By Samantha Collins-Ratcliffe;

How many anglers do you see on the bank with an unhooking mat the size of a postage stamp?

Carp care is the most important thing you should practise when carp fishing, after all, if the fish suffer, then so do our carpers.

It is very important that we care for our captures regardless of how big it is, because a 4lb carp will one day be a 40lb carp if they are looked after on the bank and returned safely to the water then will say in prestige condition for all to enjoy.

A high care unhooking mat is ideal whatever the situation as it is large and well padded, you can get an upper 40lb carp in it with minimum worry or problems.

Before you put your capture into the mat it is important that it has had a good soaking with water from the lake.

Then once the carp is in the mat, gently remove the fish from the landing net making sure that anything that comes into contact remains wet at all times.

It is ideal to always have an empty bucket next to your unhooking mat easily accessible to fill with the lake water as and when a fish is landed.

Water shouldn’t really be left in the bucket to stand from one capture to the next as the temperature of it can easily change from that of the lake and result in causing the fish some discomfort.

It is especially important to remember this on a hot day and keep the carp wet at all times as their scales can dry out within a few minutes.

In the pocket of an unhooking mat there should always be a set of forceps and a bottle of antiseptic such as Kryston (Klinic) ready for use at any time.

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When removing the hook from the mouth of the carp you need to treat the hook hold area with something as simple as Bonjela. It is a good all round antiseptics that can be used on hook holds, lost scales and cut broken fins by simply rubbing it on. Being waterproof it stays on and starts to work as soon as it is applied.

When the carp is in the mat it is ideal to give it a quick all over health check, making sure you are not wearing anything that could damage the fish, i.e. Rings or a watch.

Make sure your hands are wet before handling the carp as the body has mucus covering which protects the fish from infection so it’s important not to damage this membrane.

Take care on returning the carp back to the water, give it time to recover, it might take up to 20 minutes this is a quite common so don’t panic, once the fish has been returned it’s easy to get caught up in the moment but you just need to spend a few minutes getting everything sorted and ready for the next one!

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