas – which comprised the standard fishing umbrella with wrap around sides. It has to be said that these were pretty terrible – they leaked when it rained and if it was windy, well you would really have been better off going home. Having said that this type of fishing bivvy does still exist and are now much, much better, so if your cash is tight and your looking for cheap fishing bivvies then try looking for umbrella based systems.

Fishing bivvies have really come about for the benefit of carp anglers and specimen hunters. So the likelihood is, is that if you’re reading this article you are either a carp angler or specimen hunter of some description. If you are either of these things you will be spending some significant time in your bivvy so it’s worth spending sometime researching before you part with your cash.

Fishing Bivvy Features

Here’s a description of what sort of features you should be looking for in a new fishing bivvy:

The first point seems very obvious – you need your fishing bivvy to be made from a waterproof material. Not only does the fabric need to be waterproof it also needs to be hardwearing and ideally breathable. Having a fabric that is breathable will prevent condensation building up in your bivvy, making it more comfortable to spend time in.

The weak point in any waterproof system is always the seams so makes sure if it doesn’t specify in the bivvies description. that the seams are taped. Taping the seams after the panels have been stitched together will prevent any ingress of water – no waking up to damp sleeping bags.

Although breathable fabrics are a fantastic innovation in textile technology, it will not actually allow the air to flow through your bivvy. If you’re going to be using your fishing bivvy in the summer then air vents are going to be an absolute necessity. Unfortunately the summer and water together means insects so you’ll want to make sure that all of your air vents have mesh on them to prevent the little critters getting in.

Make sure that the carp fishing bivvy you buy has secure door tie backs. There’s nothing worse than a door that keep flapping around in the wind. If you can find a fishing bivvy that has a insect mesh on it then all the better – this will allow you to have the door open in the summer and keep the midges out. Some carp fishing bivvies come with interchangeable door panels – so in the summer when you want some light in but the insects out you can have the insect mesh in place, but in the winter when you want some light in and the cold out you can zip in a door that has a large transparent panel in it.

Check the weight of your fishing bivvy before you buy it, at some point your going to need to carry it or transport it in some manner. The lightest bivvies will have aluminium poles so look out for this feature. Not only do you want aluminium poles to reduce the overall weight of the bivvy – you want them made from this material because they will not corrode.

Make sure that you find a fishing bivvy that is large enough to accommodate all of your kit. You may have multiple chairs for example – a fishing chair and a bed chair – and it’s nice if you can keep them both set up and not have one or the other. You may also want to keep your fishing bag and rod holdall in there as well.

Around the base of your bivvy you want at least 12 pegging points – if not more. Having more pegging points will increase the stability of your fishing bivvy. You don’t always have to use them all, but if your fishing on uneven ground then having more pegging points gives you more options of which to use.

The final point is to check what accessories come with your new fishing bivvy, You don’t want to outlay a wedge of cash only to find out that it doesn’t come with pegs for example. Try to find a deal that includes:

  • Pegs
  • Peg Bag
  • A Heavy duty ground sheet
  • A winter wrap if possible