Mouth damage

[Anderoo]

Hi all

 

I'm sure you'll agree that mouth damage in carp is not uncommon, and that it's horrible to see. What do you think is the cause, at least on the waters you fish? Rods too powerful? Using bolt rigs and striking too hard? Leads that are too heavy? Bad handling on the bank? Dodgy rigs?

 

There are some beautiful lakes I no longer fish because the poor old fish are in a terrbile state, even though angling pressure is light. It would be nice to hear that this problem isn't as widespread as it appears to be.

[RobStubbs]

In my opinion there is a varity of reasons, some attributable to angling practices, others not. Some rigs and/or hooks appear to be more prone to causing damage than others. Heavy rods alone can't do it but heavy rods, heavy line (worst of all when it's braid) and a poorly set clutch can all contribute. Some waters however have carp with very soft mouths, couple that with those very energetic carp which seem to fight for ever and again the chances of mouth damage is increased.

 

Rob.

[lilypad]

I put a lot of this damage down to barbless hooks. Hooking , unhooking, hooking again etc. during one fight. That's why barbless hooks are banned by RMC\CEMEX.

The other factors you mention make a contribution as well.

The inexperienced angler using heavy line can try to bully fish and actually tear the hook out. I have seen this plenty of times. They tend to think they have only lost a fish and do not consider the injury they have just caused through ignorance. it is up to the more experienced angler to try and teach these individuals the correct way to handle a large hooked fish. With the advent of the "instant carper"these sort of injuries will only increase. Yesterday a 2oz roach, today I have the gear let's get a 20lb carp. Not quite the attitude.

"Could someone show me.........etc." A better start.

[Steve Burke]

Mouth damage isn't a problem at Wingham. However no one uses barbless hooks as far as I know. They aren't banned on the Carp Lake, but on the Coarse Lake I have imposed a ban on barbless hooks above size 10 to protect my perch.

[Anderoo]

Mouth damage isn't a problem at Wingham. However no one uses barbless hooks as far as I know. They aren't banned on the Carp Lake, but on the Coarse Lake I have imposed a ban on barbless hooks above size 10 to protect my perch.

 

Steve, do you put this down to the use of barbed hooks or that your members are more experienced than those fishing day ticket or club waters? Do they, for example, use very heavy leads too?

[Steve Burke]

Steve, do you put this down to the use of barbed hooks or that your members are more experienced than those fishing day ticket or club waters? Do they, for example, use very heavy leads too?

 

A bit of both. As for leads, it depends on what you mean by heavy. I don't think anyone uses above 4ozs, and most use smaller. One or two have tried braid, but I believe all are now using mono main lines.

[Anderoo]

A bit of both. As for leads, it depends on what you mean by heavy. I don't think anyone uses above 4ozs, and most use smaller. One or two have tried braid, but I believe all are now using mono main lines.

 

Interesting, thanks for the reply.

 

Seems like barbless hooks are pretty unpopular at the moment. I wonder if this is a fashion that will swing back to barbed again in a couple of years?

[trevor2003]

Hi

The length of your rig can make the difference to where you actually hook the fish, if your rig/hooking macanics are right, you shopuld be hooking them in the hard part in the bottom of the mouth, not in the lip and certaintly not in the corner of the lip/ hinged part of the mouth.

Danny Fairbrass demonstates this very well in the Korda under water DVD's, they are well worth watching and will change some of your ideas and thinking on what goes on, on the bottom/underwater and your presentation, certainly made me change some things this year after watching them over the christmas break.

Trevor

[Guest Josh Iddon]

I heard of people using very heavy 6oz leads with 2inch hooklengths and even 8oz leads with the hook joined by a split ring, I dont think this is good practise.

[Newt]

Anderoo - did you see the damage more on lakes with soft, silty bottoms?

 

As noted above, hard bottoms do seem to produce carp with tougher mouths and some gravel/rock patches help even more.