Carp are returned, so how they are treated on the bank is the part of the sport that fisheries police hardest. A bailiff checking your kit is looking for four things, and the good news is that none of them is expensive.
An unhooking mat or a cradle
The mat is the one thing almost every lake will ask to see before you set up. A padded mat keeps the fish off the ground while the hook comes out; a cradle is a mat with sides, so a fish that flaps cannot flap off it. For short sessions the beanie mat is light and packs small, and the advanced beanie mat adds pegging points for a windy bank. If you fish for bigger carp, a cradle is worth the extra bulk: the Quick Fish cradle unfolds in seconds and the deluxe cradle has mud feet and a knee pad.
A landing net big enough
A 42 inch net is the carp standard and a 36 inch is enough on waters where the fish run smaller. The mesh matters more than the frame: fine, soft mesh does not lift scales. NGT's 42 inch specimen net comes with a stink bag to keep the wet net away from the rest of your kit, and a 6ft carbon handle keeps the whole thing light when you are holding it out over the water waiting for a fish to tire.
A sling for weighing and returning
A weigh sling lets you lift a fish to the scales and back to the water without holding it in your arms, and a floating sling lets it recover in the margin while you sort the camera. The deluxe weighing sling is the simple version with a case; the deluxe floating sling zips open on both sides and floats with a fish inside it. A weighing tripod takes the scales off your arm, which is where a wrong reading comes from.
Antiseptic
Every hook leaves a hole and most specimen waters ask for it to be treated before the fish goes back. A bottle of Fish Aid spray takes seconds to use and lives in the rig wallet.
Water, and time
Keep the mat wet before the fish lands on it, keep the fish covered and calm, and keep it out of the water for as short a time as you can. Have the camera ready before you lift. None of that needs buying, and it is most of what good carp care is.
- Carp care for mats, cradles, slings, nets and Fish Aid.
- Bite indication so you reach a fish quickly in the first place.
All of it is NGT and Angling Pursuits kit from a real shop in Lowestoft, with £6 UK delivery, free over £300, or collection from the shop.
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