Fish welfare - or just OTT

[Steve Walker]

People get upset when they have the requirements of someone else's type of fishing foisted onto them. I've been a member of clubs where the match-dominated committee has wanted to screw over the carp boys without even really grasping that's what it amounts to. Clubs need to formulate their rules with care an apply them with common sense. You don't need a massive carp cradle if you are fishing for roach, and it would be a pain in the backside if you were roving on the river, but if the rule is formulated that everyone must have one and the bailiff is a jobsworth, there's a problem.

[Phone]

Mat,

 

A 40 lb carp is, on average, 43 inches - a 20 lb pike is, on average 37 inches.

 

Don't let anyone tell you unhooking mats or similar devices are SAFE. They are quite the opposite.

 

Phone

[BobH]

Tigger,

 

I have been fortunate enough to catch a number of Carp over 40lbs and I know how hard it can be to unhook Big Carp, far safer to unhook them on a mat and the cradle makes it even safer.

 

Steve,

 

The name " Carp Cradle " gives you an idea who they are aimed at, but the vagaries of committee's can never be guessed at, but I honestly can't believe that any committee would say you need a Carp Cradle for Roach.

 

Mat

 

As for Pike, as I mentioned in my first reply, I don't think Carp Cradles are suitable for unhooking Pike, if I was in a club that brought in a rule saying you had to use a Carp Cradle for Pike, I would fight it and still use a well padded Unhooking Mat !!

 

Bob

Edited October 29, 2014 by BobH

[Steve Walker]

Bob, my club rules say "Unhooking mats must be with you at all times". I would not be at all surprised to see the same wording applied to cradles.

[BobH]

Steve,

 

You have to go to the meetings and fight these stupid rules, I do !!

 

The Club I'm thinking off has some really well known anglers within it's membership and we listen to what's coming up at committee evenings and make sure we oppose the stupid rules inflicted on us by the Match ordinated committee ?

 

It's always been the same and I'm afraid it always will be.

 

When I was unwell the other year they cut down every bit of cover on a small secluded section of Upper Lea and were surprised when the Barbel departed the section for above and below ours, I asked why they had do so much damage and was told, they might use it as a Match Venue.

 

You had to see the section to believe the stupidity of the statement, the bailiff has now left his job and the cover is growing back slowly ?

 

Bob

[Steve Walker]

A club I was in years ago wanted to net all of the specimen carp out of the club water and trade them for pasties. The (match orientated) committee couldn't understand why the carp anglers were upset, after all there would be more carp to catch...

[John Weddup]

Matt the unhooking cradle I linked too makes no difference to pike unhooking at all. The sides on most of those are very soft and you neal astride the fish as usual as the sides collapse under your legs.

 

Obviously the steel framed off the ground type would be useless.

 

john

[Phone]

All,

 

Unhooking mats are the best way to keep your carp clean for good looking trophy photos. Somewhere in the early 70's, during the "carp explosion" mats were recommended for submission to the fish wrap magazines. They became mandatory for promoting syndicates under the guise of fish safety. Once proven unhooking mats were magnificent Bacteria and Parasites repositories, all of which have the ability to kill fish if conditions are in their favoUr - say like a warm moist black unhooking mat!

 

Carp Brits are simply to hard headed to call unhooking mats what they are - sleazy unsafe photo-opps

 

The carp cradle would be good if it were water tight and filled with brine water for a quick bath before returning the fish.

 

Phone

Edited October 29, 2014 by Phone

[lutra]

As far as I can see by doing a search, these Cradles are called " Carp Cradles " and introduced into Carp fishing, for the welfare of Carp ?

 

I did see one mention of use in Pike retention, which I'm sure would be fine, but not ideal for unhooking.

 

The club I belong to, has only recommended Cradles on two of their water, both waters containing carp of over forty pounds, where unhooking in the landing net would not be easy and far safer in a Carp Cradle.

 

It's a real shame that some anglers dislike of Carp Anglers and Modern Carp fishing, clouding their judgement regarding modern and helpful fish welfare measures, like Carp Cradles.

 

Bob

Well your the man Bob to educate us with clouded judgement's, as I've never had a 40lb carp or used a carp cradle.

 

So how does it all work. I see on google images lots of big carp in cradles and an odd one having a bath at the same time. They look nice and comfy (well I can see why some might think that). Then I notice there doesn't seem to be a landing net in sight in most of these pic's. Hmm......

 

So if I'm reading it right (with my clouded judgement) the idea is to net your super size carp in a landing net. Honk it up the bank and tip this easy to handle big fish into your cradle without missing and unhook it. Then you hold it up and take a pic or two and pop it back down. Then you some how drag a weigh sling under it (hopefully with a bit of extra water if you remembered to fill the bath) and hold it up for weighing. Then back in the cradle for one last look or while you land another fish before some how carting it back down to the water.

 

Sounds so easy Bob.

 

ps. if its not moving it won't be dead, its just gone a sleep from all that being in a lovely looking cradle.

[Tigger]

Well your the man Bob to educate us with clouded judgement's, as I've never had a 40lb carp or used a carp cradle.

 

So how does it all work. I see on google images lots of big carp in cradles and an odd one having a bath at the same time. They look nice and comfy (well I can see why some might think that). Then I notice there doesn't seem to be a landing net in sight in most of these pic's. Hmm......

 

So if I'm reading it right (with my clouded judgement) the idea is to net your super size carp in a landing net. Honk it up the bank and tip this easy to handle big fish into your cradle without missing and unhook it. Then you hold it up and take a pic or two and pop it back down. Then you some how drag a weigh sling under it (hopefully with a bit of extra water if you remembered to fill the bath) and hold it up for weighing. Then back in the cradle for one last look or while you land another fish before some how carting it back down to the water.

 

Sounds so easy Bob.

 

ps. if its not moving it won't be dead, its just gone a sleep from all that being in a lovely looking cradle.

 

 

I think the professioanl carp angler removes the carp from the landing net and puts it into a sling with which to transport it to the giant cradle.

 

Bob, i'm not ridiculing what you say bud, but it does all seem like a strange drawn out ritual. Like Brian, i've never caught carp anything like the sizes of the ones you have but I reckon if I ever got lucky enough to fish a water containing them so large and then got even even luckier still to catch one I could weigh it in the landing net straight out of the water easy enough.