Fish Care
Taking care of the carp, or any species, once you’ve landed it is one of the most important aspects of fishing. Without proper care, a carp could become injured and subsequently have a reduced quality of life, which in turn means it cannot feed and grow as big as it could do.
A key part of carp fishing is unhooking, weighing, and releasing the carp back, so using the correct equipment is vital to ensure that the fish is let go in a similar or better condition than it was caught. Ensure you’re also using the right terminal tackle and landing net for the size and species you’re after.
At Bristol Angling Centre, we want to ensure that all anglers are providing the appropriate carp care by stocking a wide range of fish-friendly care products.
Unhooking Mats
Your unhooking mat is a padded flat safety mat where you’ll rest your fish whilst you remove the hook from its mouth. Unhooking is also perhaps the most critical and fiddly moment where an angler could damage the fish, so keeping the fish on a soft protective landing mat is important. We stock a huge range of thick carp unhooking mats allowing you to unhook, weigh, photograph and return your catch safely.
Carp Cradles
A carp cradle is an alternative option to an unhooking mat by utilising a raised padded perimeter to keep lively carp safe. Using a carp fishing cradle means even if your catch is thrashing around, it will not go anywhere and the raised sides will help to calm it down. A fishing cradle is also much more accessible for anglers with limited mobility, as it is raised off of the ground.
Carp cradles are perhaps the more cumbersome of the two landing mat options, so if you’d rather carry an extra rod or be able to be more mobile, then an unhooking mat is possibly a better option.
Carp Care Kits & Accessories
Whilst unhooking you may find that you or a previous angler has caused damage to the carp, in which case it’s important to provide medical care to ensure the fish can heal. Our Korda Carp Care Kit contains a natural antibiotic treatment to treat open wounds, damaged fins and scales, and prevent infections. Using carp care products will help to maintain the wellbeing of the fish. These small carp medical kits are a vital accessory for your tackle luggage in case of accidental damage.
Make sure your catch is kept wet whilst it’s on the unhooking mat with our handy Fox Collapsible Water Bucket. Wetting the mat and keeping the fish moistened at all times is important to protect the fish’s protective slime.
Fishing Scales & Weigh Slings
You’ll more than likely want to know the weight of your catch, and to do so safely you’ll need to use a weigh sling. Like unhooking mats, weigh slings are made using fish-friendly materials and are appropriately sturdy enough larger species. The enclosed sling will also help to keep the fish calm.
Get a quick and accurate read on how heavy your carp is with our fishing weighing scales. Our Saber Digital Scales have arms to allow you to mount it on a tripod and can weigh up to 110lbs/50kg.
