grass over mat

[Phone]

All,

 

So as to not hijack Rusty's thread about his new toys I thought I'd start this thread (for the 33,000th time).

 

For those of you who preach mat first google "wheatgrass". We can go from there. Grass is a bizillion times safer for the fish. Take a mat if you don't have grass but your first choice should be GRASS.

 

Phone

 

[ayjay]

I'm always happy to lay a fish in lush grass - but plenty of fisheries don't have that - therefore I do now carry a mat - I spend more time on it than the fish do.

[gozzer]

All,

 

So as to not hijack Rusty's thread about his new toys I thought I'd start this thread (for the 33,000th time).

 

For those of you who preach mat first google "wheatgrass". We can go from there. Grass is a bizillion times safer for the fish. Take a mat if you don't have grass but your first choice should be GRASS.

 

Phone

 

I'm with you on this one phone.

While I see a use for unhooking mats on large fish, (if used properly), they are used much too often. This is rarely for the benefit of the fish, but often in fear of what the 'mat police' might say, or because it's the 'done thing'.

The old 'it might get blinded by a piece of grass' rubbish is often cited as a reason. In over 50yrs of angling I've never seen, or even heard first hand of this happening. I've said on here before that there is more likelihood of damage to the eyes, or gill area, by the use of heavy weights/feeders on a short hook length. The use of 3,4 or 5 inch hook lengths, with a fixed or semi fixed weight/feeder, leaves it banging and scraping a fish in the eye and gill area while playing it.

A small to medium, fish is easily unhooked while in the net, (with the exception of maybe pike). Less handling, quicker release, and much better for the fish.

 

John.

[Tigger]

At last some sense

[Matthew Simmons]

Thanks for starting a new threat Phone.

 

I agree and somewhat saddened that Rusty's cane baptism got hijacked. Personally I use mats because either its requirement or the fishery has destroyed the banks with hardcored swims, so there is no other suitable surface. Where possible I will unhook the fish in the net in the water and if landing is necessary I see absolutely no problem with a net on soft grass or just soft grass. Good fish handling is matter of education and common sense. Fish care is now an industry with a massive range of products anglers are pressured into purchasing by sponsored anglers in the comics and speci-angling-nazis on the bank.

 

I have a much bigger issue with carp rods only being available in ridiculous test curves and the resulting damage in the mouth area. There is no reason that anyone needs a 3lb test curve rod on the average fishery in the UK - as evidenced by Rusty's recent capture. Yet this seems to be the default TC now. I believe thinking anglers should be more concerned with the trend for ever more powerful rods (and don't get me started on braided mainlines - except for preds) which are far more damaging to carp, than whether or not a carp is better handled on a mat or with the the great care I know Rusty will have exercised over his first 8lber on a beautiful new rod.

[barry luxton]

I usually lay mine in a fish box, once the gills have been slit.

 

 

 

where's me coat.

[poledark]

Started to use a "mat", usually a coat laid on the ground, about 60 years ago. Mainly a carp angler and fishing gravel pits, some very newly dug, meant that very often there was nowhere safe to lay a large thrashing about fish.

 

As no doubt most of you know, the use of UH mats is now compulsory on most waters, and rightly so. Just because you haven't seen eye damage, doesn't mean it hasn't happened, even an eyeful of dust or grit would probably go unnoticed by the angler.

 

To me, it's a no brainer, once you have been made aware of the possibility of damage, then you have a duty to reduce the risks. What you think about it doesn't matter, just think of the fish.

 

I've never seen someone who has gone through a windscreen, but it doesn't mean I won't wear a seat belt.

 

Attempts to justify the non use (for large fish) are usually because the angler is just to damned lazy or ignorant to take one when fishing.

 

And what's all this about landing an 8lb carp on a cane rod stuff? Landed dozens and dozens on cane before glass and carbon came about. Nice fish and VERY nice photo though

 

Den

Edited June 9, 2013 by poledark

[Vagabond]

I'm always happy to lay a fish in lush grass - but plenty of fisheries don't have that - therefore I do now carry a mat - I spend more time on it than the fish do.

Like ayjay, I carry a small mat, mainly to sit on. Part of the "travel light" philosophy - one rod/reel, one net, one shoulder bag, and mat doubled up and carried in the net for changing swims.

 

...and lush grass is fine, but you can find all sorts of things in grass - especially grass on a river bank. Some of them might be sharp, so if in any doubt, I use the mat for unhooking.

 

Once the fish is returned, I use the lush (or not so lush) grass to wipe the mat clean and (nearly) dry.

[John S]

I use a mat for all my bigger fish (that can't be held in the hand), but they're also in the net ready for a quick return to the water. The angling association I belong to has a rule that anyone "....deliberately fishing for carp or pike.... must be in possession of a appropriate size, well-padded unhooking mat" so I don't have a lot of choice. Anyway, mine is the carp-cradle style mat, which can carry a fair amount of stuff when I'm going to/from the swim.

[Steve Walker]

I've recently been unhooking a lot more fish in the net and slipping them back without taking them out of the water - like the trout boys do. Watching a celebrity angler on TV keeping a carp out of the water for over five minutes while he weighed it, photographed it, dabbed it with antiseptic and proselytised about good fish care made me want to puke, branded unhooking mat or not.

 

I do have one, and I use it when I think it's necessary, but the best thing you can do for a fish is not to have it out of water longer than you need to. If you want to weigh it and snap it there's nothing wrong with that, but be quick.