Fishing Bivvies

Fishing Bivvys today are an essential part of the modern day fishermans armoury. They allow an angler to camp out on the lake or river bank for days or even weeks at a time usually while specimen hunting for hard to catch fish such as Carp or Catfish.

What is a Bivvy ?

A Bivvy is essentially a dome shaped tent which has been specially designed for the angler in mind. The word Bivvy comes from the word Bivouac - which means 'to set up or camp in an improvised shelter', often from natural materials. Commonly the Bivouac shelter would consist of two sheets - one for the roof and one for the groundsheet where the roof would usually be tied up between two trees. Another type of Bivouac is the Bivouac sack, which is a thin waterproof fabric shell designed to slip over the top of a sleeping bag often used by climbers, mountaineers and hikers.

Development of the Fishing Bivvy

The Fishing Bivvy was introduced to anglers commercially in the UK in the 1970's. It was essentially a dome shaped tent that was thrown over the top of a large fishing umbrella, which was then pegged down for stability. This was known as a Brolly Camp or later 'Bivvy'. The wrap around bivvies or brolly camps are still available today, but there are also stand-alone versions that do not require an umbrella for the structure of the camp. The stand-alone bivvies consist of a collapsible all-in-one structure that can be 'popped-up' and constructed in seconds.

Quickly Erected

Manufacturers have strived to find better ways to build fishing bivvies over the years by making them more waterproof, stronger, breathable, easier to access and quicker to erect. In fact the latest models of bivvy such as the TFG Force 8 Extreme Bivvy can be erected in less than 15 seconds.

Day or Night

Some Bivvies are not just designed for anglers wishing to fish overnight, there are day bivvies known as a day session shelter - these are designed as the name states for day sessions to protect the angler from the elements.



1 man or 2

There are bivvies designed for 1 or 2 man, with the 2 man bivvies obviously being larger. Usually a specimen carp angler for example looking for a carp bivvy will buy a 2 man bivvy so that he has more room for all the extra equipment and accessories that he needs to take on a long fishing session.

Bivvy Manufacturers

There are several top fishing tackle manufacturers in the market that supply fishing bivvies and day shelters including Daiwa, Fox, JRC, Korum, Nash, Pro Logic, TFG (TF Gear) and Trakker.

Bivvy Accessories

A good bivvy needs good accessories such as lights, tables, rig stations etc.. The Fox Halo Elite Bivvy light for example can actually be programmed to switch on when you get an indication from your bite alarms.

The The TT Rig Station from Nash claims to be the carp worlds first bivvy station, work station and total tackle storage solution for storing and organizing the carp anglers essential rigs, baiting needles, foam etc.

Other bivvy accessories available include stoves, kettles, pans, pots, plates, tables, torches, towels, headlamps, and many others - everything but the kitchen sink really.